Listening to the whisper, feeling the nudge

Men’s Discernment Group contributes to Diocese of Knoxville vocations

By Bill Brewer

Every fourth Saturday of each month a group of men gather in the Diocese of Knoxville Chancery for fellowship and discussion about Catholicism led by Father Mark Schuster or Father Arthur Torres.

While fellowship is common around the diocese and an excellent way to deepen individual faith in a group setting, the Chancery gathering is unique.

These individuals are discerning a call to the priesthood. And the Men’s Discernment Group is making a difference as are Father Schuster and Father Torres.

Father Schuster, who is pastor of St. John Neumann Parish in Farragut, is vocations director for the diocese, and Father Torres, who is pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Chattanooga, serves as the assistant vocations director.

Sam Sompayrac, Rick Hoelzel, and Dr. Tim Truster are among those participating in the Discernment Group, sharing their thoughts and asking questions about answering the call they all have heard—God’s whisper (perhaps a shout) or nudge to join Him in ministering to His people.

The three men since June have been informed that they have been accepted into seminary beginning with the fall semester.

Mr. Sompayrac and Mr. Hoelzel will be attending St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Ind. Dr. Truster will study for two years at DePaul University in Chicago, completing pre-seminary coursework that will lead to a theology curriculum at the Catholic Theological Union, a graduate school of theology in Chicago.

The discernment stories shared are as distinctive as the individuals sharing them.

Pulled in a direction he didn’t intend to go

Sam Sompayrac is a 2021 graduate of Knoxville Catholic High School. The Fighting Irish alum graduated from the University of Alabama in May with degrees in finance, Spanish, and liberal arts.

He was raised in a Catholic household, attending Mass regularly, first at All Saints Church in Knoxville and then at St. John Neumann Church in Farragut. He attended kindergarten through eighth grade at St. John Neumann School.

While the Catholic faith was part of his daily life growing up, he never really considered a vocation until he began to hear the call in college.

“I had just finished my sophomore year at Alabama, and I was going into my junior year. That’s when I first felt a calling to the priesthood. During the previous year I was really obsessed with learning things about my faith. Why do I believe what I believe? At the University of Alabama, we have an amazing Catholic Center. And I had friends who said I was the first Catholic person they had ever met in their life, so they asked me questions that I really didn’t know the answer to,” Mr. Sompayrac said.

At this point, Mr. Sompayrac, who will turn 23 in August, began immersing himself in his faith.

“My parents saw me doing this and saw me going to Mass more and prioritizing prayer,” he said. “For me personally in this moment, I was going from learning things about God to starting to get to know God.”

Concurrently, his mother asked him if he had ever thought about becoming a priest.

“I gave her the honest answer: Nope! I had never thought about it,” he said. “I remember thinking when I was doing all that research into the faith that this is so awesome. I wish I could just do this for my job. I wish I could do this forever. But I didn’t think about the priesthood, which is funny.”

At that point, he began to debate himself about becoming a priest.

“It was a moment of discernment. I was still in that process of getting to know God and falling in love with God, and that was amazing,” he shared.

He began attending daily Mass in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and regularly going to adoration. And he could feel that gentle nudge, which was increasing in regularity.

“Every time the thought of the priesthood would come up, I would kind of just say, ‘Amen,’ and leave. I wasn’t really open to it. But I would pray about it and say, ‘God, just give me something,’” he said.

“I was first really against it. But I began to open my heart to the idea. However, I was still wrestling with the thought. I prayed, ‘God, I want to have a family.’ And the first thought in my head was that I would have the biggest family ever,” he continued. “And then one time I was like, ‘God, I want to hold my newborn baby.’ But as I closed my eyes and pictured it, I was baptizing someone’s newborn baby. Every time I had an objection there was this response that satisfied that objection.”

Just as with most, if not all, individuals discerning a religious life, Mr. Sompayrac had laid out a career track that he intended to pursue. He would graduate from Alabama and then attend law school. In his junior year, his desire began to shift from law to longing to become a saint.

He described his newfound vocation track as “exhilarating.”

