real counter-culture

Joey Rampino is a baller. No, seriously, he is. Joey is a first year college seminarian St. Charles Borromeo in Pennsylvania. He wakes up at, like, 5 a.m. He is only 18 years old. And, most awesomely, Joey is one of my best friends.

I’ve known Joey since seventh grade. We rode the bus together before we were old enough (or cool enough) to drive. We played basketball at youth group open gyms and went to daily Mass together throughout high school. We graduated Woodson together last June. And, last week, he drove (cause he’s cool enough now) to Williamsburg for a visit.

Joey & I hanging out by Lake Matoaka on W&M campus last week. Seminarians and Priests are such blessings we all too often take for granted.

Joey is such a wonderful witness to the Faith through his understanding, humility and spirituality. I am so glad he is pursuing his vocation to priesthood by discerning at St. Charles; St. Charles is blessed to have a seminarian like Joey. Recently watching Fishers of Men, (see the embedded YouTube videos if you haven’t watched it before, it is legit), gave me a deeper respect for Joey’s call to priesthood (God-willing). Not only did the video move me so greatly as to make me tear up, but it instilled a deep appreciation and love for the sacrifices priests make everyday to serve God and us. As one priest in Fishers of Men said, “when there’s love, sacrifice is easy.” So, while Joey will not have children of his own, he will be the spiritual father of many. He won’t make a lot of money, but will help numerous make it to Heaven. A priest once told me that he didn’t look at everything he was giving up but at everything he would gain by becoming a priest. And, Saint Josemaría Escrivá (I just started reading The Way) said, “No ideal becomes a reality without sacrifice. Deny yourself.“ We must aim to be like Christ. He is the ideal. He gave us the ultimate sacrifice. Since priests are to be in persona Christi, it is only fitting that their vocation is lived out through loving but very real sacrifices.

We are all “called to something more than just mediocrity.” Joey is answering this call. And that, my friends, is why Joey Rampino is a baller.