Fr. David Michael Moses

I grew up in a great Catholic family, the 5th of 6th kids. I was an Altar Server from a young age and I always considered that to be the most important thing I did each week.

However, it wasn’t until I went on a silent retreat when I was 16, that I started to feel the Lord saying “It might be you… It might be you that I’m calling to be a priest.” At one point during the retreat the priest said, “You should choose the vocation that will make you a saint.” And I immediately thought “Oh, that’s priesthood!” But I didn’t know why I thought that.

I told the priest on the retreat “I’m kinda feeling called to the priesthood, but I really like girls!” He laughed and said “That’s okay. That’s totally normal, but God still might be calling you. He might be calling you to sacrifice. And you need to find out.”

I started going to Mass every day, along with going to Adoration and praying a daily Rosary. Over those next two years, I just fell in love with Sacraments. I always wanted to help people and I thought: “What more could I do for someone then literally forgive their sins in the Person of Christ in Confession and literally give them Jesus in the Eucharist?”

I thought, I’m going to need those things in my life. I’ll need a priest to forgive my sins and to give me the Eucharist, but how can I expect a priest to give his life so I can have those things, if I’m not at least willing to give my life, so others can have them?

But the girl thing didn’t go away. I dated a great girl in my youth group for about a year and half and it was a great relationship. She was a great girl. We went to daily Mass together all summer, but the whole time, I felt like the Lord wanted something else. So, I remember having to sit down with her one night and tell her what I felt the Lord was saying. And it was tough. She was sad and I learned then, that sometimes following God, means sacrifice.

Then I called the vocations director and started the application process for seminary. But halfway through I got nervous about the celibacy thing again. At 18, the idea of never getting married, seemed crazy. So I called the vocations director and he said “Well, come downtown and talk to me.”

So, I’m driving downtown, and I had read that, at a certain point in discernment, it’s okay to ask God for a sign. So, I said “Okay God, if you want me to go into seminary, send me a dove.

So I see some birds, but I’m not really sure if they’re doves. Then I realize, “I’m not really sure if I even know what a dove looks like in the wild! I really should have picked something more specific.”

I meet with the director, and he says “If it’s the Holy Spirit, you shouldn’t feel anxiety, you should feel peace. He said to stop discerning seminary and discern law school.”

Part of my story is that I started college when I was 14, finished when I was 18, and had been accepted to some law schools. So the vocations director said to focus my discernment there.

I prayed really hard for the next three months. Finally, I was at a Holy Hour for Vocations at my home parish and everything was coming back. I really didn’t want to go to law school and I was feeling drawn to seminary, but I was still nervous about celibacy.

I told God “I just want to do what you want. Just tell me what you want. If you want me to go into the seminary, just send me a dove. Crash one through a window or something. And right then, I looked up, and realized that the painted glass window above the altar of the Church was a huge dove: a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

Things became pretty clear at that moment. I called the vocations director and finished the application for seminary.

But my discernment didn’t end there.

Seminary was tough. There was a lot to do and it was stressful trying to make sure that this is what the Lord wanted.

Each of those first 4 years in seminary, I was 50/50 on leaving. Then I did my pastoral year, where you spend a full year in parish ministry, and I just loved it. Being able to pray with people at Mass and funerals and weddings. Playing dodgeball with the youth group and teaching the 5th grade theology class.

There were so many moments when I thought, this would be worth giving my life to. And I realized that celibacy wouldn’t be some obscure, abstract sacrifice. I’d be doing it to help real people.

I got ordained in June of 2019 and it was just beautiful. I remember looking out at the congregation. The Church was packed. And I saw all the people there and felt the Lord say “David Michael. These are my people. I’m a Father for them. I love them. I care for them. I lay down my life for them. And today, I’m giving them to you. And I need you to be a Father for them. To love them. To care for them. To lay down your life for them. These are your people now.” I said “God, I’m just 25.” And I felt Him say “I know… I know who I chose.”

I’ve been a priest for three years now, and I’m thankful every day that He chose me