Mr. Sompayrac has never been far from his faith. While active in sports in high school and college, church was always part of daily life. He excelled in basketball at KCHS and also played football. And at Alabama, he considered walking on to the Crimson Tide basketball team until a leg injury sidelined him.

Instead, he opted to play on the scrimmage squad of young men who practiced against the Crimson Tide women’s basketball team.

Athletics run in the Sompayrac family. Mr. Sompayrac’s three brothers also have played sports. Jack is 25 and now lives in Knoxville. Ben is 21 and attends the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. And Nicholas is 11 and goes to St. John Neumann School, where his mother, Jenifer, is a teacher. Mr. Sompayrac’s father, Dickie, is president of Knoxville Catholic High School.

Mr. Sompayrac explained that he met with Father Torres in January of his junior year in college (2024) to further explore a vocation. He also discussed a possible vocation with priests in Tuscaloosa, which is when Monsignor Michael Deering, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Tuscaloosa, recommended he read To Save a Thousand Souls: A Guide for Discerning a Vocation to the Diocesan Priesthood by Father Brett A. Brannen.

He has been an active participant in the diocesan Men’s Discernment Group since its beginning, taking part via Zoom from Tuscaloosa.

In his discernment, Mr. Sompayrac considered becoming a priest in the Diocese of Birmingham, Ala., the Diocese of Knoxville, or possibly a religious order. However, he felt called to East Tennessee.

“I was really nervous about the meeting with Father Arthur. I would feel myself going against the call to the priesthood. And then it was easy for me to feel it as a calling. I felt myself being pulled in a direction I didn’t want to go,” he shared.

The first reading at Mass the day he was to meet with Father Torres was the call of Samuel (1 Samuel 3).

“That very much felt like the confirmation of a good decision in that moment,” he said. “It was like an OK for me to have this meeting with Father Arthur. That was really cool.”

From January through June 2024, Mr. Sompayrac immersed himself in a study-abroad program in Madrid, Spain. During this period, he also immersed himself in his faith with the help of the Catholic Church in Madrid.

He cemented his discernment during his senior year at Alabama, resisting the urge to halt his undergraduate studies and enter seminary right away. Priests from whom he sought counsel advised him to complete his studies and earn his degrees.

He recalls with great affection Catholic role models at St. John Neumann School: Sister Maureen Ouma, ESM, and Sister Angela Nikwobazeirwe, ESM.

“I would say both Sister Maureen and Sister Angela are people I kept in mind a lot during my discernment. They definitely played a role in that. … I remembered the things they had taught me in school,” Mr. Sompayrac said, specifically mentioning the time in sixth grade when he got in trouble for talking too much in school and he had to hold the hand of his teacher, Sister Maureen, while walking to Mass and during Mass.

Sister Angela was able to corral Mr. Sompayrac’s youthful exuberance by inviting him to sing in the school choir during Mass.

“This was amazing. I was the first one to raise my hand. Man, I can’t sing a lick. But they let me join. And I knew then that God is real. That was the first time I knew my prayers were answered,” he shared. “Of course, how many times had they been answered before that? Countless. But I recognized it there in that moment.”

Other priests Mr. Sompayrac mentioned as influential in his formation are Father Michael Woods, who served as pastor of All Saints Parish; Monsignor Patrick Garrity, who served as pastor of St. John Neumann for more than eight years before retiring from active ministry in July 2018; and Father Chris Michelson, who was pastor of All Saints for several years and has served as an adviser to Knoxville Catholic High School.

Mr. Sompayrac said he and his family have been fortunate to have priests frequently interacting with his family—formally and informally.

“We’ve been super blessed. They never tried to force us into a vocation. Being around them was always something that was normal and acceptable,” he said. “We never felt like we had to go to church or we had to go to Catholic school. We just did go to church. We just did go to Catholic school. It was seen as good, and we were free to do it. And that was part of being able to freely discern. I didn’t feel any pressure.”

He first informed his parents and his older brothers in December 2023 about his interest in joining the priesthood. And as seminary draws closer, he feels very excited and secure in his decision.

