Athlete, convert to Catholicism, and future priest: The story of Josh Brooks
Seminarian Josh Brooks. | Credit: Courtesy of Catholic Philly, official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
By Diego López Marina
Josh Brooks, a native of Delaware County in metro Philadelphia, dreamed of following in the footsteps of his idol LeBron James and becoming a professional basketball player. However, God had other plans for him.
Today, Brooks is in his third year of university studies at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and is preparing for the priesthood.
'I don't want to just live for myself, but I want to bring the joy God gave me to other people,' Brooks said in a recent interview with Catholic Philly, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Raised in the Baptist faith, Brooks had his first contact with Catholicism when his parents enrolled him at St. Ignatius Loyola Elementary School in West Philadelphia. Later, at Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast High School, his interest in the Catholic faith grew.
'And really slowly, my attention was gravitating toward my Catholic theology classes, where I learned about the identity of the priest. What really attracted me was learning about how the Catholic Church is a universal family, 'cause I didn't have the best family growing up, so that just made me feel like I was called to be part of something special,' Brooks shared.
Although during his teenage years he spent a lot of time practicing in order to make the high school basketball team, he ultimately failed to achieve that dream. 'So this left me wondering with the question of what I was going to do with my life if basketball, which was my bid dream, was no longer an option,' he recounted.
In his search for meaning, he tried to fill the void with a romantic relationship, but realized his heart longed for something deeper. Uncertain of his calling, he asked the young lady, 'Would you be able to wait for me?' She replied, 'I'm not going to wait for you.' So I looked up at the crucifix and I said to the Lord, 'If she will not wait for me, then who will?' And then I realized the whole time he was waiting for me, for me to accept his love. He said 'You idiot, I have the best love to give you.''
That moment marked a turning point. 'I think I just reacted without thinking, And look what that brought me. It brought me so much joy, this intense fire to just want to be for God and just be for others,' Brooks reflected.
At St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, he found not only a vocation, but also brothers. 'I never had any brothers, so I didn't know what having one would be like. So when I entered seminary, you have different guys with different interests, different personalities. At the heart of it all, these guys are trying to build off each other,' he said.
Fellow seminarian Sean Barker highlighted Josh's fraternal spirit. At a 'Come and See' retreat 'I walked right in and the first person I saw was Josh sitting in his cassock,' he recalled. 'Just talking to him, getting to know him, I felt more at ease. He cares about and has a great respect and admiration for the deep historical spirituality of the Church.'
'He wants me to be better, he wants me to spend more time in chapel, to take prayer life more seriously, to take academics more seriously...I think that's just him as a role model is what inspires me most,' Baker added.
In the interview, Josh highlighted the 'rich tradition and history' of the Catholic Church, but also that it's 'one big family.' He also invited others trying to rediscover their faith to come closer: 'We are an imperfect people, but we are being governed by a God who transcends all things and knows us better than we know ourselves,' he said.
What most defines this young seminarian is his deep prayer life and his desire to become a priest. Although his parents are not Catholic, they support his vocation, and he prays every day for their conversion.
'At the heart of our search for the highest form of love, we'll find it here, where we gather at the altar of God and we'll be able to make our dwelling in him,' the young seminarian summed up.--CNA
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