At age 19, while in his freshman year at The Catholic University of America, Deacon Stephen Wyble first thought of becoming a priest. Until that time in his life, he always wanted to be a husband and father. When he began attending daily Mass in college, he found himself thinking more and more about what the life of a priest must be like.

“I saw these priests as men who spent their days praying to God and getting to know him better, and then taking their knowledge and experience and, to the best of their ability, helping others encounter God more deeply,” Deacon Wyble wrote in an e-mail interview with the Catholic Standard newspaper. “The more I thought about the priest’s life, the more it thrilled me that I too might spend my life in this way.”

On June 25, Deacon Wyble will be one of eight men ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Washington at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

While in college, Deacon Wyble also began talking to family, friends and priests about his desire to enter the seminary. He said he was given helpful advice and steady encouragement from many people in his life. Perhaps the most practical counsel he received was to enter the seminary as a “place to continue discerning with God and His Church.”

Deacon Wyble wrote, “The seminary community did indeed afford me many opportunities to learn more about the priesthood, and to experience firsthand a life of service and ministry in the form of our seminary apostolates.”

Above all, he said the daily opportunities for prayer and the sacraments brought him clarity and peace about his vocation. “I continued to express my desire to become a priest throughout my seven years in seminary and, thanks be to God, the Church has called me to ordination,” he said.

From 2009 to 2012, he attended Theological College at Catholic University, and received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from CUA in 2011. The following year, he began seminary studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

He was there during the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and standing in the packed, enthusiastic crowd of St. Peter’s Square for the election of Pope Francis.

Of those unforgettable experiences for a young seminarian, he writes about how difficult it was to see Pope Benedict resign, but at the same time, there was joy as soon as Pope Francis was elected.

“Pope Benedict was the pope when I entered seminary and the pope that greeted my class when I arrived in Rome. There was a real affection for Benedict, he was our spiritual father. But when Pope Francis stepped out onto the balcony, it became immediately evident that we were in good hands.”

The enthusiasm and love for Pope Francis, he wrote, has been “palpable in Rome ever since that evening three years ago. For me, Pope Francis’ most remarkable contribution to the Church has been the example of his humanity. He reminds us every time we see him that he is a man, like the rest of us, but he is a man who loves and knows he is loved by God – and that makes all the difference.”

Deacon Wyble is the third of six children. He grew up in Holy Redeemer Parish, Kensington, attending nursery school to fifth grade at the parish school. From sixth grade through 12th grade, he attended The Heights School, Potomac, where he graduated from high school.

He writes that Msgr. Edward Filardi, a former parochial vicar at Holy Redeemer Parish who now serves as pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Bethesda, and Father Paul Kais, a priest of Opus Dei, were particular influences on his life and own vocation. “Both of these priests made a lasting impression on me by their daily example of priestly ministry,” Deacon Wyble said. “Here were two men sincerely convicted in their faith, who unmistakably loved the Lord, and who enjoyed helping others, myself included, to better know, love and serve God.”

As he prepares for his priestly ordination, Deacon Wyble writes that he is honored and looks forward to serving God’s people in the Archdiocese of Washington, where he was born, grew up and answered God’s call to Holy Orders.

“Walking with people in their lives, being with them in their joys and hopes, in their griefs and anxieties – this is what I hope to do as a priest,” he said. “I hope to spend my energies making available God’s grace in the sacraments and to always be looking for new and creative ways to explain and share the faith. My goal as a priest is to allow God to make me holier every day, to live out my priesthood to the best of my ability, in service to those in the community.”