Meet Our Pilgrims: Nick Tanner

Hi everyone!  My name is Nick Tanner and I am a pilgrim.  I'm a junior at Strake Jesuit, and previously I attended St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School.  I play baseball here at Strake, and enjoy school and have a lot of fun helping out with retreats and liturgies.  My favorite movies are Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and the Dark Knight Trilogy.  I've lived in Houston all my life with my parents and younger sister, who also goes to SVdP.  The last time I left the country I was a toddler.

Now that I've spouted out random things about myself, I'll tell you about my discernment.  My discernment of the priesthood began in my Sophomore year at Jesuit, when I began to seriously take an interest in Catholic apologetics after being challenged on my faith by some of my friends.  I wasn't too enthusiastic about my faith before coming to Strake, but something about the atmosphere peaked my interest.  I had never seen so many kids my age taking their faith seriously, and it changed my perspective.  I'm a convert -- my family used to be part of the Southern Baptist Church.  So for me Catholicism seemed boring and overly traditional in comparison to the Baptist Church, which was more fun and centered around me instead of the Eucharist.  The faith never really clicked for me until high school, when I actually took the time to learn why we believe the way we do.  I got so into it that people began to ask me if I was thinking about the priesthood.  The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.  I begun to read about the priesthood, talk to priests more about it, and continue to educate myself on our faith.  I became more involved with the Strake community, and that's gotten me to this point.  I don't know if I'll become a priest, but I'm praying and listening for God to lead me in the right direction over time.  Hopefully this week in Rome will give me a chance to pray without any of the usual distractions, and encounter some holy places that may inspire me.

To all of the donors who helped me go on this trip, I can't say thank you enough for the impact you're making on my life.  I will pray for all of you, even those who donated anonymously.  Please pray for me that I can have an experience that leads me in the direction that God wants me to go.

Sincerely,

Nick