Mr. Sompayrac, who received his admission letter from St. Meinrad on July 9, said he was at first mildly discouraged that it will require seven years in seminary before he is ordained a priest. But reminders of his time in Madrid and the priests and seminarians he met there who have spent time at the Vatican help him bridge the time.

“I’m so excited. And I do look forward to living as a priest. That is something that is so attractive and so exciting. I know I’m still discerning God’s call for my life every day. But I feel like I’ve never known anything else my whole life like I know this.”

‘I will answer this call and not go away sad like the rich young man’

Tim Truster, who is from Hamilton, Ohio, in the Cincinnati area, also has been taking part in the Men’s Discernment Group and found it beneficial as he listened to God’s call.

Dr. Truster is living the example of “anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

To some in the secular world, Dr. Truster’s leap of faith in answering yes to God’s call is illogical. He was informed on June 20 that he has been accepted into the seminary and is leaving behind his job as an engineering professor at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville to become a disciple of Jesus and successor to the Apostles.

But Dr. Truster will tell you he doesn’t see it that way. He is merely accepting God’s plan for his life. Anything he is leaving behind in no way compares to accepting the invitation to follow Jesus Christ.

The 39-year-old civil engineer joined UTK in August 2013 after completing graduate school at the University of Illinois and has enjoyed success guiding students to their industry vocation.

He was given tenure, an important milestone in college teaching, in 2019, and he was served notice in April that he was being promoted to full professor.

Dr. Truster, the son of James and Patricia Truster, was baptized into the Catholic faith as an infant and received the sacraments as a child. He attended Catholic school as a youth and was active in Mass, first as an altar server and then as a reader, usher, and eucharistic minister as a young adult. He also has been involved in the Knights of Columbus.

“Throughout my life I’ve always typically been involved in liturgical ministry. I think I have done most everything except be a sacristan,” he said. “It’s been later in life, especially since my time in Knoxville, that I have become an intentional disciple, someone seeking a relationship with Jesus. This has happened over time.”

And while giving up a successful secular career to seek the priesthood is rather unique, Dr. Truster, who is an only child, said he has always been one who is “driven by my passions and seek to do what I enjoy doing and seek challenges.”

“Faith has always been a part of my life, and I also love serving. Community service has been something my parents instilled in me,” he shared.

As he began to discern a call to the priesthood, the idea wasn’t foreign since he has had an active faith life.

But he can point to a specific day and time when the whisper became a shout, and the nudge was much more than a tug.

“It was the vigil Mass at Pentecost in 2024. My parents and I were on a family vacation going to Williamsburg, Va. We stopped over in Roanoke, sort of the halfway point (from Knoxville) on the vigil of Pentecost. I shared with them on the drive that I had been in spiritual direction for the past four months with one of the deacons in the diocese, Deacon Bob Denne.

“I’ve been very career-driven, and I’m getting older, so I need to be intentional about considering some type of vocation. I considered married life or diaconate life. I know what being a priest would mean. It would be giving up what I’m doing,” Dr. Truster said.

The All Saints parishioner has tried to remain open to what the Holy Spirit’s plan for him is, and he prays about it often.

“I’ve had an interior struggle of being fully open to whether that is the direction God is calling me to,” he acknowledged.

He has been following the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and the Paulist Fathers as part of his discernment.

“I was at the Pentecost vigil Mass. And as I was walking in next to the priest, there was some little nudge that told me to pay attention today. During his homily he mentioned that this was the anniversary of his ordination, and he also is a later-in-life vocation. When people asked him why he discerned into the priesthood, he put it this way: in God’s economy, all things are put to use,” Dr. Truster recalled.

“Hearing that, Dad and I both looked at each other because I had been talking about vocational things during the car ride. He had that on his mind, and we both heard the priest, so it spoke to us,” he added.

He then described how during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, when the priest elevated the Eucharist and exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world,” he had an interior vision, seeing himself in the role of the priest.

“That persisted for about 10-15 minutes until the Eucharist was reposed. I now refer to that as my St. Paul moment. My feelings go from wow, this is real, to wow, this is real, but what does this mean for me, to a peace and a calm, to ultimately a resignation that I will answer this call and not go away sad like the rich young man. I’ll answer the Lord’s calling here and pursue this,” he explained.

