Father Xavy Castro, director of vocations, often reminds seminarians of a phrase shared with him by one of his own seminary formators: “There is no vacation from your vocation.”

“Summertime is a great opportunity for our men in formation to experience different forms of ministry, learn more about our diocese, and dive deeper into the work of priesthood through encounters with our priests and the people of God,” Father Xavy said. “These experiences help solidify their discernment and allow them to discover the gifts the Lord is calling them to use, God willing, as priests of our diocese.”

This summer, these seminarians are serving in a variety of assignments. Four seminarians are participating in a Spanish immersion program in Spain to strengthen their language skills and experience the culture firsthand: Vincent Washburn, Reinaldo Jara, Spencer Grant, and Alex Fleming.

Two seminarians that are studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome are continuing their formation in Italy through parish ministry and Italian immersion in Milan: Michael Santos and Dakota Gates.

Seven seminarians are serving in parishes throughout the Diocese of Saint Petersburg, working alongside pastors and gaining firsthand experience in parish ministry:

• Deacon Mark DeSio — St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Tampa
• Tyler Gates — Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, Land O’ Lakes
• Isaac Cruz — St. Cecelia Catholic Church, Clearwater
• Austin Smith — St. Paul Catholic Church, St. Petersburg
• Matthew O’Neill — St. Paul Catholic Church, Tampa
• Mark Wegener — Christ the King Catholic Church, Tampa
• Caleb Malec — St. Timothy Catholic Church, Lutz

Seminarians Christopher Busser and Ricardo Velasco are spending the summer at Our Lady of Good Counsel Camp in Floral City. This experience is geared towards providing faith-filled summer experiences for youth from across the diocese.

Six seminarians are participating in the diocesan Summer House program, serving in ministries throughout the diocese through opportunities such as Vacation Bible School, Catholic Charities outreach, the Good Samaritan Project, Pastoral Center service, and continued formation: Lawton Brinkman, Ben Kieler, Joseph Levesque, Cody Holton, Alesander Salgado, Anthony Valancius.

Please remember to keep these men in formation in your prayers as they continue to grow their gifts and discern how the Lord is calling them to serve the Church.

For more information about the Office of Vocations, click here.