From Family Prayer to Seminary Life

Every night before bed, Gabe knelt beside his father before a statue of Saint Joseph. It was part of their family rhythm, quiet and unremarkable on the surface. Together they prayed a simple vocation prayer, night after night, year after year. As a child, Gabe assumed those prayers were about his own future. Only later did he realise something deeper was happening.

His father, he now understands, was praying not only for his son, but for the grace to live his own vocation well, as a husband and a father. In that small domestic space, two vocations were being shaped side by side.

Today, Gabe is a seminarian at Holy Spirit Seminary, preparing for priesthood for the Archdiocese of Brisbane. Looking back, he can trace the steady influence of family prayer, parish life, and patient encouragement that slowly formed his sense of calling.

Gabe grew up surrounded by people who quietly lived their faith. His parents were constant in prayer and example. His wider family, including his godparents, supported him faithfully, often without fuss or fanfare. Their shared family motto, to seek first the Kingdom of God, became a guiding thread in the way they made decisions, sacrificed for one another, and lived daily life.

Entering seminary was not a simple or easy step. Gabe speaks candidly about how formation stretches a person beyond what feels comfortable. Academic study, structured prayer, and communal living all demand perseverance and honesty.

Living in community, he explains, is like being surrounded by mirrors. You see your impatience, your habits, and your limitations reflected back to you through daily interactions with others. It is not always easy, but it is deeply formative. Learning to stay, to reflect, and to grow rather than retreat has been one of the most important lessons of his years in formation.

There were moments when giving up felt tempting, particularly in the early years. Yet each challenge became an invitation to trust that nothing was wasted. Even the hardest seasons shaped him into a more attentive, grounded, and generous man.

One of the most significant parts of Gabe’s formation has been parish placement. During a year at Our Lady of the Southern Cross Parish in Springfield Lakes, he discovered a deep love for being among families. Visiting homes, sharing meals, blessing houses, and sitting with people in their everyday lives taught him what pastoral ministry looks like at ground level.

These encounters helped him understand that priesthood is not lived at a distance. It is lived alongside people, in their kitchens and living rooms, in moments of joy and in times of struggle. Being present, listening carefully, and bringing Christ into those ordinary spaces has become central to how he imagines his future ministry.

Gabe is clear that his journey has not happened in isolation. It has been shaped by spiritual directors, mentors, fellow seminarians, parish communities, and donors who make formation possible. The opportunity to study, live in community, and grow spiritually depends on the generosity of people who may never meet him, but who believe deeply in the importance of forming future priests.

He speaks with genuine gratitude about this support, aware that the impact of such generosity reaches far beyond his own life. The priests formed today will serve families, celebrate sacraments, offer comfort, and walk with people through decades of parish life.

In many ways, Gabe’s story begins where so many vocations begin, in a quiet moment of prayer at home. It continues today through careful formation, shared community, and the faithful support of the wider Church. It is a reminder that when people give, pray, and encourage, they help shape lives of service that will touch countless others in years to come.

If you would like to support the formation of seminarians for our Archdiocese, and Queensland, you can make a tax-deductible donation today.