While Jao said he cares whether men eventually become Jesuits or not, his main concern is that their search ultimately draws them closer to God, he said.
While Nguyen is still in the discernment process, he said people have remarked on how happy he seems, his eyes alight with the glow of someone who has found his calling.
“It’s funny. I used to pray that this kind of calling went away,” he said.
While he had been in some serious romantic relationships, he’s never found “the perfect woman,” he said. Now, as he engages in the volunteer work that is part of this year of exploration, he said, “there is a sense of rightness, like I’m supposed to be here.”
His mom, concerned about his welfare, asked him if he was running away from something in his life.
“I’m not running away from something,” he told his mother. “I’m running toward priesthood.”
This article originally appeared here.
