By: Jason Songe, Seminarian, Archdiocese of New Orleans
Putting On The New Man is a series of the NDS Blog that will introduce the new faces you see in the seminary.
CALVIN LEMAIRE
My name is Calvin LeMaire, and I am from the great diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana. I will be in Theology I this year. Two of favorite saints are currently St. Therese of Lisieux and Mother Angelica. Mother Angelica for me is like how Savonarola was for St. Philip Neri…I draw a halo around her head even though she isn’t canonized…yet! I would have to say my favorite movies are currently the Irish film called Calvary and of course The Passion of the Christ. In regards to Scripture, I’ve always been encouraged by the line from Jeremiah 1:5 that says, “before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” To put it simply, I want to be a priest to save souls, offer the sacraments, and because God has asked me to follow Him in this particular way. One of my favorite books is St. Alphonsus Liguori’s Dignities and Duties of a Priest. It’s a hard hitter and makes you fear the priesthood in a good way. The most interesting thing that has happened to me as of recently is probably being the only remaining seminarian in my original class from Lafayette. During my time at St. Ben’s we were as many as 10 at one point…now its just me! Ultimately, that moment I felt in prayer calling me to the priesthood is something I keep going back to whenever I ever doubt my vocation. Some of my favorite hobbies include making rosaries, doing pranks, and just enjoying the company of my friends with a glass of whiskey.
ZACHARY HOWICK
My name is Zachary Howick. I study for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. I am in my last year of seminary formation. I have a strong devotion to a number of saints but two of the most important are St. Thomas Becket and St. Louis De Montfort, who is my patron saint. I have a strong devotion to Our Lady. This developed through frequent recitation of the Rosary, and through reading True Devotion To Mary by St. Louis De Montfort. Another spiritual favorite of mine is The Real Presence by St. Peter Julian Eymard. One of my favorite scripture verses is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.” In my free time, I enjoy watching movies. My favorite movie is El Dorado starring John Wayne. I want to be a priest because I want to serve others and act as a bridge to bring them into closer union with God. One of the most interesting things that ever happened to me was I ended up meeting the actor Charlton Heston and spending an afternoon with him in 2000. My vocation is rooted in Jesus and Mary. In my free time I enjoy target shooting and hunting. I also am an amateur radio operator and so when time permits, I enjoy working on my radio.
JOSHUA BASSE
Hello all, my name is Joshua Basse and I am coming to Notre Dame Seminary from the Diocese of San Angelo, which covers a large part of West Texas. I’m a Pre-Theology 1 student, and I am excited to start the formation process at Notre Dame Seminary. One of my favorite saints is St. Francis de Sales. He was a great disciple of The Catholic Church during the Protestant Reformation, bringing many younger members back to the church after their parents and grandparents left. I also like him because he was very patient in all of his work. One of my favorite bible verses comes from Chapter 4:6 from The Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians, which states “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” In this verse we are reminded to put our faith in The Lord even when there are circumstances that we are unsure about. One of the reasons that I want to become a priest is so that I can bring the Word of our Lord to all of his people. I also want to bring the sacraments to those that are in need of them. Due to having many rural parishes around The Diocese of San Angelo, there are places that are not able to receive the sacraments as often as they would like, and I want to help with this mission. I just finished reading Priests for the Third Millennium by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and it provided a great insight into many attributes that make a great priest, as well as many of the ins and outs of the daily life of a priest. If I had to describe my vocation story in 7 words or less, it would have to be: God’s call comes in many different forms. My favorite movie is Knives Out. One of my favorite hobbies is anything car-related. I do most of the routine maintenance on my own vehicle and I find a lot of joy in working on cars and also reading about them. I also enjoy taking road trips. One of the most interesting things that has happened to me was meeting Chuck Woolery when I was in middle school at our local Wal Mart while running from errands. I never would have expected to run into any type of celebrity in the small towns I grew up in.
About the Author: Jason Songe, Seminarian, Archdiocese of New Orleans
Jason is in 2nd Theology.
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