When was the first time you thought of priesthood?

I was 7 when I said for the first time that I wanted to be a missionary priest.

What were major Catholic activities you participated in prior to the Seminary?

I have practically come to know the Church through the Neocatechumenal Way. When I was 5 years old my parents entered the Church through the catechesis of the Neocatechumenal Way and they would take me to Church with them. Then with my own community I attended World Youth Day in Rome, Amsterdam and Cologne, where I heard the call of God to become a priest.

What is your favorite Scripture Passage? Why?

I have many. One of them is Deut 6:4-6; “Shema Israel…” because it reminds me always to put God at the center of my life.

What was your involvement in parish life before entering the seminary?

Initially by attending the celebrations of the Word and the Eucharist every Wednesday and Saturday nights with my community. Then also becoming involved in other celebrations of the Church and volunteering to clean the Church and the Church hall.

Who influenced/inspired you to priesthood? Please Explain.

I think I was influenced by my family in some way, chiefly through the Neocatechumenal Way and in some degree by many priests and seminarians I met and spoke with. Moreover among my friends many of them have entered the Redemptoris Mater Seminaries throughout the world, namely in Cologne, Berlin (Germany), Harlem, Amsterdam (Holland), Washington, Newark, Guam (U.S.A.), Kiev (Ukraine) and Beirut (Lebanon), as well as some girl friends who are thinking about entering the religious life.

What would you say to a young man who thinks he may have a vocation?

First of all pray, and then speak with some priest about it, such as your pastor or vocation director of the Archdiocese. It would also be very good if you would enter the Neocatechumenal Way, because it has a very good pastoral care for young men and women with a vocation.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

Many things (some of which I am not very proud of!). One thing, for instance, is that I used to play in a hard metal rock band.

Please tell us, what are some of the most important parts of discernment?

I think an important part of discernment is not to consider yourself alone the only judge in spiritual matters but to allow other people (especially people who may be wiser and older) to have a say on what God may be calling you to do.

What activities would you recommend to foster a culture of vocations?

I think that one of the best ways to foster vocations is to open the Neocatechumenal Way in the parishes. It is amazing how big is the percentage of youth from the Neocatechumenal communities that enter seminaries and religious life. I come from a small parish in Poland and I am the third vocation to come from the parish.

Did anyone invite you to consider priesthood? Please explain.

For many years the priest of the team of catechists of the Neocatechumenal Way of my parish. He told me that I should not run away from my vocation like he did. Also several people told me simply that I would become a priest.

What influence (if any) has Pope John Paul II had on your vocation?

Pope John Paul II had and still has a great influence in my life and my vocation through his teaching and example of life.

How did you come to know Jesus Christ?

First of all thanks to my family, especially my mother, who transmitted the faith to me and invited me to the Neocatechumenal Way, which chiefly contributed to shape my faith today.

What signs led you to believe that God was calling you to be a priest?

Apart from what I said before about many people telling me that I would be a priest, I also felt a great desire for the evangelization.

What are some of your favorite and most important spiritual readings/books/passages?

“Kerygmat apostolski dzisiaj” and The Imitation of Christ. The Imitation of Christ is well known and the first book is written by an itinerant priest in Russia where he describes the heart of the Kerygma and his experience of announcing Jesus Christ.

How does the Priest best follow in the footsteps of the Apostles?

By being poor, chaste, obedient and missionary.

Jason Pascucchi

When was the first time you thought of priesthood?

Initially, around the age of reason, intrigued by the outward appearances. After that, young teenage years (other kids teased me about being Catholic, maybe becoming a priest): at the time, I reacted to it as absurdly humorous. Little did I know...

What were major Catholic activities you participated in prior to the Seminary?

An individual pilgrimage to the Holy Lands (especially the Holy Sepulchre). Last year's Boston Catholic Men’s Conference.

What is your favorite Scripture passage? Why?

Rev 19:11-16. Because I've found a leader I can follow, serve - fight for, even - without having to hold anything back (and the assurance of victory helps too...), and that there is an Enemy (the "father of lies" and the "murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44)) against which we may "fight a good fight by having faith and a good conscience" (1 Tim:18-19).

Who influenced/inspired you to priesthood? Please Explain.

Temporally, the recent election of Pope Benedict was a key moment for me: a man I respected and admired, with a great mind and deep love for the truth of the faith, for Christ, and His Body, the Church. Certainly, the EWTN crew, several bloggers and priest-bloggers with a deep faith in the Church(even a few from Massachusetts). But, mostly, it was Christ Himself, the True Priest, by His total submission to the will of the Father, the Perfect Sacrifice.

What would you say to a young man who thinks he may have a vocation?

I'd give much the same advice I didn't take when I was a relative youth: "Pray. Read the scriptures. Go to Mass. Go to adoration." But, I'd add one piece more: "Read the Saints and Doctors of the Church, especially Augustine, Aquinas, de Sales, Vianney, Therese, John of the Cross, Chrysostom, Catherine of Genoa, de Montfort. And, with their guidance, grow in pure love of God, Mary, and your brothers and sisters. Then, "Come and see".

Please tell us, what are some of the most important parts of discernment?

Prayer. Self-honesty. Finding good models of priestly life.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

That I once flew to Argentina for a week to study the Tango.

What activities would you recommend in order to foster a culture of vocations.

Adoration. Counter-cultural youth formation (with a focus on the St.s and Martyrs as heroic examples, as well as their writings). Giving the youth some training in the errors of the age (and of the past - I think studying the heresies is one of the best ways to learn the depth of the faith - and avoid error).

What influence (if any) has Pope John Paul II had on your vocation?

His heroic life and suffering was compelling - ultimately, the 'good end' that I hope we will all make. Just like his motto, "Totus Tuus" - he had given totally of himself.

How did you come to know Jesus Christ?

Intellectually, through the works of the Saints and Doctors of the Church. Spiritually, through the knowedge that I sinned (still do), and need a savior (that I couldn't do it myself) - that I have no good in me that was not given to me. "If you, LORD, mark our sins, Lord, who can stand? But with you is forgiveness..." (Psalm 130)

What were the spiritual events or activities that helped you develop and shape your personal relationship with Christ and His Church?

Liturgy of the Hours. My trip to the Holy Sepulchre. Reading the Saints. Lectio Divina.

What was your career or background before entering the seminary?

I rode the dot-com boom of the 90s, mostly in software development, and engineering and QA management. After cashing in on an IPO, I was able to travel a bit in the late 90s (England, Israel, India for 5 months).

What are some of your favorite and most important spiritual readings/books/passages?

Francis de Sales, Intro to the Devout Life. Augustine, Confessions. de Montfort, True Devotion. Aquinas, the Summa Theologica and Summa contra Gentiles. John 21. 1John. 1Cor13. 1Peter5. Baruch 1. I can't say enough about the Liturgy of the Hours, especially the psalms and Office of Readings.

What is your day like in the seminary?

Wake 6:10, shower/shave, meditation, morning prayer, mass, breakfast, classes, lunch, study or another class, exercise, devotion, chatting with my brother seminarians, evening prayer, dinner, more study, more chatting/various social events, devotion, night prayer, pass out at 10:30. Do it again.

Through the Cardinal, God is calling you personally to help rebuild his Church. How must the priest respond to this mandate today?

First in this and all things, he must respond with love - for Christ, for His Church, and for each of the members of His body that he comes in contact with. He must respond with unreserved fidelity to the Magisterium and obedience to the authority of the Bishop. He must respond by being "shrewd as serpents and simple as doves", for there is no question we are "like sheep in the midst of wolves" (Matt 10).