Archbishop Sample visited St. Patrick’s Seminary, where eight seminarians from the Archdiocese of Portland are currently studying. During his time there, he shared meals and celebrated a private Mass with them, and met individually with each seminarian.
On Saturday, January 24, 2026, six seminarians of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, who attend St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California, participated in San Francisco’s West Coast Walk for Life Mass and the 22nd Annual West Coast Walk for Life.
“Seminary is right for me. I am happy here. I wish to continue to hold this joy of the Gospel and share it with all of those I am present to.”
At any age and in every language, God is the ultimate answer to our questioning hearts for help and for meaning.
The school break, while it is a time of rest and relaxation from assignments, is also a time of testing and further discernment.
On the Solemnity of All Saints Day, I was thrilled for the chance to attend the Mass where Pope Leo declared St. John Henry Newman to be a Doctor of the Church.
The reception of these ministries for the seminarian expresses a “stepping stone” in vocational discernment as each man continues his journey to the priesthood.
Seeing adults, youth, and entire families coming together to worship God and witness their faith to the world lifted my spirit and gave me hope. It opened my eyes to the vibrant faith that is alive across our Archdiocese, a faith that is being joyfully lived and shared with love.
While hiking with groups in the remote and desolate landscape, our team focused on leadership, service, and communion with Our Loving Father. The Lord was able to do profound things in my life through the simplicity and constant challenge of living in the wilderness.
I was publicly declaring with humility, “Here I am, Lord, send me.”
Priests do far more than celebrate Mass and pray all day. The life of a priest is busy, demanding, challenging—and incredibly rewarding.
Celibacy is always a top concern for men thinking about the priesthood, but rest assured that every priest had the same thought before he went to seminary.
If Jesus has placed a desire in your heart for priesthood, no matter what your age, don’t ignore it. Talk to a priest you admire about how you feel.
Examining oneself using these twenty qualities or signs is a good way to begin one’s discernment of priesthood, but it should not be done in a vacuum.