On the edge of my property a lone peach tree grows between the woods and the gravel drive. Years ago, someone probably finished eating a peach and carelessly tossed the pit out of their car window. With the dense undergrowth, the pit overcame insurmountable odds to sprout into a sapling and grow into a small tree. 
Tom Holland’s magnificent book “Dominion” develops in detail what amounts to a very simple proposition – namely, that Christianity is responsible for many of the central values we take for granted and assume to be universal. In point of fact, he says, our insistence on the dignity of the individual, fundamental human rights, the principle of equality and, perhaps above all, that the poor, the marginalized and the victimized ought to be specially cherished, flows from basic Christian convictions. 
Nearly 40 years ago, on a Tuesday, my sister Erin ran into the house with the excitement and enthusiasm that only a 7-year-old girl with a story to tell could muster. Immediately, she began to tell my mother about the wonderful adventure that she and her older brother had been having outside. Now she described in great detail the clouds and the birds and the sunshine and the neighbors who walked by all as we were engaged in the challenging project of getting a kite to fly on a Tuesday afternoon.
As a small child, I was a bit of a religious nerd. I’m not sure why, but I was the oldest child, the only daughter, and our little Catholic mission parish in farm country was central to our lives. From a young age, faith intrigued me.
There are so many things clamoring for our attention these days, in all different kinds of ways. We are assaulted by advertisements, which are practically unavoidable on every video we watch, on billboards, on the radio and on our social media feeds. 
We began the season of Lent this past Feb. 14, precisely on Valentine’s Day, a day of love and friendship. What better time to begin this season with the true love of Jesus in His self-giving for us!
In Roman Catholic parishes, the rituals of Lent begin with the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday. But many Eastern Christians – both Catholic and Orthodox – set the tone for the penitential season of Lent by observing another tradition: Forgiveness Sunday.
Shhhh.
From: Braeunlingen, Germany
Status: Starts Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Cincinnati, in August 2022
Summer assignment: St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte
Favorite verse or teaching: “I prayed, and understanding was given me; I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.” (Wisdom, Chapter 7)
Favorite saint: “Mary is definitely No. 1. Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Fatima,
Our Lady of Sorrows – those are my favorites.”
Interests (outside of faith): Reading, weightlifting, tennis, chess
CHARLOTTE — At 25, Max Frei had money, a Mercedes, girlfriends and a high-rise apartment.
After graduating from the University of South Florida in 2017, he excelled in sales and was on path to financial wealth – until one day in 2019 when he felt the Lord calling him.
“Leave everything behind and follow me,” Max heard the Lord say that day in his 21st-floor apartment in Orlando, Fla., where he was working a two-year stint for a solar power company in preparation for joining his family’s business, an international coatings and paint company based in Germany.
“Suddenly the Holy Spirit filled me,” Max describes. “I was so filled with love, it was like nothing I had ever experienced. By hearing His voice deep inside my soul, everything just seemed lighter and brighter. I didn’t want to live my old life anymore – all I wanted was to be connected with our Lord.”
He stayed on the corporate ladder another year, joining the family business and traveling the world, all the while wrestling with the feeling that he was supposed to be on a different path.
Three years later, Max has completed the Diocese of Charlotte’s program at St. Joseph College Seminary.
This fall, he will enter Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati – one of 50 seminarians in formation to serve as priests of the diocese.
Pictured: Max Frei just graduated from St. Joseph College Seminary and will be entering major seminary this fall. He and other 2022 graduates are featured in a series of video interviews on St. Joseph College Seminary’s YouTube channel. (Photo by James Sarkis)
CNH: You describe experiencing an abrupt calling. Do you think the seeds were planted as a child?
Frei: I had multiple encounters with our Lord as a kid, but the big one in Orlando I remember most vividly. I was born and raised in the Black Forest region of Germany, the oldest of three boys. We were Catholic and we went to church every Sunday, but I never wanted to be an altar server or anything – which reminds me, God tells the funniest jokes: Look what I’m doing now, altar serving!
CNH: How’d you get into the fast life?
Frei: It started as a teen. I just wanted to fit in. Nobody else I knew went to church, so I didn’t want to stand out. After high school, I wanted to go to the U.S. I had dual citizenship because my mom was an American, so I went to visit a cousin in Florida, and I was mesmerized by the palm trees and good weather. I got into USF at Tampa and I partied a lot and began living a non-religious college life.
When I got out into the business world, it was all about how much money you could make. I believed if you worked hard enough, you would achieve success – which I did. Later, I came to understand that whatever status you might achieve, there’s no reward if that status is away from God.
CNH: Tell us more about the day you experienced the call.
Frei: I seemed to have it all, so I didn’t understand why I was not happy, not satisfied, or why I was here on this earth. The grace of our Lord triggered these sincere questions, and through His infinite love and mercy gave me this experience. I was not working that day, and I was home alone in my apartment when the Holy Spirit filled me. It was something totally outside of myself, and it went on for a while. I was in a back-and-forth conversation, having a dialogue with God.
“Leave everything behind and follow me,” He said.
“What about a family,” I asked. “I want to get married. What about the business and all I have achieved?”
No matter what I asked, I just had this overwhelming urge to detach myself from the worldly life – and go back to church and follow the Lord. And I remember to this day His promise: “No matter what you decide, Max, I will still love you.”
CNH: How did your family react when you told them you wanted to become a priest?
Frei: My mom was very happy but my dad found it hard to understand. Once he saw I was serious, he came to accept this.
CNH: How did you end up in Charlotte, at St. Joseph College Seminary?
Frei: My mother moved to Fort Mill, S.C., to take care of her parents, so I moved in with her to figure out my next steps. I reached out to several seminary programs but I was most impressed with St. Joseph because they were very organized, responsive, and it was easy to get key people on the phone. I spoke to Father Barone and Father Gober. At first, the seminary was skeptical about my application because I was not from this diocese and they really didn’t know me. But I was able to get references from people they knew, so they let me in – and St. Joseph was the greatest gift I could ever imagine. It really helped me figure things out, deepen my faith, and commit my life to the Lord.
CNH: What advice do you have for young people who might be discerning a call to religious life?
Frei: Always seek God in prayer and ask Him with all sincerity and love what He wants you to do. No riches in this world will make you as happy as the love of God.
“For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul?” (Mk 8:36)
CNH: What sort of ministry do you hope to practice?
Frei: I want to do whatever the Lord wants me to do, but I am drawn to helping souls. In my calling, I have recognized how precious a soul is. It has such a beauty and it comes directly from God. I would like to make sure people understand how much He loves them and how much He deserves to be honored and loved and followed by us. I would like to help souls get to heaven.
— Liz Chandler
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