Matthew is 22 years old. He is the oldest of three children growing up in Cincinatti, Ohio. Despite a busy family life, his parents always prioritized having the family eat together and praying together. Missing Sunday mass was never an option and close family friends from the Charismatic prayer group at his parish positively impacted his faith. He has always had a deep love for our Lord in the Eucharist and a desire to be closer with him. When he was little, he used to play-act some semblance of church at home with vanilla wafers, but there was always an explicit understanding that this was nothing like the real thing.

At the same time, he knew that this was something to be cherished. Later in life, through his youth group and Steubenville Conferences, he had profound experiences with the Lord in the Eucharist and he knew in those moments with absolute clarity that he wanted to spend his life bringing others closer to Christ. At different points in his life, this desire grew stronger or weaker, particular as he dated throughout high school and early college. In each of these relationships, he felt a lack, as though he was called to something more, something deeper. Over the past two years since making this decision to intentionally discern the priesthood, Matthew has never felt more at peace, despite the uncertainty of what lies ahead. Matthew graduated from Benedictine College in Kansas with a Major in philosophy and a minor in Theology, Math and Chemistry. He met the Companions during a visit at Visitation House in Detroit. While there, he felt a strong sense of peace and he decided to apply to the seminary formation program. He is eager to see a new Pentecost in the Church.