“That’s the day I decided that’s what I’m going to seek out. Seek out where God’s calling me to be a priest,” he noted.

He shared that the realization during Mass shook him up, and he asked his father to give him some quiet time after Mass. He described his parents as supportive of his decision.

He shared the news with close friends who are accompanying him on this vocational journey.

“Mom, I think, kind of came to terms some years ago that she probably was not going to be having grandkids, at least not any time soon. She has been getting grand-nieces and grand-nephews,” he observed. “My parents have always wanted me to be happy in whatever I’m doing. They’ve seen that I have been stressed these last several years.”

Dr. Truster shared that since he received academic tenure, and being true to himself, he has wondered what is next, a question that never went away.

“There is always that next goal. Being a Knights of Columbus Grand Knight, that was fulfilling in some ways. … I was doing some things with the university, and in some ways that was fulfilling, too,” he said. “I was seeing if those pursuits would lead to ultimate fulfillment, and they didn’t seem like they were.”

Now, he knows that his decision to pursue the priesthood is a gift from God the Father.

“Seeing a son opening that gift and receiving it, I cried a little at that moment,” he shared.

So, what is next for Dr. Truster?

“I’m selling my house and moving away in early August. I’m giving up my professorship, but I will have some transitional period for this,” he said. “It’s seeking a different way to apply things.”

The money he makes off the sale of his Knoxville home he plans to use to pay off his parents’ home, and he will move some of his things there.

“I’m not completely giving away everything. But it is a big shift,” he acknowledged.

Dr. Truster will be joining the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, an international religious order founded in Italy with its U.S. base located in Dayton, Ohio. He said the order is in about 19 countries and has a presence in several U.S. cities.

As part of his discernment, he initially considered being a priest of the Diocese of Knoxville, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the Paulist Fathers, and the Society of Mary, or Marianists. He reached out to those organizations for information.

He only knew about the Missionaries of the Precious Blood through a roommate during his undergraduate years in college. But the order seemed a good fit.

As he begins his journey to the priesthood, he will transition from Knoxville homeowner to Chicago dorm student and from a professor with an engineering Ph.D. to a first-year student who will study for seven years before being ordained.

“I’m not worried about the study part. But it will be different. It will be more memorization, reading, and writing compared to the engineering work. But I do memorize things well. I will probably need to make room for this knowledge and let some other things seep out,” he said, noting that he is looking forward to his formation, deepening his spirituality, and community life “because I have lived alone for a very long time. Living with others in a house will be different.”

He attended a Missionaries of the Precious Blood assembly in June in St. Louis. The order is a society of apostolic life, and its members make promises of charity and fidelity to each other.

“Apostolic is mission first and then community life. Your prayer life and life together sustain that ministry. They are active, and in some ways that speaks to me because I tend to be one who likes to do things. But I still like grounding within a band of brothers,” he observed. “Their main charisms would be reconciliation, renewal, and the spirituality of the Precious Blood.”

Once ordained, Dr. Truster could be assigned to a parish affiliated with the Missionaries, or help lead retreats, or assist in reconciliation centers, or possibly be a professor at a Missionaries of the Precious Blood college in Indiana. Assisting with missions affiliated with the order in other countries also is a possibility.

“The things that they do are all things that I imagine myself doing one day. That’s where I feel it’s a good fit,” he said.

Dr. Truster describes 2025 as the year of letting go as he transitions from engineering to religious life. He said various internal and external factors helped him release his grip on things he has loved for a long time and make it easier for him to let go.

He plans to continue performing research as a hobby, and he also may do some writing on the side.

He’s inspired by the reaction he has received from the few people he has shared his news with.

“No one has been negative. Most everyone has been positive. Anyone I grew up with said they are not surprised at all. They have seen this in me for a while. People around Knoxville have been receptive, but they are sad to see me go. But most of the people around here do not know. I’m trying to have goodbyes in the time I have left here. I’m grateful for the support throughout. That confirms the big change,” he said.

‘God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called’

Rick Hoelzel and Dr. Truster have somewhat of a shared background on their path to the priesthood.

