Seminarian Profiles
Ben Syberg
Our Lady of the Greenwood, Greenwood
Favorite…
Book: the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and the Passion of Jesus
Movie: All the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Braveheart
Team: the 2006 Super Bowl Champion Colts, the Purdue Boilermakers, and the Notre Dame Irish
Band: the Beatles
Quote: What I am without You, abhors me. What I am with You, consoles me. -St. Augustine
Saint: St. John Vianney
As long as I can remember I have been surrounded by the Priesthood. I come from a large Catholic family and having always attended Catholic schools. I wanted to be a Priest in the first grade. As I got older, I started to drift from the notion of being a Priest, and became a lot more interested in girls and sports. While I always went to Mass and was a “religious” person, my faith was pretty superficial at best. In high school, I cared even less about Godly things, but still, I occasionally thought about being a Priest.
In my sophomore year of high school (I attended Roncalli High School), I had a major conversion experience. I read a book of sermons from St. John Vianney, the patron of parish Priests. His words made me rethink my life, and for the first time in my life, I prayed a real prayer. I asked for God’s help to change my life and to be the man He wanted me to be. I realized that God had been calling me since I was a young kid, and now I would live out the call. My life turned, and I spent a lot of time in adoration, going to daily Mass, youth events, and seminary visits. Key for me at this time was my devotion to Mary. I believe she brought me to the seminary with her prayers.
My time in seminary has been interesting, to say the least. By far the men I live with are the best friends I have ever had. We form a brotherhood here, by living and praying together. We have a lot of fun, too; with football, cards, playing the Wii, duck-taping each other’s doors, etc. Spiritually, the seminary has helped me realize all-the-better what God’s will is for me. I’ve learned so much about myself, my strengths and weaknesses, and how to keep growing in holiness. I am truly happy in seminary, in a life of prayer, in community, and in the study of philosophy. This really is where God wants me to be.