Seminarians

William Foggo

William Foggo

Seminarian
Will is in his Configuration Stage at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. His home parish is St. Paul in Flowood and he was also very active with Catholic Campus Ministry at Mississippi State University. He is also an alumnus of St. Richard Elementary School in Jackson and St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison.

Mr. William Foggo
Notre Dame Seminary
2901 S Carrollton Ave
New Orleans, LA 70118
Email: [email protected]
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His story in his own words:
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I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school all the way through high school. I had never thought about becoming a priest. I first felt a desire for priesthood when I was a senior in high school. When I was in college, that desire grew. I began to notice signs that God may be calling me to priesthood. The feeling of a call to priesthood became so great that I couldn't ignore it, so I decided to enter into seminary.

I like the idea of serving those who helped me to grow in my own faith. I want to bring Christ to people in a real way and minister to my friends and family [in the Diocese of Jackson].

I have many favorite saints, but I have always felt close to St. Joseph. He was a quiet, humble and compassionate man. He is my confirmation saint and I have always been inspired by his quiet humility. He is a great example of a good, Catholic man.

I really enjoy praying the rosary, and meditating on the mysteries of Christ's life while asking our Lady for her intercession. It is a very powerful prayer and spiritual weapon. I also love spending time with our Lord in Eucharistic adoration. I enjoy getting to pray face to face with our Lord.

I enjoy playing guitar and listening to music. I also enjoy camping, hiking and being outdoors, and I also enjoy cooking, though I am not very good!

You can send Will a personal note to 2901 S Carrollton Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118.

Grayson Foley

Grayson Foley

Seminarian
Grayson is in his Discipleship Stage at St. Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, Louisiana. His home parish is St. Richard in Jackson. He is an alumnus of St. Joseph Catholic School Madison.

Mr. Grayson Foley
St. Joseph Seminary College
75376 River Rd.
St. Benedict, LA 70457
Email: [email protected]
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HIS STORY IN HIS OWN WORDS:
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I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and my family moved to Jackson, MS when I was in third grade. I’ve lived here ever since.

In the summer of 2018 I went to a Catholic youth conference called Steubenville On the Bayou with my youth group at St. Richard. It was a faith filled experience and was the first time I considered the priesthood. I had an amazing encounter with our Lord during the exposition of the Eucharist. After returning home I started to receive spiritual direction from Father Nick Adam. This helped me to pre-discern my vocation.

I am inspired by the selfless example of other diocesan priests and want to serve just as they do. Through prayer I feel like I am being called to serve the people of God in my home diocese.

I enjoy playing basketball, reading, biking, and fishing. St. Lawrence is my favorite saint and the one I chose for confirmation. He had a fervor and zeal for the Lord that was radiant even until his death. I pray that I can be as strong in spirit as he was.

Before my I started discerning my vocation I was convinced that I would play college basketball. They say “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about YOUR plans.”

You can send Grayson a personal note to 75376 River Rd. St. Benedict. LA 70457

EJ Martin

EJ Martin

Seminarian
EJ is in his Discipleship Stage at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. His home parish is St. Richard in Jackson. He is an alumnus of St. Joseph Catholic School Madison.

Mr. EJ Martin
Notre Dame Seminary
2901 S. Carrollton Ave
New Orleans, LA 70118
Email: [email protected]
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HIS STORY IN HIS OWN WORDS:
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I was born in Jackson and attended St. Richard’s and St. Joseph’s Madison. From there, I continued a Catholic education at Spring Hill College. After graduating from Spring Hill in 2015 with a degree in Financial Economics, I moved to Austin, TX where I worked in sales for a Financial Services company.

I have always considered the priesthood, but it wasn't until 2021 that God's voice became too loud to ignore. I was praying more regularly and in that prayer God was clearly encouraging me to consider the priesthood.

On Good Friday of 2021, when I was home for Easter, I paid a visit to Fr. Nick, and we began the journey of discerning if God was calling me to join the seminary. As I began to pray more with scripture and conformed my life towards holiness, I was finding more peace in this calling.

In seminary, God will give me the opportunity to continue to double down on this discernment. I look forward to continuing to establish a strong prayer life, and to fall in love with His will for me. My greatest desire at seminary is the discovery of God's vocation for me and the peace and strength to accept that calling.

You can send EJ a personal note to 2901 S Carrollton Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118.

Wilson Locke

Wilson Locke

Seminarian

Wilson is in his propaedeutic year at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. His home parish is St. Paul Catholic Church in Vicksburg.

Mr. Wilson Locke
Notre Dame Seminary
2901 S. Carrollton Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70118

HIS STORY IN HIS OWN WORDS:
I was born and raised in Starkville, Mississippi. I graduated from Mississippi State University in 2019 with a degree in Philosophy/Religion and from Lipscomb University in 2023 with a degree in Christian Ministry. Just before entering seminary, I worked in youth ministry at St. Paul Catholic Church in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

I am a convert to the Catholic faith. After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with my father, I became convinced that Catholicism was the most faithful expression of Christianity.

My father and I were received into the church in the spring of 2020.

I began to think about the possibility of the priesthood before I actually received the Sacrament of Confirmation! However, it wasn't until the Fall of 2023 that I received the confidence to begin the discernment process.

I said a novena to St. Therese of Lisieux and asked her to pray that God would send me a red rose if I was meant to be a priest, a white rose if I was meant to be married, or a yellow rose if I was meant to enter into monastic life. And the end of the novena, she sent me all three color roses at once! I interpreted that answer as God letting me know that I had the freedom to choose which vocation to discern. Within that same week, I chose the priesthood.

My time in seminary is dedicated to the Little Flower, for the greater glory of God!

Joe Pearson

Joe Pearson

Seminarian

Joe is in his discipleship Stage at St. Joseph Seminary College in Covington, Louisiana. His home parish is St. Richard in Jackson, and he was also very active with Catholic Campus Ministry at Ole Miss. He is also an alumnus of St. Richard Elementary School in Jackson and St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison.

Mr. Joe Pearson
St. Joseph Seminary College
75376 River Rd.
St. Benedict, LA 70457

HIS STORY IN HIS OWN WORDS:
I am a cradle Catholic, born and raised in Flora, Mississippi. I attended Saint Joseph Catholic School in Madison and then Copiah-Lincoln Community College where I played baseball. I also attended the University of Mississippi where I majored in legal studies.

I first felt the desire for seminary in high school. There were several influential priests in my life who showed me the joy of the priesthood and the beauty of the church. Meanwhile, my friends and family encouraged me to grow in my prayer life and frequent the sacraments.

Over the course of several years, through ups and downs, I continued to feel the Lord subtly pulling at my heart, urging me to grow closer to Him. The prospect of seminary kept coming up in my mind and in prayer. So, I applied to seminary where I can continue my discernment of diocesan priesthood.

In my free time, I enjoy deer hunting, duck hunting and bass fishing. I also love watching baseball and football. My favorite saint is Saint Augustine of Hippo because of his beautiful conversion story and his love for philosophy, a love that we share.

Francisco Maldonado

Francisco Maldonado

Seminarian

Francisco is in his propaedeutic year at St. Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, Louisiana. His home parish is Immaculate Heart of Mary in Greenwood.

Mr. Francisco Maldonado
St. Joseph Seminary College
75376 River Rd.
St. Benedict, LA 70457