Meet Our Summer Seminarian!

Introducing Drew, our summer seminarian intern!

Hey, everyone! I'm Drew Stanley, one of our seminarians in formation at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO. Before entering the seminary, I was a youth minister at St. John Paul II Parish in Olathe, KS - The parish where I joined the Catholic Church in October 2021. My dad and I were both Protestant ministers before our conversions, but our denominations could not answer the questions that we were asking. I spent months of 2021 researching the history of our faith to learn what Jesus Christ desires for his Church. For my 25th birthday, I visited the Benedictine monks at Conception Abbey with my dad and brother, Jesse. The monks displayed more radically than I had ever seen before complete surrender to Jesus. I was confident that these men of great faith knew Jesus deeply, and such faithful living moved me to listen to the Catholic Church's teachings.

While praying in the Abbey basilica and watching the monks process in for Mass, my dad directed my attention to a chain-suspended red candle with the question, "Drew, do you know the meaning of that candle?" I was unsure, but my dad reminded me of the Church's teaching about transubstantiation, a belief which I had previously disregarded during my college studies as "that Catholic stuff." After Mass, I walked into the small side room just below the hanging candle to find a shiny, golden box. I stood in front of the tabernacle and prayed to God for help to know Him. The summary of my prayer was, "If these Catholics are right about the Sacraments and the nature of God, then I cannot remain a Protestant." After that weekend retreat, I continued attending Masses and visiting with priests and other Catholics for months. When given the chance, I would sit as close as possible to the various tabernacles in the churches to ask the Lord to help me find him. Thanks be to God! The Holy Spirit guided my quest to the Fullness of the Faith in the Catholic Church.

My quest for Truth found resolve in both the logical coherency of the Church's teachings and the witness of faithful Catholics. My joy in receiving Jesus Christ in the Holy Mass has deepened my love for theology and ministry, so my previous dream of being a Protestant pastor was replaced with a greater desire to be a Catholic priest. After concluding the Propaedeutic year of seminary formation, I have found even more peace and joy in walking with Jesus and deepening my prayer life. Christ has brought me freedom by strengthening my faith through the wonderful communities of our archdiocese and Kenrick-Glennon seminary. With this freedom granted by the Lord, I want to share his love with the world!

Since my dad and I entered the Church, two of my three brothers and a few friends have also entered. Praise God!


Please pray for me. Fundamental to the Christian life is listening for God's voice and moving with Him. I humbly ask that you pray for the grace to help me know the voice of Jesus Christ our Good Shepherd and say yes to him each day. Thank you!
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With Jesus,
Drew