Benedict Wang

First Year Applicant

Become a Priest

I was born on June 8th, 1999, in Beijing, China, to middle-class parents. Our family immigrated to Toronto, Canada, in 2001, and we later moved to Markham when my father found a job in his field. My younger brother Daniel was born in 2004. Growing up, I was always captivated by life’s big questions, but being raised in a secular environment, I initially didn’t take religion seriously.

My interest in religion was sparked during my university years through works like C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, and the Thomistic Institute’s Aquinas101. My first encounter with the Bible was through a Gideon-placed Bible in a hotel room. Although I started reading at Genesis, I didn’t get far.

My childhood was happy and uneventful, with my parents’ love laying the foundation for my later faith. Studying engineering sharpened my appreciation for objectivity and reason, but it also highlighted the limitations of human understanding in grasping divine truths. My faith deepened through personal struggles, including a quarter-life crisis marked by academic setbacks, the loss of a job, and a breakup. These challenges became the cracks through which God’s light shone into my life.

A pivotal moment came in a dream where I encountered a dark, evil presence and instinctively called out to Jesus. This experience, coupled with a deep peace I felt when praying the Rosary for the first time, led me to baptism in the Catholic Church on April 16th, 2022.

The idea of priesthood first arose during RCIA, and I began discerning it more seriously through a men’s group led by Fr. Matthew McCarthy. My encounters with the Companions of the Cross have further confirmed my calling. Inspired by their balance of charismatic and orthodoxy, The Companions have helped provide the clarity and peace I needed to move forward in my vocation. Inspired by their mission and spirituality, I am ready to pursue the priesthood, trusting in God’s grace to guide me.