He said that he resisted the call to vocation for 20 years, but "It seemed that the more I tried to dismiss it, the stronger it got. Finally I couldn't ignore it anymore."

Woodhouse enrolled at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in 2009.

Speaking to The Pilot, Jacques A. McGuffie of the Class of 2013 for the Archdiocese of Boston said the experience of loss and renewal often accompanies the experience of formation at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary, including the loss of a spouse.

"God has given, God has taken away. May the name of the Lord be blessed. That is how I look at it. I was happy being married with a wife and children. Now that she is no longer there, I thought the good thing to do is pick up the pieces and move. I am glad I am moving in the direction I am right now," he said.

Laurence M. Tocci from the Class of 2014 said a priest in his parish at St. Patrick Parish in Stoneham inspired his calling as well, and that he plans to ask the priest there to invest him with the stole on the day of his ordination to the Archdiocese of Boston.

"His name is Father Bill Schmidt. He would be tickled to read it in The Pilot," he said.

He said the annual Lawn Party gives seminarians a chance to kick off the academic year at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary.

"It lets the guys realize how this is plugged into the wider Church. A lot of guys receive the ministry being on the other side of the ambo, being parishioners," he said.