Derek

fifty years later; the call to the call to the priesthood had never been so clear as I felt my soul click into place and ignite like the candle in my hand. Guarding the light.

I returned to my freshman year of high school with the quiet joy that comes with having a keen sense of direction and peace with what God was asking of me. I was also convinced that the next steps in my vocation journey were up to me; I needed to make practical decisions that would allow continued exploration of my calling. In January 2016, I petitioned my parents to allow me to transfer from the public high school in our district to the private Catholic all boys school just down the street. Delbarton School in Morristown, NJ, was run by the Benedictine Monks of St. Mary’s Abbey facilitated opportunities for students to embrace living the faith more fully. Most importantly, a religious education coupled with the consistent availability of the sacraments felt more than inviting, and my prayer pushed me to be bold in how I approached the next few years of my life. It was also at this time that I shared my retreat experience with my parents and with their support, we determined that Delbarton was a great opportunity for me to grow in and practice my faith regardless of vocation.

As I was preparing to attend Villanova, I had also shared my interest in the Augustinians with my parents. Although they understood my choice of school because of my vocation, they encouraged me to approach Villanova as the college experience it was, not as a path to priesthood. This mindset helped me to approach Villanova with an open mind and allowed me to experience college like any other student, although always with anticipation towards my calling.

A key period of learning during my time at Villanova was the time I spent working and studying in Rome, Italy. I lived in a small apartment adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica and would work at the United Nations in the morning and attending classes at a school in the afternoon and evening. Having been interested in Italy since I was a kid, the Italian classes I took for the first two years of college enabled near-full immersion in the spring semester of my junior year. I enjoyed exploring Rome and learning about the history and culture alongside new friends, many of whom I’m still in touch with today. I also had the unique experience of seeing the foundations of the Catholic Church present in the Vatican and across Rome. It was during this time that I also met Fr. Joe Farrell in his role as Assistant General for the Americas and Vicar General of the Order of St. Augustine. Fr. Joe was kind enough to invite my friends and I into St. Monica’s for dinner and remind us that no matter how far we go from Villanova, we’re always at home with the Augustinians. To this day I am so attracted to the “always home” values present within the Order – it reminds me that Augustinians are family regardless of nationality, language barrier, or geographic location. This reminder was amplified as I traveled throughout Europe witnessing the universality of the Catholic Church and the many different communities present within.

I graduated Villanova University in May 2023 and returned to where I’d completed my internship, JPMorganChase. I moved into Hudson Yards on the west side of Manhattan and have enjoyed being in the city with friends from Villanova and high school. I’ve also been fortunate to make excellent friends through work and church and really enjoy trying new coffee shops and seeing Broadway shows on the weekends.

I continue to look back on that moment of my freshman year of high school where I saw myself as a priest, and I often think about how I can further implement an Augustinian practice into my life.

In January 2025 I started thinking more about my role in the Church and what next steps I’d like to take in my vocational journey. I asked these questions because it was just under ten years since I felt the invitation to priesthood, and just over five since I’d been introduced to the harmonious lifestyle present in the Rule and lived by the Augustinians. I recognized the big changes in my life associated with entering the pre-novitiate; that is, giving up my job and proximity to friends, relinquishing financial independence, and limiting my ability to go where I want, when I want. As I’d mulled over these considerations, I brought many of these thoughts to prayer to ask God how I know the Augustinians are the right path for me. In January 2025, my two best friends from Villanova and I planned a trip to Europe in early May. With my friends never having been to Europe, I was the de facto tour guide and suggested we visit Rome and Amsterdam so we could see some interesting sights and visit some old friends of mine from abroad. In early May my friends and I traveled to Rome and spent days touring the city and visiting the many sacred spaces, often spending time in prayer when we had a few moments in quiet. I remember praying God, are the Augustinians the right path for me? How would I know? as we wandered throughout the city. On May 7th, the night before the papal election, my friends and I shared a special dinner with Fr. Joe Farrell and prepared to leave for Amsterdam the next day. After arriving in Amsterdam on May 8th and taking a walk through our neighborhood, I remember my buddy stopping in his tracks: white smoke. At last we got our answer – Pope Leo XIV, a pope from the United States, and more particularly, a pope that came from the Order of St. Augustine and that went to Villanova University. After years of prayer about my next steps, I couldn’t help but look at that moment as one of confirmation that I was on the right track for what I needed to do next. I recall sitting down alongside the canal breathing a prayer of personal thanks amidst the joy in the announcement of the new Holy Father. As Pope Leo stood on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica renewing his commitment and trust to God’s service, I sat along a canal in Amsterdam praying for the same courage and grace.

When I came back from my trip I got in touch with Fr. Kevin DePrinzio, who shared that he was unsurprised by my call, and introduced me to Fr. Jeremy. I attended two retreats, a Come and See and a Discernment Retreat, and have continued to see my own reflection in the Augustinians I’ve encountered since going to Villanova in 2019. I admire how the friars treat each other, approach their ministries with joy, and aim to seek truth in the spirit of St. Augustine.

I appreciate the communities the Augustinians live in, and I’m excited about the communities they create and to which they minister. Among my feelings towards religious life, the Augustinians, the priesthood, and the Church overall, it comes down to this: I believe in God – Father, Son, and Spirit – who has created me and has a plan for my life. I believe in keeping my eyes on Jesus, to follow Him to the best of my ability and to pledge my life to His will regardless of where I go or what I do. I believe that God is calling me to something greater than myself and I cannot do it alone; therefore, I will trust Him.

As I’ve continued to discern religious life, I’ve come to recognize that my invitation to priesthood is inseparable from a call to live in community. What draws me specifically to the Order of Saint Augustine is its shared search for God through common life, prayer, and mission.

The Augustinian emphasis on interiority has helped me learn how to listen honestly to the movements of my own heart, while the fraternity of the Order has shown me how that interior life is meant to be lived outwardly, in friendship and service. I am drawn to a life in which ministry is not undertaken alone, but supported, challenged, and enriched by a family that seeks the same truth. In the Augustinians, I have found a way of life that gives form to how I already desire to live my faith.