Photo by Jeff Witherow/Catholic Courier

Our Seminarians

Daniel Spears

Home Parish: Church of Saint Jerome, East Rochester, NY

Year you entered the seminary? 2023

What did you do before you entered the seminary?
Prior to entering the seminary, I spent two years at Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts, where I studied philosophy and theology. Liturgy and Sacred Music were an important part of the college’s spiritual identity. We read and discussed many documents from the Second Vatican Council, in addition to works by Pope Benedict XVI. One of my favorites was his Spirit of the Liturgy, which reveals the hidden spiritual world that is present at every Mass.

What was one of the major influences leading you to consider priesthood?
I spent the last five summers volunteering as a missionary at the Apostolate for Family Consecration in Ohio. Each summer I lived in community with other missionaries and ministered to families who attended summer retreats there. I served in many different roles: teacher, musician, tech support, french-fryer, and groundskeeper to name a few. I was always amazed at how I was called to use my unique gifts in various ways over the years, and how each summer brought new insights into who God is calling me to be. The summers provided many opportunities for prayer, discernment, and getting to know priests from across the country. We also had many international priests visit. I was inspired by their dedication and joy in the variety of ways that they bring Christ to the families, especially through the Sacraments.

Why did you enter the seminary?
Through many years of personal prayer and the establishment of a relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist, I have discerned that the priesthood is likely the way in which God is calling me to serve Him with my life. Before looking anywhere else, I made God my first choice. The more I placed my trust in Him, the more doors opened leading me to the seminary. It was a difficult decision to transfer colleges, but my welcoming at Our Lady of Providence Seminary has been affirming that I am on the right path. I look forward to the many years of study and formation ahead in which I can continue to discern God’s call and grow in love for Christ and His Church.

Interests:
I am passionate about Sacred Music and enjoy singing, composing, and playing the organ. I also like to design websites and build computer software. My two hobbies combined when I had the opportunity to design and build an electronic pipe organ to play at Mass for the Apostolate for Family Consecration. When I’m not writing code or making music, I like to read books and engage in philosophical and theological discussions with friends.

George Bastedo IV

Home Parish: St. Joseph the Worker, Clyde

Year you entered the seminary? 2019

What did you do before you entered the seminary? Why did you enter the seminary?
I entered the seminary in the fall of 2019 after spending a year as a  music teacher in a public high school. I entered the seminary because I began to wonder through prayer and encounters with the people around me whether God might be calling me to become a priest, and because I was struck by how the local priest shortage has affected our parishes.

What was one of the major influences leading you to consider priesthood?
It’s hard to pinpoint one influence in particular, but if I had to choose I would say being a music minister and becoming involved in the liturgy was a major factor that led to me considering the priesthood.

Interests:
As a musician, I enjoy singing as well as playing piano, trumpet, and organ, and I have been involved with many musical theatre productions over the past several years. I also like to read, play board games, and participate in trivia/academic competition.

Joseph Maurer

Home Parish: Saint Kateri Parish, Irondequoit – Saint Thomas the Apostle Church

Year you entered the seminary? 2022

What did you do before you entered the seminary? Why did you enter the seminary?
I studied woodworking and business in college and then I worked for about 5 years for a local custom window and door manufacturer specializing in high quality wood windows and doors. I eventually decided to enter the seminary and pursue the priesthood after growing much deeper in my faith and genuinely feeling called to it. I also continually heard about the priest shortage and the need for more priests and I felt that I could do it and be happy and hopefully be part of the solution.

What was one of the major influences leading you to consider priesthood?
One of the bigger influences for me was simply having the opportunity to spend time and talk to current priests in our diocese. Talking to them and asking them questions and learning more about what the actual role of a priest is helped me hear the call.

Interests:
My biggest interest and hobby is woodworking. I also enjoy spending time with family and watching movies.

David Cataline

Home Parish: Our Lady of Peace Parish, Geneva NY

Year you entered the seminary? 2019

What did you do before you entered the seminary?
I was an educator and school administrator for Baltimore City Schools

Why did you enter the seminary?
I have always been involved in the church in some capacity since I was an altar server. The more I became involved, the more I felt drawn to the priesthood.

What was one of the major influences leading you to consider priesthood? My involvement in the church as well as the priests whom I know personally. They have been a guiding star in my discernment.

Interests:
I enjoy reading and hanging out with friends. I am very involved in my brother’s foundation so I do a lot of work with them for awareness and other events for families.

James Muscatella

Home Parish: Parish of the Holy Family, Gates

Year you entered the seminary? What did you do before you entered the seminary? Why did you enter the seminary?
I entered St. John’s Seminary for pre-theology studies in 2018. Before entering the seminary, I studied childhood and special education, with a concentration in history, at Roberts Wesleyan College, after which I attended The College at Brockport (SUNY) part-time for a few semesters to take graduate level classes in literacy education. I also worked as a Student Behavioral Assistant for three years as an employee of Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES, primarily at the organization’s Alternative High School. I entered the seminary, despite how wonderful and rewarding my experiences were working in education, because I felt that Christ was calling me to explore a life more united to His salvific work.

What was one of the major influences leading you to consider priesthood?
The number of instrumental personal influences and God-given moments which lead me to discernment are far too numerous to speak to adequately in this form. However, it would feel improper not to mention that my family, particularly my best friend and brother Anthony, my parents and both sets of my grandparents served as my first great examples of well lived lives that urged me, in their own ways, to in turn live as Christ calls each of us.

Beyond this, my work with youths, both as a part of my time at BOCES and my involvement in the Senior High Youth Group at my parish, served to point me towards discernment of the ordained priesthood. In both of these roles I was given a great gift; I was privileged to share in the real, joyous, and sometimes tumultuous lives of young people as they worked out their developing identities and discovered their own God-given goodness. It was through this work I felt, in greater and greater ways, that the Lord our God may have been calling me for quite some time to love Him and His people here in a special way: as, it is to be seen, one of His priests.

Interests:
I have been interested in music for many years. While I am very much an amateur, years of taking guitar lessons from a talented and faithful man, now a close family friend, helped lead me to a greater love and appreciation of our beautiful faith. I also enjoy reading, especially the works of G.K. Chesterton and Robert Hugh Benson. While I try not to spend too much time watching a screen, I have a deep appreciation for some science fiction programs and movies, especially (certain) Star Wars films and episodes from the original series run of The Twilight Zone.  Spending time as a family was a central and happy part of my upbringing, and even today as I write this I look forward to the next time I will be able to go fishing or watch an episode of Jeopardy, loudly, with my family.

Photos by PNAC Photo Service