When did you first start thinking about a vocation?
The idea that I might be called to the priesthood first entered my head when I was ten years old. I did not stop then to ask where that thought came from, but it certainly was not something I came up with. That thought, “be a priest,” has remained with me to this day. Throughout high school, I began to better understand the sacrifices a priest makes, giving up a family, a career in the world, etc. Though I was at times I was pretty sure I did not want to be a priest, the conviction that God was calling me to the priesthood remained, and kept growing despite my best efforts to ignore it.
What do you think is the greatest challenge facing the Church today? What do you see as the solution to that challenge?
The greatest challenge: Apathy is a big one - "Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth" (Rev 3:15-16). The solution: setting the world ablaze with the fire of love burning in Jesus' heart.
What saint has been your greatest inspiration and why?
Our Blessed Mother. Through her fiat she brought Jesus into the world while remaining a virgin. In this she demonstrated how a life of celibacy can bear incredible spiritual fruit.
How do you hope to answer the call of the New Evangelization in your priestly ministry?
First and foremost by fidelity to Christ crucified. This is the source and sustaining force of any authentic witness in the world.
Keep an eye on Detroit Catholic for a full feature on Dcn. Pellican and his upcoming ordination!