David Hunt
| Diocese: | Westminster |
|---|---|
| Year: | First |
| Pastoral placement: | Ss Peter and Paul, Northfields |
| Previously: | Postman |
I first started having thoughts about the priesthood when I was quite young. I became an altar server at around the age of nine, and the ideas persisted until I entered senior school. Whilst I was there other thoughts and ideas presented themselves and I was easily distracted from God.
From my late teens to my early twenties I was involved in politics. I had been convinced of the need to engage with others with a view to solving problems. Like all teenagers I was going to change the world, but again, typically, I had no idea how. I took various jobs until I began working for the government, at first for DEFRA and then for the Cabinet Office.
I soon became disenchanted. Throughout the whole period, I was asking myself what I was doing. Did I really understand what I hoped to achieve from all this? When it became clear that the answers were all rooted in my own personal selfishness I found it hard to carry on in the carefree way I had in the past.
I eventually took a job with the Royal Mail and spent a great deal of time wondering about the direction my life was taking. It was at this time that thoughts of the priesthood re-emerged, this time with a vengeance. I returned to the sacraments, after having been away from them for sometime, and approached my parish priest. He then got in touch with Fr Vipers, and we arranged a meeting. The selection process was difficult and not without its problems but on the whole I found it very useful. To my happy surprise I was accepted.
Like the children of Israel in the desert I have no idea where I am headed, and I can only guess at the pit-falls along the way, but I am started in this journey of discernment and formation. How things end up, I leave to God.