Seminarians for the archdiocese of kingston

I was born in Kingston but moved in the country-side near Gananoque at a young age.  Growing up I played all kinds of sports: hockey, soccer, football and rugby.  Right now, I am big into running and biking.  I have worked all sorts of jobs, from dairy farming to being an army reservist for four years.  I have also attended Queen’s University and graduated as a chemical engineer.  I worked in the Albertan oil and gas industry for two years as an engineer until I felt God calling me to a different vocation.  After much time of prayer and time spent in front of the Blessed Sacrament, our Lord has given me the courage to accept His invitation to enter the seminary in order to discern further the priesthood.

The seminary allows me to discern the Lord’s will for my life but also to build up a strong relationship with God the Father, and with His Son, Jesus.  The seminary’s priestly formation is focused on four pillars:  intellectual – the academics, spiritual – the prayer life, pastoral – the priestly identity, and human – developing strong interpersonal abilities.  All of these aspects of formation are there to ensure that once I am ordained, God-willing, I will be equipped to serve you, the people of God. 

Please pray for me as I continue my discernment on the path to the holy priesthood.

I was born in North York in the GTA. I moved around the GTA quite a bit, hitting Scarborough, Pickering, North York, and Mississauga. I moved to Kingston, to study Mechanical Engineering at Queen's. Once I completed my degree I worked as a contract engineer for a tech start-up here in Kingston. At a young age, I received a call from the Lord in a very humorous way (ask me about it sometime!). That call, stayed in my heart, and I never stopped thinking about it. As I started work as an engineer, I also started seriously discerning the Lord's call! Soon I was certain that the Lord wanted me to further discern the priesthood in the seminary. So with His grace, I applied!

I hope that the seminary will help me to further discern the Lord's will for me and to grow in holiness and mission! I am incredibly excited to see what the Lord has in store for me, He has never disappointed me in the past, and He always promises the best! Please pray for me as I continue discernment on my path to the priesthood.

Verso L'alto!"

My name is Hilton Chiu and I was born and raised in Richmond Hill, Ontario. In my spare time, you can find me “doing work” at a coffee shop, cooking up a storm, or going on a spontaneous adventure. Even as a child, I understood the importance of my Catholic faith and have tangibly felt God’s presence at every turn of my life.

I lived in Kingston for six years while studying at Queen’s University, where I completed an undergraduate degree in Biology, followed by a graduate degree in Molecular Genetics. During this time, I nurtured a deeper relationship with the Lord through my prayer, the Sacraments, and involvement with various ministries. The Eucharist has been central to my discernment, and it was through various profound encounters with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament that I heard His gentle whisper, inviting me to follow Him. Despite the many, many plans I had imagined for myself, I have accepted the Lord’s invitation to enter St. Augustine’s Seminary, to follow Him in a specific way, to listen more attentively, and to draw closer to His Most Sacred Heart.

As I embark on this discernment adventure and learn to abandon myself more to God’s will, please remember me in your prayers. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.