Praise Be Jesus Christ!
I am excited to write to you all in the Saint Henry Parish Family to thank you for your prayers and support and to share an update on my life now as a seminarian of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. My journey towards the priesthood has been colored by many twists and turns but every step of the way I have been fortunate to receive the prayers and encouragement of many different Catholic communities. To name a few, it started in my hometown of Minster at Saint Augustine Parish and continued at Our Lady of Way in New York during College, and then four years of seminary formation with The Congregation of Holy Cross.
After discerning out of Holy Cross, I returned to the Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches and started to go to Sunday Mass at Saint Bernard's. Shortly after I became a parishioner, and it was with this parish family that I began to hear the call to the Diocesan Seminary. I am grateful for all the communities that have accompanied me along the way, especially my childhood parish of Saint Augustine, but in particular, I want to thank the people of Saint Henry Parish and Father Hess for the past few years leading up to my entering the Seminary. As many of you know, Father Hess allowed me and few other men to start a house of prayer at the Saint Bernard's Rectory, which we call the Loreto House. The purpose of the Loreto House is to provide a space for men to grow in their relationship with the Lord and to listen to the voice of God's call for their lives. It was during my time there, amidst teaching Catechism at Saint Henry, singing in the choir, spending time with families, and most importantly, spending time at Saint Wendelin's for Eucharistic Adoration, that I became more and more open to return to the seminary and to study for the priesthood. I want to thank all those who made it possible for us to live in the Rectory. The house played an important role in cultivating my vocation, and it continues to do so for the men living there now. After forming so many friendships there, it was very hard to leave this past January when I started my first semester at Mount Saint Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati, but if the Lord wants to make me a priest, I had to leave eventually! With my past seminary experience, I entered as a First Year Theologian and will start my Second Year of Theology in the Fall. Assuming that I will progress without any interruption, this would project my ordination to be in 2029. That isn't so far away, but I will count on your prayers as I persevere one year at a time.
During the summer, seminarians are invited to spend their breaks doing some form of ministry. I was invited to spend a summer in New York with an apostolate called Holy Family Farm where they provide hospitality and formation for young adult men seeking to more earnestly follow Christ. The mission is like that of the Loreto House and I am grateful to learn and collaborate with a ministry that has so deeply benefited me. I will be living and working on the farm and helping both with formation and sharing my baking knowledge. Part of the mission of the farm is to teach practical skills, and they have hopes of starting a market garden and possibly selling bread at a farmers market.
I am excited for this opportunity to serve, but I am also excited to return to Saint Henry in August for the feast of the Assumption before returning to Cincinnati to get back to my studies. I will spend a week with the parish before I return to seminary, so if you see me, please come and say hello. Starting in the fall, you will see my picture on the vocation poster, and I ask that you please pray for me and all my brother seminarians that we might be evermore faithful to Jesus Christ and to His Mother Mary. Please know of my prayers for you and again thank you for all of your prayers and support!
All for Jesus,
David Slonkosky
