Harrison Elhabbal
College I
Saint John Vianney Seminary
I was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on April 7th, 2005, into a homeschooling Catholic family of eight siblings. At seven years old, my family and I moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia, and remained there for ten years due to my Dad’s work in the military. I met several good friends in Virginia and developed a strong love for playing sports, especially baseball and rugby. Only last November, my family and I moved back to Omaha and are parishioners at St Wenceslaus Parish.
My first love for Jesus and my desire for the priesthood grew significantly during my junior year in high school. Throughout my early high school years, I struggled greatly with God’s call for me, but the Lord never stopped pursuing me and eventually reached my heart by working through and in the people around me. In addition, incredible high school retreats, strong and inspiring priest role models, and time spent in prayer allowed me to become more docile to God’s will and more accepting of Christ’s love for me, which fueled my desire to draw others closer to the heart of Jesus. Due to God’s grace and all the experiences in my high school years, I could say yes to the opportunity to visit a college seminary, which ultimately gave me the courage to apply to the seminary and pursue a deeper trust in my relationship with the Father.
As I enter seminary formation, I hope to grow closer to Jesus through spending time with Him and through my philosophy and Catholic Studies at St. John Vianney College Seminary. My advice to someone discerning the call to the priesthood is to spend authentic time with Jesus in Eucharistic adoration and to have a spiritual director to walk with. In addition, I believe it is crucial to know that God does not rule by fear; instead, God’s voice is peaceful, true, good, and beautiful, and God’s will is a path to fulfill your deepest desires. Finally, as Padre Pio once said, “You do not have to be worthy; you just have to be willing.”
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