Local News
Initial interest dates to grade 2
Seminarian finally gets the chance to explore a call he's had a long time
Sixth in a monthly series about the Green Bay Diocese's seminarians
By Sarah Malcore
Tim Letter's initial interest in priesthood started when he was
in second grade. His oldest siblings were graduating from high
school and looking for a direction to take in life.
Letter recalls his parents bring up priesthood, but his brothers
dismissed it as "not something for me."
Letter not only remembers the incident clearly, he thought about
it as he grew up. The more he thought about it, the more he
thought it may be something for him to look into.
At age 16, Letter attended a Called by Name dinner with Bp.
Robert Banks. Letter enjoyed the dinner, and decided to continue
looking into his vocation.
He called Fr. Doug LeCaptain, diocesan director of Vocations, and
expressed his interest in priesthood. He met with Fr. LeCaptain,
and began the process of becoming a seminarian.
Letter says his family and parish are very supportive and proud
of his decision to discern priesthood.
"I feel like God is calling, and I owe it to God and myself to
try and see if there really is a call there," Letter says. "I
have always felt a call, and I must at least try it."
Letter graduated from high school last spring and is a first year
student at Conception Seminary college, where he is studying
philosophy.
Because Letter grew up on a farm, he knew that big city life
would not be his style. He toured St. John Vianney Seminary, and
did not believe he would be comfortable studying there.
Fr. LeCaptain suggested that Letter explore his options and they
found out about Conception Seminary in Missouri. Letter and his
family visited the campus one weekend and he liked it.
"The school is small, private, quiet, just what I am used to,"
Letter says.
During his spare time, Letter enjoys practicing the trumpet -
which he has played since the eighth grade - and the piano -
which he has played for about a year.
When he has a chance, he likes to go out for steak dinner at The
Gallery in Seymour."Don't be afraid to check out all your
options," Letter advises young men. "If you are thinking about
priesthood, you will never know if it is for you until you try
it. Take a step back and look at it closely. Ask yourself 'could
I see myself doing something like this?'
"It is also important to find a school that suits you. You will
only excel in your studies if you are in an environment you are
comfortable in," Letter says.
(Malcore works in the diocesan Vocations office.)
Biography
Who: Tim Letter.
What: First year college seminarian.
Where: Conception Seminary, Conception, Mo.
Background: Born in 1981, the youngest of 11 children, and raised
on the family farm in Black Creek. His home parish is St. Lawrence, Navarino.
Parents: William and Elaine Letter, farm owners.
E-mail: [email protected]
Interested: For more information on vocations to priesthood or religious life, phone Fr. Doug LeCaptain at (920)437-7531 or toll-free at 1-877-500-3580, ext. 8293, or by e-mail, [email protected].
For a free book about all the diocese's seminarians, e-mail your
name and address to [email protected] or call (920) 437-7531 or toll-free at 1-877-500-3580, ext. 8287.
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