A decade of ignoring his call was wiped out in one Confession
By Catholic Register Staff
Whenever Eric Mah thought of the priesthood in his Grade 9 year of high school, he felt an “enduring sense of peace and joy and consolation.” But he spent more than a decade ignoring this feeling, however, before choosing to follow it. While studying law in university, Mah was invited by his friend to a Lenten reconciliation service, where he had his first Confession in 15 years.
“After hearing the words of absolution, I remember feeling this huge weight lifted in my heart,” said Mah.
He was later asked by another friend to visit the seminary
“I thought, why would anyone want to visit the seminary?” said Mah. “It just seemed so ridiculous. Of course, now I live there.”
It was during his visit that Mah met many discerning men and was connected with a spiritual director who helped develop his vocation.
Mah, 34, entered St. Augustine’s Seminary in 2005 and will be ordained a priest for the archdiocese of Toronto in the spring. He doesn’t claim to have come this far on his own, however.
“The greatness of the human person is not the sum of any one individual’s talents or gifts,” he said.
“It is based on the fact that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, and all of us in the seminary, we are certainly no exception.”