Like Dr. Truster, Mr. Hoelzel is originally from Ohio, he is an engineer, and he has discerned a call to the priesthood later in life. That call has been difficult to disregard.

And just as have Mr. Sompayrac and Dr. Truster, Mr. Hoelzel has excitedly embraced the desire to more intimately serve God.

The Reynoldsburg, Ohio, native will be entering seminary next month as a 51-year-old first-year student. He is the oldest of three children, with one brother and one sister. His brother, Gregory, lives in Cleveland, Ohio, is married, and has three daughters. His sister, Rochelle Bomely, is married with two daughters and lives in Chicago. His father, Frederick, lives in Westerville, Ohio, and his mother, Evelyn, lives in Chicago.

Mr. Hoelzel was raised in a Catholic home and attended Catholic school in first through fourth grades. He then attended public school from fifth grade through high school.

He was active in his faith as a child and into high school, serving at Masses and being involved in church activities. After high school, his hometown pastor identified Mr. Hoelzel as a possible future priest.

“He asked if I had ever considered the priesthood. I think that’s probably when the call was starting, even though I probably wasn’t seeing it myself. He saw it, and that’s when other people started mentioning it to me, which started my discernment process.” Mr. Hoelzel said, noting that he always has had a calling to help people.

As he was deciding on a career path in college, he thought the marriage of his interest in mathematics and science and a desire to help people made engineering a natural choice.

“I liked science, and I was fairly good at it. As I learned more about what engineering was and how you applied science to make things better, I thought, well, that’s something I could do to help other people,” he reasoned.

That led to a degree in industrial engineering and his work in the automotive industry in Middle Tennessee.

“While I became an industrial engineer, I always had that calling in the back of my mind, or in the forefront. I really didn’t know what it was until I started learning more about my faith and growing in faith,” he said. “Eventually, this brought me into a connection with St. Meinrad in Indiana and the Benedictines.”

Last September, Mr. Hoelzel took part in a Benedictine Oblate Novice program that St. Meinrad sponsors. The program is for people who believe they have a Benedictine spirituality.

“As I continue to grow in my faith, that is something I thought would be joyful that I could take part in. As I started that program, I started thinking more seriously about the priesthood and whether that is what God is calling me to.

“I think that for all of us, no matter what vocation we have, God is there calling us to a certain charism. It’s something that has happened to me. And I’m trying to answer the call every day when I wake up. It’s my responsibility to say yes,” he said.

Mr. Hoelzel is particularly fond of the saying, “God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called,” and believes it could apply to him.

He acknowledged some insecurities in answering the call to serve God through His Son, Jesus Christ, and in sharing Christ’s teachings.

It’s a major decision, one he wonders if he is worthy to make. But he has a good support system to assist him in his discernment.

“As I continue to discern, the support from what really is special about the Diocese of Knoxville is the Men’s Discernment Group, where other people are discerning a vocation, too. It doesn’t have to be with the diocese. It’s just men who have a similar calling. It’s a real supportive group, so that is something that really helped me in my discerning along with being part of the Benedictine Oblate,” Mr. Hoelzel said.

The Spring Hill, Tenn., resident has taken part in the Men’s Discernment Group each month since last October, even though he is in another part of the state. East Tennessee is familiar territory to Mr. Hoelzel, who also lived briefly in Chattanooga and attended St. Stephen Church.

He is grateful for the fellowship experience, which he said ignited his discernment.

“I give a lot of credit to Father Schuster, Father Arthur, Beth Parsons [diocesan vocations office manager], and Bishop [Mark] Beckman for organizing that. It has been something special that I have never experienced in my discerning up to that point, whether it be with a religious community or a diocese,” Mr. Hoelzel shared.

He also credits a priest at the parish near his hometown, Father Jerome Rodenfels of Church of the Resurrection in New Albany, Ohio, as well as Father Eric Fowlkes and Father Thomas Kalam, CMI, of St. Henry Parish in Nashville for his formation.

“The Discernment Group has been a great avenue for understanding what is next on the path, especially for someone who is starting in his 50s. I didn’t want to delay my discernment. I wanted to progress,” he added.

