Andrew Glotzbach

Birthdate: February 20th, 2003

Home Parish: St. Joseph Parish, St. Joseph, Michigan

Who is your favorite Saint and why: Samaritan Woman who encounters Jesus at the well in the Gospel according to St. John. St. Photina has been a great encouragement for me in my discernment process because of the radical way she abandons all she had following her encounter with the person of Jesus. Prior to her encounter with the Lord, Photina lived daily life under the heavy weight of shame and self-hatred. But the Lord entered into those places where she found reason for despair and loved her, even when she couldn't love her self. And in response to this encounter, she left her entire livelihood behind for Christ's sake, which is represented by her water jug, as John accounts that she left it there at the well. St. Photina, according to tradition, would then go on to be martyred in Rome. Her story and the way she responds to the words of our Lord has been so inspiring for me, especially in my discernment. She has helped me realize the things in my life that I need to "leave at the well" so that I might be free to live out the Gospel message and share it with those the Lord wishes I encounter.

What has been a highlight of your time in seminary: To be honest, though it was a small moment, nothing in my time in seminary has had as deep an impact on my heart. Halfway through my first year of seminary, one of the priests went to say mass at a local convent for The Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus. The Handmaids are a group of religious sisters that teach religious education at local churches and schools, and they work very closely with the seminary. But on this particular occasion, the priest offered to take me and Adam along with him, so that we could attend mass with the Handmaids and have breakfast with them afterwards. And I don't mean this figuratively at all... but my heart melted. Seeing the joy of the sisters and the motherly love they had for me, a seminarian, was the most comforting and refreshing experience of my life. Their beautiful femininity pierced my heart; I saw the Blessed Mother in each and every one of them, and Her motherly love was made so tangible to me through them. One moment in my brief two hour visit with these sisters that particularly struck my heart was after mass had concluded, each of the sisters knelt down and prayed together, before Our Lord in the tabernacle, a prayer that seemed very well rehearsed; a prayer they prayed daily. Their prayer was that of petition for priests and seminarians, that Jesus would pull them close to His heart and that Our Blessed Mother would keep them close to Hers. I was moved to tears to realize that these sisters prayed for me daily and that their love for me, Mary, and Jesus was genuine as can be. It was such a beautiful moment, and one that I will remember and often call to mind whenever I encounter struggles in my discernment.

Is seminary boring? ABSOLUTELY NOT. If you think all we do is pray all day in silence, then you are partially correct, yes. But by golly do we seminarians have a great time. The fraternity at the seminary is easily the most tangible aspect of our day to day life. Living in a building with 90 other guys all pursuing the Lord is a recipe for fraternal bonding like you've never experienced before. We call each other "brother" for a reason: it's just how close we get when we are united in Christ. And we have so much fun. We're always out playing sports, playing board games, or going out and messing around together. I can confidently say that no one has more fun than seminarians. We are a tightly knit group of brothers, and that makes living with each other the most joyful thing I have ever experienced.

Please keep Andrew in your prayers!