Welcome Dillon Price, Our Pastoral Year Seminarian

We are pleased to welcome Dillon Price, a seminarian of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, who will join our parish next week for his pastoral year. This important stage of seminary formation gives Dillon the opportunity to experience the daily life of a parish, serve alongside our clergy and staff, and grow in his pastoral ministry through prayer, service, and relationships with our parish and schools community.

====================

I’m Dillon Price, your pastoral year seminarian! I grew up Protestant, but converted to Catholicism in 9th grade while living in Virginia. Later in high school, while on a weekend retreat, I felt God call me to the priesthood, even after I told Him, “No, I’ve got other plans.” Turns out, He won that time. Eventually, I entered seminary with the Diocese of Arlington, VA, going to Saint John Paul II College Seminary in Washington, DC. After my first year, however, I left seminary, moving down to Kennesaw, GA, to live with my parents and continuing my college education online while working. Eventually, I discerned that God was calling me back to seminary,

but this time with the Archdiocese of Atlanta. It has been two years now since I’ve entered seminary with the Archdiocese, and this past May I graduated from Saint Joseph Seminary College in Covington, LA, with my BA in Philosophical and Theological Studies. Now, I’m beginning my pastoral year at Our Lady of the Assumption parish! This is the very short version of how I became your pastoral year seminarian. The Lord has worked for a long time to get me here!

On my free time, I love to lift weights, play games, and largely spend time with others. Whatever the group wants to do, I do, whether it’s flicker ball, volleyball, the movies, or board games! I also love to imagine that I’ll sit down and read a book, and sometimes that does happen! As well,  I went to Antigua, Guatemala, this past summer to study Spanish, and I learned a lot! También, yo fui a Antigua, Guatemala, este verano pasado para estudiar español, y aprendí mucho! Por favor, me hable en español si usted puede. Tal vez no lo entenderé, pero la repetición es la madre del aprendizaje. ¡Estoy contento a sufrir para aprender! To give a little more insight into my personality as well, the first thing I learned to do in Spanish this summer was bromear—to joke! I love goofing around, so feel free to joke around with me if you see me. Brownie points if you make me laugh!

Finally, I wanted to share one last insight about me. I have a favorites quote that reads Quoniam mihi adhaedsit, liberabo eum. If you’re a Latin scholar, have fun! If not, to Google translate! In any case, this line from Scripture is a verse I felt God speak to me some years ago, reminding me above all that He must be first in my life. As Ricky Bobby’s father tells him (in Talladega Nights), “Son, if you ain’t first, your last.” The same is true with God in our hearts—if He ain’t first, He’s last! When He first called me to the priesthood, I told Him I had other plans, but what is my wisdom compared to His? My Creator knows better than me what He made me for, so I ought to ask Him for the grace everyday to follow Him where He wants to go rather than following myself where I want to go and occasionally bringing Him along for the ride.

I know this intro is short, but I hope you’ve gotten some idea of who I am from it. Feel free to ask me more questions about myself or anything, and I can’t wait to get to know you all this year and serve you as your seminarian! Know that I’ve been praying for you all, and I ask that you pray for me.

God bless, Dillon Price