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!"
I was born in Chicoutimi, QC into a vibrant family. We moved to Belleville when I was four and have been there ever since. We would go to Mass on Sunday’s and pray before bed, but my faith was not much more than that; I knew He was real, but I didn’t feel like He really cared about me. In turn, the idea of my becoming a priest was not even a question—plus, everyone gets married and only old people are priests, I thought. But those ideas started to change while on a retreat in grade nine.
While I was in prayer, I had a beautiful experience where I felt as though a warm blanket was covering me and God was watching over me. I felt as though God cared for me, knew me, and loved me; and I wanted to share that with others. That same year, my heart was struck again. My parish priest shared his vocation story during his homily. He explained that he made the decision of becoming a priest in order to lay down his life for the community. While he was speaking, I no longer saw “just an old man”, but a warrior, a leader, a general sacrificing himself for his people. I no longer saw “just an old man”, I saw Christ. I no longer saw the priesthood as something boring and plain, but as something beautiful and attractive. I came to see a more balanced view of both the married life and Holy Orders.
A couple of years after high school, I had to make a decision about what I wanted to do the upcoming year. After some thought and prayer, I decided on the seminary since I felt like it was the best place for me to answer the questions that I had: “Do I want to be a priest?” And “Is God calling me to be a priest?”. So here I am, “discerning”—as it is called—in the seminary; listening to His Voice, and to where He is leading me.
I would be grateful for your prayers as I continue through formation for the priesthood.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever! My name is Savio Cyril Kocherry and I am entering the Propaedeutic (Spiritual) Year at St. Augustine's Seminary for the 2021-22 academic year.
Born in India, my family moved to Canada in 2006 after several years in the Middle East. I graduated from Queen's University with a BScH in 2019 studying Life Sciences.
During my time in Kingston, I got involved with the Catholic Chaplaincy, Newman House, and matured in my faith living at Frassati House, a men's Catholic residence. After graduation, I was employed at the chaplaincy; active in ministry, and formation of students on campus.
A vocation to the priesthood took root during my University days. With time and prayer, an invitation to receive the gift of the priesthood of Jesus Christ became apparent. It was a gift that I did not merit, nor deserve, but one that God was offering. He chose me, and now I choose to follow Him.
Please pray for my fellow seminarians & I as we prepare to receive this gift more fully.