Pieter Van Rooyen

Theology II
Sacred Heart Major Seminary
Home Parish: St. Thomas Aquinas, East Lansing

When I graduated from High School, the priesthood was the farthest thing from my mind. I got a scholarship from the Air Force ROTC and began studying at Michigan State; I planned to become an Air Force Officer. During my first year at Michigan State, I began to learn more about the Faith - specifically I started to learn more about the Mass, the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and Confession. I was in awe at the simple truths that I had spent my life ignoring: Jesus’ death for me, him offering his Body and Blood in the Mass, his making present his sacrifice on the cross in the Mass and his forgiving my sins through the priest in Confession.

I started thinking about the priesthood because I wanted to help other people know and love Jesus and His Church, especially through the Mass. I prayed about the priesthood and the Air Force and I talked with some priests. I decided to withdraw from the Air Force ROTC so that if I still wanted to become a priest when I graduated from college, I would be free to do that. As each year of college went on I grew slowly more and more towards seeing myself as a priest, but I still wasn’t 100% that God wanted me to be a priest; I wasn’t ready to be ordained yet. I entered the seminary the fall after graduation from Michigan State. The seminary has been awesome; I have loved learning more about God and growing closer to Him through prayer, especially through the Mass. When I entered the seminary I had a good feeling that God wanted me to be a priest and as each year has gone by, I have grown more and more confident of His call. With His grace, I will be ordained in the summer of 2010.