Headline of the day: “History Major Discerned Call to Priesthood While Working at Wawa”

How could I resist calling your attention to a headline containing the words “History Major,” “Priesthood,” and “Wawa”?

From Catholic Philly:

Born and raised in Glenside, and a parishioner at Saint Luke the Evangelist Church, Transitional Deacon Brendan Zehner says he never considered a vocation to the priesthood until his senior year of college.

 “I was pretty lapsed in the faith,” he says of his early years as a history major at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, VA.  “But fortunately, I had some really good friends and teachers who helped guide me back in the right direction.”

Now, Zehner will be ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia May 18 at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia.

Zehner grew up with his father Mark, a government lawyer, his mother Peggy, a history teacher, and an older brother.  Zehner credits his mother for his love of history, and he hoped to one day teach history just like her.

Zehner and his brother attended Ancillae-Assumpta Academy in Wyncote for grade school, administered by the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and then Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia for high school.

Having a collective love of history, the family often spent their free time visiting museums.  “We visited every museum the city had to offer,” he said.

The American Revolution is his favorite period in history, which influenced him to attend college in historic Williamsburg.  He says he enjoyed walking to school and encountering various people dressed in colonial attire along his path.

During his senior year at college, as he became more serious about his faith again. Zehner realized he needed to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

“Going to confession isn’t always the easiest thing when you’ve been away [from the faith],” he said.  So, during a visit home, he called upon a priest he knew at his home parish to feel more comfortable.  Near the end of their meeting, the priest said to Zehner, “I thought you were going to ask me about the priesthood.”

When he heard those words, Zehner says he was surprised, but that he also “felt a lot of joy and peace” at the idea.

Afterwards, Zehner started discerning the priesthood.  He says he looked for work he could do while discerning, which led him to employment at Wawa in his hometown.

“You get a pretty good experience of human nature when you see people at 5:00 a.m. before their first cup of coffee,” he said, reflecting on that time.

He rotated working as a cashier, stocking the refrigerators, and making various drinks for customers.  He found that while he was stocking the refrigerators with products, he could pray the Rosary while he worked.

Read the rest here.