Putting On The New Man, Vol. 5: Antonio Cercena and Josh Burch Profiles of New NDS Seminarians


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.

 

ANTONIO CERCENA

My name is Antonio Cercena with the Archdiocese of New Orleans. I am a T1 seminarian. St. John Paul 2 and St. Michael the Archangel are two of my favorite saints. Although I have many favorite movies the two I must choose are: the Godfather and the Count of Monte Cristo. My favorite Scripture verse is Isaiah 55:8-9(really the whole chapter). If I can sum up the reason for wanting to be a priest it must be because of the Eucharist. Two of my favorite spiritual books are: Love of Eternal Wisdom (St. Louis de Montfort) and the biography of St. Margaret Mary Alocque (Bougaud). Perhaps the most interesting thing that has happened to my was teaching at an all-girls Catholic high school, particularly the first day. After the death of my wife I decided to actively discern priesthood in the seminary. As for hobbies/interests, I have many: martial arts, music, movies, chess, history, travel, and of course, pipe smoking.

 

JOSH BURCH

My name is Joshua Burch. I am a seminarian for the Diocese of Alexandria and am in First Theology. One of my absolutely favorite saints is St. Francis Xavier, and another that I am devoted to is St. Luke the Evangelist. Probably my favorite movie is The Cardinal. One of my favorite quotes is from Cardinal Leone, a character in the movie In the Shoes of the Fisherman: “None of us deserves anything but the honest wage of the worker in the vineyard.” I wanted to be a priest since I was very young. It was probably the example of certain priests in my life that inspired and continue to inspire me by the never failing and selfless commitment to their priesthood. One of my favorite spiritual books is In Sinu Jesu. One of the most interesting things that has ever happened to me was running across a nun on skis while hiking on the Untersberg in the Bavarian Alps in Austria. Seven words or less to describe my vocation story… I resisted, I ran, I submitted. Some of my hobbies and interests are playing violin, reading, art, and classical music in general.

 


About the Author: Jason Songe, Seminarian, Archdiocese of New Orleans


Jason is a seminarian in First Theology.


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