Catholic Military Life

A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and a captain pilot on active duty, Tim Mergen had a lot going for him, flying the C-146A "Wolfhound" out of Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. But God's call to the priesthood proved too persistent for the up and coming officer from Wisconsin to ignore. So in 2014, he separated from active duty, took a demotion in rank to Second Lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve, and entered Mount Saint Mary's Seminary in Emmittsburg, MD, in hopes of returning to active duty one day as an Air Force chaplain. He is now well into his formational studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, scheduled to be ordained a priest in 2020. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Tim shares how he discovered his vocation and what it was about God's call that persuaded him to give up a promising military career path in order to be of pastoral service to those who serve in the Air Force.