I attended Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis starting in August 2020 to study to become a Catholic priest. While I was there, I studied prayer and philosophy, formed a lifelong brotherhood with my classmates, handled IT throughout the whole university, and joined a couple bands.
Convivium is Kenrick-Glennon Seminary’s sole annual fundraising event. For years, a seminarian band had entertained guests at the event. During 2020, the Convivium was changed from a dinner auction to a livestream production due to COVID-19 concerns.
The band was called Credo, a Latin parody of 90s rock band Creed. I had become friends with some of the guys who had played in Credo in previous years, and they were excited to have me join for the 2020 show. We rehearsed together for a few months, recorded our set, and aired it on the stream, which turned out to be a great success.
I had no shortage of musical adventures during my time at Kenrick. I learned how to sing Gregorian chant and how to operate a massive pipe organ. I scored a horror film that my class made for the school film festival. I organized an Open Mic Night, featuring another performance from Credo, that became one of the most legendary student events in the school's history. I also joined some of my classmates in forming The Formation Issues, a jazz combo that performed at the university's Mardis Gras party.
Seminary was an amazing and transformative time for me, but through prayer and guidance from my mentors, I discerned that God was calling me elsewhere. With great peace, I left after 8 months, did some mission work over the summer, and then accepted a job as a Director of Music for a Catholic church in Mary Esther, Florida in August 2021.
Fun fact: Jack White of The White Stripes applied and was accepted at a seminary to study to become a Catholic priest, but at the last second, he decided against it because he didn’t think they’d let him bring his new guitar amp. I don’t know what he’s talking about; I learned to play electric guitar while I was at the seminary.
Click or tap the images to view some of the projects I’ve worked on and some of the ways I’ve performed and produced music.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, or if you’d like to collaborate.