“If you draw near to him, he will draw near to you” | Ryan Ferrigan

Ryan was 17 years old when he encountered Jesus in an unexpected way at a Holy Thursday Mass. On this episode of the I AM HERE podcast, hear how Ryan grew up with an intellectual knowledge of his faith and how that transformed into a personal relationship through the Mass. He shares how his faith developed — especially through the habit of adoration — as a young adult, how he discerned applying to seminary, and why his dependence on Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is so important to him throughout his discernment.

Show notes: 

(00:22) Leah and Fr. Mario welcome Ryan to the podcast, and he shares briefly what life is like as a seminarian. 

(02:03) Ryan describes his faith as a young child, sharing his experience at his First Holy Communion and the intellectual knowledge of the faith that developed from a young age. 

(04:23) Fr. Mario asks what steps followed his intellectual knowledge of the faith to lead him to eventually discern a priestly vocation. He describes an experience he had when he was 17, attending the Holy  Thursday Mass, that transformed his understanding of the Eucharist and the priesthood. 

(14:51) Fr. Mario notes the beauty of the Holy Thursday liturgy. Leah asks Ryan about what happened following this initial experience, and he shares how his relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist developed little by little as a college student. 

(23:31) Ryan shares a bit about his decision to apply for seminary, tying it back to the encounter with Jesus he experienced when he was 17. 

(25:26) Fr. Mario comments on how leaning on a strong relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist is critical throughout discernment. Ryan talks about how he spends time with the Eucharist throughout his day-to-day life in the seminary and shares the importance of silence before the Lord. 

(31:17) Ryan offers encouragement and advice to any listeners who may have intellectual knowledge of the Eucharist but haven’t had a personal encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist.