“Marriage is good. And priesthood is good. And how do you choose between two goods? God will guide you if you faithfully seek him out.” Fr. Craig Giera and Fr. David Pellican are joined by Fr. David Pellican's brother-in-law Mr. John Pratt to discuss discerning a vocation. John considered the priesthood from an early age, but felt the Lord draw him toward marriage. His insights into prayer, desire for true fulfillment and the surrender to God’s will are inspiring.

(00:03) Fr. Craig Giera and Fr. David Pellican welcome us to this episode of Men of the Hearts. This episode’s guest is Mr. John Pratt, brother-in-law of Fr. David Pellican. They discuss the most recent episode, and current joys. The discussion moves toward encountering beauty and how art can powerfully move us.

(12:08) Mr. John Pratt shares how his siblings and parents shaped him in his youth. He points to living a liturgical life, and playing sports as impactful. John shares that he experienced scrupulosity and OCD in his early years. Throughout this time, he felt that being a priest would be the holiest decision for him. His time at the University of Notre Dame was formative. He went on to serve in a parish in Ann Arbor, Michigan following college.

(23:22) Our hosts and guest discuss John’s attitudes toward the priesthood throughout adolescence. “In high school and college, was the thought of priesthood there?” They discuss John’s prayer life in college, and how he lived a relationship with God growing up. They discuss the importance of Adoration and spending time with Jesus. “Go find the Lord and you’ll find your specific vocation.” John attended World Youth Day and felt an openness to whatever God wanted for his life.

(35:55) Priesthood & the vocation to Marriage: John shares about meeting his future wife, and the role his spiritual director played in discerning dating. They discuss what dating looked like. “Bringing it into the light, having a spiritual director, and praying about it’ are three powerful ways John Pratt felt the Lord direct him toward marriage and not to the priesthood. ‘I don’t ask myself, is this worth it?”

(55:00) Holiness in marriage: “More than happiness and pleasure, I wanted meaning in life.” John shares how his vocation as a husband and father has purified him and made him more surrendered to God’s will. “The vocation of marriage… there’s meaning and fulfillment in it, even if there is the Cross.” Even now as a husband and father, he feels God continue to draw him into new holiness: “What is the more you’re calling me to, God?”

John closes the discussion with a reflection on the confidence he has that God made him for marriage and the power of living the call God has for him: “The Lord used the vocation of marriage to heal a lot of my anxiety. He’s used my wife and my vocation as a way of healing me in a truly incredible way.”

How to Keep Your Marriage Strong (Part 2)