Dmitry Neill and Hawkins Choi are our two new postulants.  They have written these short biographies.  More information can be found in our "Formation and Studies" section (Listed under the heading "Join US") and in the September newsletter.  

Hi my name is Dmitry Neill. I am 20 years old. I was born in East Siberia Russia and I was adopted at age 7 or 8 and came to America with my new family and since then I have lived in America for 12 years. Since my time in America, as a young boy, I felt the call to priesthood after going to mass a few times with my new family and when we got back home I would pretend to be a priest. Later on in my life, once I got to my senior year of high school, I started to participate more in church activities like youth groups and going on Steubenville East retreats. Once I graduated I became a catechist and taught third grade First Holy Communion and ninth grade Confirmation. I also became a member of youth ministry as an adult leader and a knight in the Knights of Columbus and now I am a postulant in the Order of Friars Minor in Caledon, Ontario, Canada.  (Editorial note:  Dmitry is from the parish of Saint Francis Xavier in New Milford, CT and is well known by many of the friars who served there).
 
My name is Hawkins Choi and I was born in Hong Kong on December 10, 1985. I am a carpenter. The year of my baptism was 1987. I like to read, listen to classical music and Adoration. I enjoy Eucharistic Adoration the most. I like to spend time with God without thinking or doing anything, and simply be in the Eucharist's presence. On the other hand, I can be a very active person where I enjoy group events. I enjoy sports, as I used to play badminton with a group of friends. I also enjoy nature, where I can just marvel at God’s work. I actually love to pray for people and walking around the street praying for people and finding God in each of them is something I enjoy too.
I was a committee member of our parish's youth group “YOSAC”, Youth of St. Agnes Church. As part of YOSAC, there is an important annual retreat for about 50 youth, hosted every Victoria Day long weekend. In 2014, our speaker was Fr. Conrad, OFM. It was at this annual YOSAC retreat where began to learn a little about the Franciscans and St. Francis of Assisi. I went to my first “Come and See” in 2015. After two year of discernment, and before I was about to take action on His calling. My spiritual director suggested for me to see more congregations before I apply to any, so I found Fr. Conrad and he told me he had become the vocations director in the province, awesome. In later on, I found something different when I went to OFM - “Come and See”. I felt like home.” It wasn’t just that house that felt like home, but all the houses I went to later on, all the friars I met gave me the sense of family. And this is where I am now, as the first year of Postulancy being. I am looking forward to learn more about the Franciscan spirituality and be one in the future.