NURTURING AND SUSTAINING A CULTURE OF VOCATIONS
26 year old Stephen Yusko grew up in Hudson New York. His home parish church is Parish of the Holy Trinity. After graduating from Hudson Senior High School, Steve earned a B.S. in Economics from SUNY Oneonta and worked in the insurance business and for the N.Y.S. Legislature. He did not sense a call or feel an attraction to the priesthood until his junior year of college; in fact, he says “I had no idea what a vocation was.” Steve is currently in his second year preparing for the priesthood at Cathedral Seminary in Douglaston, New York in the hope of being ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Albany.
“As a seminarian, the understanding and importance of becoming and ultimately being an ambassador of Christ has been one of, if not the most important, points of seminary formation; for one must first be a disciple or ambassador if one hopes to be a priest ministering in persona Christi.
In essence, our duty as an ambassador of Christ is to bring the love of Jesus to all we meet, to be great lights in a dark world. Since embarking on this journey I have seen this duty carried out heroically in all walks of life, especially in the love my parents bear for one another, in the parishioners who encourage young men like myself along this path, in the priests who minister to God’s people, in those who are joyful despite countless hardships, and in those who do the ordinary with extraordinary love.
May each and every one of us strive to be perfect ambassadors of Christ by bringing all to Christ not only by word, but also by deed. Thank you for supporting myself and my brother seminarians, past, present and future, by your donations to the Bishop’s Appeal. Please continue to pray for us and know that we are always praying for you.”
“The future of Vocations in the Diocese of Albany, thanks to your gifts to the Bishop’s Appeal, is promising. Currently there are 27 seminarians and aspirants and more than 90 men throughout the Diocese of Albany who are actively discerning a vocation. This promising future is building upon a rich tradition of faith lived out through the participation of the People of God in the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ.“
Fr. Anthony Ligato, Vicar for Vocations