Jonathan Emery is a Florida native who grew up in Plant City. He graduated from Plant City High School in May 2005. He is a member of St. Clement Parish where he had been an altar server for many years. He has three younger brothers and a sister. His hobbies include reading, writing, mountain hiking and swimming. In May 2009 Jonathan graduated from St. John Vianney College Seminary. He is now in Second Theology at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary.
Do your family and friends think it is a good idea that you’re becoming a priest? My family thinks it’s great. The whole family has been extremely supportive. Some of my friends have been supportive, but a decent number of them think I am crazy.
Do you ever have any fun? What do you do in your free time? Oh yeah, I have had more fun in the seminary than I did in high school. In my free time I use the internet, watch TV, go see movies, hang out with guys smoking, going out to eat, etc.
If you were not a priest, what do you think you would be? I am not really sure what I would do if I didn’t become a priest. After I was accepted to St. John’s I made a promise to myself that I would wait until the end of the year to make a decision on whether or not I would continue the next year, so I have been focusing on the present. I will worry about that later, if I need to.
How many brothers and sisters do you have? Three younger brothers and one younger sister
What is your favorite TV program? I don’t know, I don’t watch too much TV, but some of my favorites are Smallville, Lost, and Mythbusters.
Who is your favorite singer or music group? The Beatles, hands down
Do you ever get bored while studying to be a priest? Yes, I still get bored from time to time, but I get bored a lot less this year than when I was in high school. Besides, we stay pretty busy here.
How is a seminary different than a regular school? The biggest difference would be that the major focus of a seminary is to form men into priests. So there is a lot more emphases placed on personal growth and spirituality here than at other schools.
How often do you see your family? The Diocese of St. Petersburg is too far away from Miami to go home for the weekend. So we only get to go home on the holidays. We get a week off for Fall and Spring break. We get a few days off for Thanksgiving, we get two weeks off for Christmas, and almost 4 months off for the summer.
Can you really be happy as a priest since priests don’t make much money? Oh yes, priests are some of the happiest people I have ever met and I should know, I live with a few. Plus, a priest never really goes without, all their needs are provided for.
Who helped you decide to become a priest? My father, my pastor, and Carlos Rojas (the seminarian who did his apostolic year at my parish)
When did you decide to study to be a priest? How did you know God was calling you to be a priest? That whole process was very long, but I would say I decided to enter the seminary after I went to my first Vocation Awareness Weekend. As for whether or not I am called to be a priest, I am still figuring that out.
What do you think the best thing will be about being a priest? Being able to bring people closer to Christ through the Sacraments.
