Meet Our Seminarians

Br. Paul Graupmann

Second Year Philosophy

Born and raised in South Dakota, Br. Paul met Christ and discovered his call to the priesthood while serving in the Navy. A FOCUS retreat introduced him to the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit.

Support Now

Br. Paul Graupmann

I was born and raised in a small town called Kadoka in South Dakota. It was a town of roughly 628 people. At the age of 18 I joined the Navy, and served for four and a half years. It was during my last year in the military that I met Jesus Christ and felt a call to the priesthood.

When I left the Navy, I moved to Flagstaff, AZ to live with my brother who is a FOCUS missionary. It was on a FOCUS retreat that I first met the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit. Nine days later I visited their friary on the Gila River Indian Reservation for the first time. During that visit, I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues.

My life was never the same and about a year later I joined the friars as a postulant. I professed temporary vows on June 23, 2018 and am currently a college student at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, living at the Grey Friars House of Studies in Detroit.

Br. Elijah Delello

Second Year Philosophy

His encounter in college with a non-denominational Christian led Br. Elijah to examine why the Catholic Church teaches what she teaches and, more importantly, why he believed the Catholic teaching to be truth. By the time he graduated college, he felt convinced he was called to the priesthood.

Br. Elijah Delello

I was born and raised in New Jersey. I grew up Catholic but didn't really have a personal relationship with Jesus.

While in college, I met a girl who was a non-denominational Christian. She began to challenge me on Catholic teaching and why I professed to be a Catholic. I soon realized that I didn't have any answers to her questions, and so began to read the Bible and study the Faith for myself.

I began to see how beautiful the teachings of the Catholic Church are. This encounter with truth placed in my heart a deep longing for God. As I studied I also began to pray more and to cultivate my own relationship with Jesus.

By the end of college, I began to hear a call to the priesthood.

I went to Franciscan University to study the Faith and begin discerning the priesthood more intentionally. While at Franciscan I began to feel a call to religious life. It was during my time as a graduate student that I met some of the friars.

After graduation I moved to Louisiana to work as a campus minister at Louisiana State University. After two years of ministry I felt the Lord call me to join the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit. I entered with the friars on August 11, 2017 on the feast of St. Clare and I have been with them ever since.

Br. Lawrence Hogue

Second Year Philosophy

Br. Lawrence has been around Franciscans since a very young age. These friars of the Third Order Regular were very influential in his early formation. Despite this, he still had and off-and-on relationship with the Lord. It wasn't until an encounter in college that he began taking his relationship with the Lord more seriously, and wonder if the Lord was calling him to something more.

Support Now

Br. Lawrence Hogue

I was raised Catholic in Loretto, Pennsylvania, a town with a rich Catholic heritage. There are many religious communities in the area. While I was in grade school, I was blessed to have postulants from the local province of Franciscan TORs as my teachers’ aids. These men had a big impact on my life, especially through their Nights of Worship, held at the local university. At these Nights of Worship, I encountered praise and worship for the first time. I even witnessed miracles, such as the Holy Spirit growing out one of a person’s legs, which was shorter than the other one. This really gave me a solid faith and made me realize that the Eucharist is actually Jesus. But I was still living for myself and I was on and off when it came to following the Lord. Then in college, my cousins invited me to a praise and worship Bible study, which happened to be run by the same friars. There, I experienced that I belong with God. I decided to live my life for Him on the spot. At that point I still had planned on getting married. But as the year progressed, I became more open to the possibility of a priestly vocation, especially through the witness of the Franciscan Friars. I also began to desire to be consecrated totally to God. One night, I had a prayer experience in which I believe the Lord Jesus told me that He was calling me to be a priest. This made me feel the most joyful I had ever felt. After that, my spiritual director told me I should discern whether the Lord was calling me to the diocesan or religious priesthood. When the Franciscans who had been so influential in my life moved down to Phoenix, Arizona to begin a mission to Native Americans, I figured that they were one of the communities I should discern with. I went to visit them, and again experienced one of the most joyful times of my life. I visited again and developed a love for the Natives in addition to feeling at home there. I did a few more years of school and then joined these same friars, who had been named the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit. I love being part of this community and, God willing, I hope to make solemn vows and be ordained a priest.