Families and seminarians gathered at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington’s annual Seminarian Family Day on Aug. 2, beginning the morning with Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory.
In his homily, the archbishop emeritus of Washington reminded families that “a vocation to the priesthood is a precious gift to the Church. It is a call to offer one’s life in service, to administer the sacraments, and to shepherd God’s people with love, devotion, and sacrifice.”
After Mass, families and seminarians spent the afternoon sharing lunch, fellowship and conversation, reflecting the wide range of experiences that have led these men to embrace God’s call to the priesthood.
At 37, Don Giolzetti never imagined his life would lead to seminary. He had built a career that included nearly a decade in China, earned a master’s in international relations, studied Mandarin to near-native fluency, and worked as a China affairs analyst. By all measures, he was on track for professional success and a future he assumed included marriage and family.
Then one ordinary day changed everything. On Dec. 9, 2023, on the feast of Saint Juan Diego, Giolzetti heard his newborn nephew’s first cry. In that moment, he felt God calling him to the priesthood.
His parents, Emilio and Christy Giolzetti, said the decision brought both shock and gratitude.
“I always imagined him with a wife and children,” Christy said. “But I could never not want this life for him.”
A Catholic convert, Giolzetti had entered the Church earlier that year. By the following summer, he applied to seminary and recently completed his propaedeutic year.
A propaedeutic year is the first stage of seminary formation, focused on prayer, spiritual growth, and building a strong foundation for priestly life before beginning formal philosophy and theology studies.
“It was the best year of my life,” he said. “My relationship with the Lord deepened in ways I could not have imagined.”
Nineteen-year-old Andrew Bailey’s journey looks very different. The oldest of six children and a recent graduate of The Heights School in Potomac, Maryland, he will begin his propaedeutic year this fall. Raised in a Catholic family and active at Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Bailey traces his vocation to his upbringing and the steady witness of parish priests, especially Father Dan Leary, now the pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Clinton.
When he shared his decision to pursue the priesthood, his parents say they felt a mix of emotions.
“As a parent, you imagine certain paths for your children,” said his father, Michael Bailey. “But you pray through it. You ask yourself, ‘Who is your God? Is it a consumer god or the true God?’ That clarity makes all the difference.”
His mother Maria Bailey agreed. “We ask the Lord to guide our kids and do what He wants. From that point of view, you realize this is a gift. He is a gift.”
Reflecting on his older brother’s decision to study for the priesthood, Matthew Bailey – who will be entering his freshman year at The Heights – said his brother has always had a “heart for serving.”
His sister Tessa Bailey, who will be entering her senior year at Oakcrest School in Vienna, Virginia, said, “Andrew is a special person, and God has a special plan for him.”
For Deacon Jessiah Rojas, 27, the path to the priesthood was one his family never expected. A graduate of St. Mary’s Ryken High School in Leonardtown, he played and later coached football at Ave Maria University in Florida. Today, he is in theology studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland and hopes to be ordained next year.
His parents, both raised Catholic, later joined the Assemblies of God, where his father is a pastor. At first, they struggled with his decision. His mother, Roxanne, said she “initially thought it was a phase,” but now she knows “this is what God wants for him, and I know this is his path.”
To men discerning a vocation, Deacon Rojas offers simple advice: “Understand the weight of your decision. There are real challenges, but if He is calling you, the rest is just details.”
For Peter Trossbach, 24, the call to the priesthood began when he witnessed the joy of a priest. The youngest of four, he grew up in a family whose Catholic roots in St. Mary’s County stretch back centuries.
Although raised Catholic, his mother, Michelle, said the family “wasn’t particularly devout. We went to Mass and made sure our kids received the sacraments, but when Peter told me he wanted to go to seminary, I didn’t even know what that entailed.”
Football defined much of his early life. He attended St. Mary’s Ryken on a football scholarship and was offered a full ride to Ave Maria University, so his decision to enter the seminary surprised his family.
“I knew I couldn’t base my life on football,” he said. “I was looking for something more.”
Trossbach said the call to the priesthood really began when he encountered Father Scott Woods during a retreat his sophomore year. Father Woods now serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in La Plata.
“Whatever that joy and fire was that he had, I knew I wanted it,” Trossbach said.
His mother struggled at first, urging him to consider his scholarship. But one morning in a deer stand, she surrendered her will to God.
“As the sun came up through the trees, I just knew,” she said. “I knew this was the path for him, what God wanted him to do.”
Seminary life, Trossbach said, has only strengthened that call. “His love, His way, brings me true joy and peace,” he said.
Father Louis McHale, one of the archdiocese’s newest priests who was ordained in June, shared his story to encourage seminarians and their families.
“Seminary is one of the greatest gifts,” he said. “It’s like living in the best fraternity house in the world.”
“At first, you imagine the priesthood as perfect,” he said. “Then you grow in understanding, see that it is beautiful and sometimes challenging, and learn to love it for what it truly is: the priesthood of Jesus Christ.”
Father McHale recalled life with “the best guys at JP II (the Saint John Paul II Seminary) and the Mount,” filled with ski trips, mission trips, and late-night burger runs. “My biggest regret on ordination day was leaving that community,” he said.
He praised the archdiocese’s formation team as “the most impressive group of priests I have ever seen,” committed to forming priests of communion who serve with joy.
Father Mark Ivany, the archdiocese’s director of priest vocations, said interest in priestly formation remains strong, with 63 seminarians at the Saint John Paul II Seminary, including 11 new men from the Archdiocese of Washington. Family Day, he added, “helps parents see their sons thriving and brings them peace.”
(Information on the call to priesthood in the Archdiocese of Washington can be found at www.dcpriest.org.)
