Matthew Grevatt

Kia Ora my name is Matthew Grevatt. I am 19 and from Hawkes Bay. My family are currently living in the Takapau plains farming. I went to St Johns College in Hastings during my high school years. It was there that I first came into contact with a Marist Priest, Fr Damien Dempsey. At the time I didn’t know that he was Marist, I didn’t even know the difference between him and the Diocesan Priests.

I first felt a call to the Seminary in 2006, I remember the moment well I was sitting on the couch at home and I suddenly realised that God had a plan for me and that I had to go to the seminary to begin training. I was scared; my first instinct was to ignore it. So I did for a year. The next time it really came to mind was in 2008. I was at a forum run by the J.C.Colin Project. A Marist Priest was there, Fr. Mark Walls. Fr Mark and I got chatting and in the middle of the conservation he said to me,
‘Matt, have you ever though about becoming a Marist Priest?’
Struck by this and trying not to give anything away I said,
‘It’s in the back of my mind.’
His reply was,
‘Matt don’t put it at the back, put it at the front!’
This really got me thinking about it all again. I started to pray about it and think about it more and more.

That year I went to World Youth Day in Sydney, during that week I felt the call getting stronger. I felt the Lord say that I needed to act, but I was still to scared to. In September that year I did a two day retreat at Kopua Monastery. On the last night there I battled with myself whether or not to join the Seminary. At this stage I had not told anybody at all that I was thinking of joining. The next morning one of the lay members of the community there approached me at breakfast and said, ‘Matt, I think that you would make a lovely Marist Priest.’ I smiled at her then got out of there as fast as possible. Two days later was able to come into contact with Fr. Barry O’Connor who organised for me to meet with the Vocations Director. I then began my year of accompaniment. In the mean time I worked at Challenge 2000 in Wellington.

I am really enjoying my study here at the Marist Seminary. The prayer life is great and the study is enjoyable. I feel that I am at the place that God most wants me to be at this time in my life.