My brother Ray and I are identical twins, the last of 10 children. Our parents taught all of us to love God, to love life and how to share, and I am grateful to God for the gift of a big family.

Even as a young child, I was inspired by the priestly example of our pastor, the late Fr. Michael Hanrahan, at St. Teresa Parish in Titusville, Florida. He was a man of God with an ardent love for others. He would often visit the parish school to spend time with us, and he prepared us well for receiving the Sacraments. But, most importantly, Fr. Hanrahan lived what he preached and transmitted that with all simplicity.

I went with my dad in 1983 to see the late Holy Father, John Paul II, when he visited Miami. I remember climbing a tree to get a glimpse of him as he passed by in his Popemobile. I dont remember if it was a Sycamore tree as the Gospel says Zaccheus climbed in order to see Jesus, but looking back, thats how I felt.

One of the most decisive moments in my vocation came from a conference given by Fr. Ken Roberts in 1991 at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. He spoke about how the Church had an urgent need for generous young men to give their lives to God. At the end, he made an altar call saying, If there are any young men out there who, if Christ called them to be a priest, would say yes, please come down to the altar so we can say a prayer for them. I felt I had to know that if Christ called me I had to say yes. Before an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, he said a prayer consecrating and entrusting our vocations to her.

When I returned home, my conscience was urging me to follow through with that commitment. However, with all the distractions of high school, by the end of my senior year, my plans werent the priesthood, but an academic and athletic scholarship at Catholic University: I would play baseball and study bio-medical engineering. I had also fallen in love with my high school sweetheart. My life path was clear to meI thought.

The July after my senior year, I got a surprising phone call from a friend. He called me from the Legionaries of Christ seminary in Cheshire, Connecticut, and he was attending a Test Your Call retreat. He wanted me to check it out. When he told me that his mom had offered to pay for my plane ticket, I saw Gods hand in it and felt I couldnt refuse.

In Cheshire, I was impressed by the number of young men wanting to put God first in their lives. They were serious and convinced about their vocation, and there was a joy, enthusiasm and peace I had never experienced before.

One morning there before Mass, I went to the chapel to pray about the passage from the Gospel about the rich young man (Mk 10). The rich young man went to Jesus and asked him, What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus told him to obey the commandments, then added, You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have, give it to the poor and then come follow me. That young man could have been someone great, maybe even the 13th apostle! But he went away sad, for he had many possessions. I realized then that what changes this world are people who are generous and say yes to God, letting the power of grace do its work in their own lives and in the lives of those they are called to help. I felt this was the first time in my life I really understood the Gospel because I saw it being lived with conviction by all the men in Cheshire.

I felt the power of grace move my heart, and I heard Jesus calling me to leave everything and follow him. I told him yes on one condition only if he promised to be with me. And Jesus has been a faithful friend every step along the way.

Fr. Richard Voor was ordained a priest on December 24, 2005. He is currently working in Philadelphia.