The story of Alumnus Fr. Peter Srsich, ’20
From the Angelicum Newsletter Summer 2023
Called to Shepherd of Souls
Fr. Peter first began discerning a call to the priesthood when he was in high school in Golden, Colorado.
However, his vocational journey took an unexpected turn when he was diagnosed with cancer the summer before his Senior year.
It was a physical suffering which also brought a trial of faith.
“I questioned how a good God could let this happen.” One day, a friend came to visit and bring him Communion and he had an unforgettable experience.
He heard the Lord speak to his heart: ‘Peter, I know this is hard, and I’m not going to take that away from you, but I’m going to walk with you through it.’
“In that moment, everything changed for me. I felt hope in the midst of the suffering. I wanted to dedicate my life to Christ, especially in the context of the Church.”
Though he wanted to begin seminary right away, he was advised to wait till he had recovered. Shortly after his treatment was completed, he had the opportunity to come to Rome and meet the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in a public audience.
His prayer and words touched Peter deeply, encouraging him to continue on the path of discernment.
He entered seminary 2 years later.
In 2017, he was sent to study Theology at the Angelicum. However, the COVID pandemic closed the doors of the university, moving to all online classes in his final semester. He was ordained in May of 2021, and has since returned to Rome to pursue a license in Canon Law.
Sharing about his time at the Angelicum, he mentioned the gift of the unity of the formation, with the classes fit together and built upon one another, and also the international setting. “Studying at the Ange, you are in a classroom with other seminarians from America, but also with seminarians, religious and lay people from all over the world.
Getting to have that confluence of ideas, experiences and thoughts was really interesting.”
Looking back, he observed that even the oral exams were a good preparation for the unexpected questions he often receives as a Pastor of a parish.
“My education at the Angelicum gave me the opportunity to become a teacher, to guide people closer to Christ.
A huge part of this is being able to speak about the mystery we celebrate intelligently, in a way that makes sense, but without actually trying to solve the mystery or completely answer the questions. To speak about the mystery in a way that invites us into contemplation, which is something many of the professors at the Angelicum were able to do and taught us by example.”
In the end, Fr. Peter turned to the foundations of his vocation. “Being a shepherd of souls; that has to be the goal of our learning. That is why we study, to be able to introduce people into the mysteries that we celebrate, and that was something that I got at the Angelicum.”
