As a kid, Deacon Ryan Sustacek thought he had his career figured out and priesthood was not on the table.

“I did not think about being a priest at all. I wanted to be a bus driver, and then for the rest of grade school and high school I wanted to be a math teacher,” he told “Practicing Catholic” radio show contributor Tom Halden — director of communications for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis — on the latest show.

So when he felt the Lord invite him to visit the seminary, “it was kind of shocking.”

But the seeds of his vocation had been planted much earlier. Deacon Sustacek said that in hindsight, he can see the hand of the Lord leading him to priesthood.

In sixth grade, Deacon Sustacek attended Extreme Faith Camp, a weeklong summer camp experience in the archdiocese for Catholic middle school students. He said that it was there, during adoration, that he felt like he first encountered God.

“When the monstrance came to me, I was overcome with tears and there was just this sense that I am loved, and that God has a plan for my life,” said Deacon Sustacek, who is from the parish of St. Michael in St. Michael.

He continued to attend Extreme Faith Camp and then led parts of the camp himself when he was in high school. That experience of ministry may have foreshadowed his vocation, he said.

Now, as he prepares for his ordination to the priesthood in May, he “couldn’t be more excited.”

Father Joseph Taphorn, who serves as the rector and vice president of The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, said that the seminary does not prepare men for the priesthood in a merely intellectual capacity. He cited four dimensions of formation for the priesthood: “human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation.”

“There is certainty that academic component here at The St. Paul Seminary but really, I would say that it is as important — maybe even more important — the time that we spend trying to integrate these four together,” Father Taphorn said.

Priestly formation at the seminary is geared toward the whole person, he said.

“To see these young men who are fully human and fully alive and mature and desiring to live in friendship with God and with others — that is what we are looking for, because really it is going to be through the humanity of someone like a young Father Ryan that many souls will be brought to Christ,” he said.

To hear more of Deacon Sustacek’s story and Father Taphorn’s reflections on priestly formation, tune into “Practicing Catholic” when it airs at 9 p.m. April 5 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, or when it repeats at 1 p.m. April 6 and 2 p.m. April 7.

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes a discussion with Bishop Andrew Cozzens about the importance of the National Eucharistic Revival. Also, Bishop Joseph Williams explains how to live out the joy of Easter.

Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at.Spotify for Podcasters.