Jeremy Gray

My name is Jeremy Gray and I am a student here at Marist Seminary, Auckland, New Zealand. My hometown is Waimate in South Canterbury.

My journey began in 1996. During that year I felt a deep call to the priesthood, a call that came quite explicitly through Mary. Not knowing an awful lot about priesthood, let alone the Consecrated Life, I applied to study for the Diocese of Christchurch, and so having already lived there the year before, in 1999 1 began formational studies at Good Shepherd House, a pre-seminary in Christchurch.

In 2000 I continued my studies at Holy Cross Seminary, Ponsonby. Towards the end of that year, I discerned something of God's personal vocation for me: how He was calling me to live the Gospel in a way unique to my person. This led me to look at what in many ways, has always been the desire of my heart - the Consecrated Life.

Things started to resound deeply in my heart: I wanted to live in the Spirit of Mary, in a Society that was under her name, a Society that seeks to make her present in the Church today, as she was at Pentecost. So, after three years studying to be a diocesan priest, here I am discerning my vocation more deeply.

At the moment, I feel grateful that He has called me to Marist Life, and am happy to try and abandon myself more and more to Him.