Mr. Hoelzel described how he was moved by Bishop Beckman at the bishop’s ordination and installation on July 26, 2024.

“Since he was from Nashville, I drove over to the ordination with a few of my friends. I didn’t know him at the time. What he said at the end of Mass was very encouraging for someone like me who is considering a vocation of any type. He said, ‘It’s not about me; it’s about Jesus.’ That was really the spark that has turned into formation. I’m trying to turn that spark into a flame,” he shared.

What that formation means to him right now is being a ministerial servant to Jesus. What does that look like? Well, he was invited to be an altar server during the Diocese of Knoxville’s Chrism Mass during Holy Week. He also served at the priestly ordination Mass for Father A.J. Houston and Father Renzo Alvarado Suarez in June. Both Masses, led by Bishop Beckman, were at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

St. Meinrad informed Mr. Hoelzel on July 9 that he has been admitted into seminary beginning next month. He plans to give his employer notice that he is stepping down before he reports to St. Meinrad. He rents his residence, so there will be no house to sell.

“I’m very happy but also very thankful to the Diocese of Knoxville for sponsoring me,” he said, noting that he will be a priest of the diocese when ordained in seven years.

He explored joining a religious order but felt called to be a diocesan priest in East Tennessee.

He is looking forward to studying his faith with like-minded men of Generation Z (Gen Z), Generation Y (Millennials), and maybe even a few from Generation X. And he is excited about the challenge of learning new things.

“I’m looking forward to being able to keep up with the younger guys. They are going to keep me young. I have no hesitation at all. Right now, it’s just pure thankfulness for the encouragement and prayers of my family, friends, priests, and the bishop. Like Bishop Beckman said, it’s not about me; it’s about Jesus. I will keep the people of East Tennessee in my prayers, and I would request a small prayer for me and for those in seminary already for the diocese, and those like me just starting,” Mr. Hoelzel said.

He believes his experiences over 51 years will serve him well as he begins this new chapter in his life. And those experiences could prove invaluable to his classmates. Marriage and children are not part of those experiences. Mr. Hoelzel has been a bachelor all his adult life.

Mr. Hoelzel is more than ready to begin this next chapter.

“I’ve been discerning for so long. It’s time. That’s the biggest feeling I have right now. It has always been, it’s time. Before, it’s always been what can I do more. I am a server. Can I be an extraordinary minister? Yes. So, I did that. I was a reader. I’ve been in choir since I graduated from college. I was involved in youth ministry. I was always praying for the next level of my faith journey,” he said, pointing out that he has done spiritual direction at St. Meinrad.

After praying for years about his vocation, everything is moving fast now for the Ohio native who will become an East Tennessean.

“It isn’t overwhelming, but it seems that my time is here. I finally feel comfortable and very happy. I’m probably the happiest I’ve been in my faith journey,” he shared.

According to Father Torres, the Diocese of Knoxville is redoubling its efforts to promote vocations and identify more men and women who are interested in religious life.

“At the Vocation Office, along with Bishop Mark, we have been working quite strongly to raise an awareness in all the priests of the diocese to help us foster more vocations for the Diocese of Knoxville. There have been in the past some events, like Vocation Story Night for seminarians, priests, consecrated religious, and married couples to share with us how their vocation started and how important it was for them to say yes to the Lord. Now, the Vocation Office has centered more on encouraging more men to prayerfully consider discerning a vocation to the priesthood,” Father Torres said.

“We are now focusing on having help from pastors and other priests in the diocese along with some small groups that the parishes will create to help encounter more men and women who are open to follow the voice of the Good Shepherd. Precisely, our last Priests Convocation that was held in Knoxville in June was about vocation ministry. I think in some way, it would be much ‘easier’ for the parish priest to be approached by the young men who already know them who can best help these possible candidates for priesthood to start with them the preliminary discernment about the calling,” the pastor of OLPH added.

Father Torres invited men interested in finding out more about the priesthood to visit the Men’s Discernment Group the fourth Saturday of each month at the Chancery or contact the Vocations Office at 865-584-3307.