May 22, 2005

Below you’ll find a brief introduction to six men currently at various stages in their seminary training. Furthest along is Anthony Dickerson, scheduled for ordination as a deacon on June 11.

Dustin A. Collins, born in Johnson City; son of Danny and Susan Collins of Greeneville; home parish Notre Dame, Greeneville; sophomore at Conception Seminary College, Conception, Mo.

Q: When did you first think about becoming a priest?

A: It was gradual, since my freshman year in high school, but I began to think about it seriously as a senior.

Q: Why do you want to become a priest?

A: I love to serve people in all the ways I possibly can. I want to be there to administer the sacraments.

Q: Who inspired you to become a seminarian?

A: [Notre Dame pastor] Father Jim Harvey and the great example of Pope John Paul II.

Q: Do you have any hobbies?

A: Whitewater rafting, caving, and camping.

Alejandro Cornejo, born in La Calera, Yuriria municipality, Guanajuato state, Mexico; son of Salvador Cornejo and Rosa Regalado; home parish St. Thomas the Apostle, Lenoir City; sophomore at Conception Seminary College, Conception, Mo.

Q: When did you first think about becoming a priest?

A: When I was 13 years old.

Q: Why do you want to become a priest?

A: Because I have the desire to help people, and I want to take action.

Q: Who inspired you to become a seminarian?

A: All the priests in my parish and the reverend deacon.

Q: Do you have any hobbies?

A: Riding bikes.

Anthony E. Dickerson, born in Morristown; son of Louis and Sandra Dickerson of Morristown; home parish St. Patrick, Morristown; theology IV student at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Wynnewood, Pa.

Q: When did you first think about becoming a priest?

A: I’m a convert. Since I was young, I had always wanted to be a minister. When I was about 10 years old, I opened a door for an old woman at the mall, and she was very appreciative. I had a positive reaction in my heart from doing that, and I wanted to serve others. I converted April 4, 1998, and after I broke off an engagement with my fiancée, I began looking into the priesthood.

Q: Who inspired you to become a seminarian?

A: Monsignor Patrick Gaalaas. He’s a priest of the Diocese of Tulsa. He was the priest who confirmed me, gave me first Communion, and led me through RCIA. He was the icon of Christ. He showed me Jesus and is probably the holiest man I’ve ever met in my life. If I could be an eighth of what he is, I’d be doing great.

W. Patrick Resen, born in Walla Walla, Wash.; son of Mary Ellen Resen of El Paso, Texas, and the late John Resen; home parish St. Patrick, Morristown; theology III student at Holy Apostles College and Seminary, Cromwell, Conn.

Q: When did you first think about becoming a priest?

A: When I was about 11 or 12 years old. In high school I started pushing the idea away. It didn’t work; even in my 50s, it kept coming back, and I finally gave in to the Hound of Heaven.

Q: Why do you want to become a priest?

A: After many years of discernment, the call keeps getting louder. It’s what I am supposed to do in God’s plan, just as someone else’s plan is to be a writer, a mother, or a farmer. As a Christian I believe I am required to follow God’s plan for me. Put another way, the older I get, the more I realize God in the Eucharist, and nothing can bring me closer than being a priest.

Q: Do you have any hobbies?

A: Scuba diving, reading, Southwestern folk art, and travel.

Christopher M. Riehl, born in Gowen, Mich.; son of John and Shirley Riehl of Jefferson City; home parish Holy Trinity, Jefferson City; theology II student at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Wynnewood, Pa.

Q: When did you first think about becoming a priest?

A: When I was in third or fourth grade, one of the deacons in the parish where we lived in the Diocese of Jefferson City [Mo.] trained me to be an altar server, and that was the first time I’d thought about it.

Q: Who inspired you to become a seminarian?

A: Father Mike Sweeney. He was the pastor at St. Patrick [in Morristown] when I was in college. His example, who he was, his preaching, his love of sacred Scripture—he’s just a joy to be around.

Q: Do you have any hobbies?

A: I played soccer in college. Right now my biggest thing is hiking, a little bit of mountain biking, and whitewater rafting.

Randy L. Stice, born in Saginaw, Mich.; son of Arch and Nita Stice of Kingsport; home parish Sacred Heart Cathedral; theology III student at Mundelein Seminary, Mundelein, Ill.

Q: When did you first think about becoming a priest?

A: Spring 1997.

Q: Why do you want to become a priest?

A: I want to offer Jesus to people in word and sacrament.

Q: Who inspired you to become a seminarian?

A: Monsignor Leo Wleczyk of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Lake Jackson, Texas.

Q: What is your summer assignment this year?

A: To study Spanish in Guadalajara.

Q: Do you have any hobbies?

A: Music, hiking, reading, and travel.