Vocations

Please ask Our Lord for more dedicated, holy priests, deacons and consecrated men and women. May they be inspired by Jesus Christ, supported by our faith community, and respond generously to God’s gift of a vocation.

Below are quotes from STMA Graduates who have followed Christ’s call to a Diocesan or Religious vocation.

“Looking back upon my time in high school at St. Thomas More Academy, I am often amazed at how God was forming me and leading me without my knowledge of His help. Life seemed commonplace at the time, and I had even thought it would have been nicer to have gone to a bigger school with more people, but God was using everything I had to teach me and to help me discern. I have learned that this is often how discernment happens: we follow God to the best of our abilities with a specific purpose or direction, and we trust that He can and does use everything along our way to bring us to His plan, even if we did not see it as His plan at the time. When we get to that moment for which we were discerning, we will look back and we will give thanks to God, because He had us in mind the whole time.”

Fr. John Kane
St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Southern Pines, NC
Class of 2007

“During my time at STMA, my fellow students challenged me to take the Catholic Faith as my own. Their challenge helped me to develop my own personal relationship with God. It was from this personal relationship with God that I began to hear Him inviting me to be a priest. That experience has taught me that God uses the people in our lives to speak to us and invite us to follow Him.”

Fr. Michael Schuetz
Mother of Mercy Catholic Church, Washington, NC
Class of 2008

“The tremendous support & consistent prayers of the faculty, staff, and the students of St. Thomas More Academy gave me the space and the freedom to discern God’s will throughout high school, ultimately leading me to enter the seminary after graduation. My years as a seminarian and pursuing this call towards the priesthood have been the most joyful, peaceful, and grace-filled years of my life. I thank God for this vocation and I pray that more men out there will open their hearts to listen to God’s call and to courageously respond to that call.”

Deacon John De Guzman
Seminarian for the Diocese of Raleigh
Class of 2014

“Being immersed into the fervently catholic community of STMA changed my life. The devoted and knowledgeable faculty helped me to realize the awesome beauty of the Catholic faith and my friends and classmates supported me in living it out. It was at STMA that I fell in love with Jesus, was first attracted to the priesthood, and began my discernment. STMA started the work of formation in me, a formation that I continue today as I pursue Christ’s call for my life.”

Robert Lane
Seminarian for the Diocese of Raleigh
Class of 2016

“Like St. John Henry, I know that the Lord has given me some definite purpose in life, He did not create me for naught. In my life as a priest I am ready to be a link in a chain and a connection between persons, ready to do the good He wills on earth”.

Brother Leo Dornan
Oratory of St. Philip Neri
Class of 2014

“The image that I think of with my vocation right now is that of Peter walking on the water. My only task, my only concern should be to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and, when He says to come to Him, I come. My tasks are simple- to focus on Him and walk. He is the one who can take my little gift, my obedience, and make something out of it. I could only live this life if He gave me what I need to live it. That dependence has to be total but it’s exciting that way, and He often surprises me with where He tells me to go for Him. I would only be able to do it out of love.”

Sister Miriam of the Child Jesus
Missionaries of the World
Class of 2009

Most Reverent Bishop Burbidge, Bishop of Arlington (Formerly Bishop of Raleigh)

Catholic schools play an essential role in the future of our Church and Diocese. Recognizing that parents are the first and primary educators of their children, Catholic schools enter into a unique partnership with them. STMA is positioned well to assist parents in this endeavor. As a school officially recognized by the Diocese of Raleigh, it is dedicated to the authentic teaching of the Faith and provides families with a valued option in Catholic education.
Alice von Hildebrand, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Hunter College

God is always calling his people to the vital task of “renewing” authentic education. One enterprise that deserves our special praise and gratitude is St. Thomas More Academy. Thanks to the astounding generosity of its founder, Bob Luddy, and the unswerving efforts of its faculty, it has born rich fruit in its many students. We, both laity and clergy, have a great debt of gratitude to those who pour themselves into creating schools like St. Thomas More. Let us support them in every way possible. And let us not miss the chance to give our children the privilege of a real education.
Timothy Moran, STMA '13

"STMA planted in me the desire to never be satisfied with mediocrity but to always strive for excellence and gave me the tools to navigate in a world that demands complacency. I continue to utilize lessons learned at STMA in my personal life and leadership style in the military. Above all, STMA fosters a desire for greatness in students that I don’t see possible in a different environment. I hold this to be the key difference in my upbringing."

1st Lieutenant, United States Marine Corps.
Fr. Robert Spitzer S.J., Ph.D., President Emeritus, Gonzaga University

I’ve had the good fortune to present at STMA on multiple occasions. My subject matter, which draws from contemporary physics and philosophy, can be fairly demanding, but the students not only assimilate the material but ask very perceptive questions. I believe that the STMA faculty is the driving force behind these exceptional young people. I’ve been highly impressed by their knowledge and commitment to the students. For preparing teens to meet contemporary challenges brought about by the interaction of faith and secular culture, Saint Thomas More Academy offers one of the finest secondary programs in the nation.
Sarah Dawod, STMA '15

"STMA leaves a mark on the minds of its students by attending to the formation of their intellect, heart, body and soul. My experience at STMA was nothing less than transformative - this is a result of the time and effort each and every one of the faculty members poured into me. "

NCSU '19 Honors Biology with Concentration in Neuroscience, Minor in Health, Medicine & Human Value, University of Pittsburgh, MA Bioethics '21
Dr. Anne Carson Daly, President Emeritus, Mount St. Mary College

It’s a breath of fresh air to walk through the doors of St. Thomas More Academy. The administrators and faculty care about educating the whole person. The students are obviously happy to be there [and] are getting a terrific education that emphasizes what counts and what lasts. Spending time at STMA makes me wish that all students could have the opportunity to study there.
Adriana Watkins, STMA '16

"STMA opened my eyes to the ways in which different disciplines are connected. I'm grateful to STMA for encouraging me to pay attention to the depth and breadth of truth.”

Boston College 2020, Majors in English & French, Minors in Philosophy and Creative Writing
Dr. John F. Crosby, Professor and Chair of Philosophy, Franciscan University

My wife and I visited St Thomas More Academy in 2011, and we were greatly impressed by the politeness of the students. I attended an English class that had almost the level of a college course. I gave a lecture to an assembly of all students, and I was struck by the intelligent and articulate questions I received from them. I went away wishing that I could send my own children to a school like St. Thomas More Academy.
Irene Bethencourt, STMA '17

"I value STMA for its teachers who care about the personal enrichment of each student in and way beyond the classroom. In college, it is almost impossible to have this connection with teachers so I remember it fondly from STMA. It reminds me that there are teachers out there who value more about their students than just their academic performance."

UNC Chapel Hill 2021, Major in Nursing
Sister Mary Sarah Galbraith, O.P., President Emeritus, Aquinas College

STMA provides a rich environment that allows each student to flourish and become who they were meant from all eternity to be. In fall 2013 a recent graduate enrolled at Aquinas College. I was able to see a direct correlation between the caliber of teaching and learning in a thoughtful, Christ-centered community and the impact that STMA’s integrated formation had on the young man. He brings his good qualities of mind and heart into every aspect of life and by his example encourages others to follow his lead.
Andrew Mistele, STMA '18

"STMA's community is totally unique in the best way. I formed some of the most meaningful relationships of my life there and grew personally in ways that have prepared me for life and all that comes after high school. As an engineering major, I believe that STMA's liberal arts curriculum taught me to see the world in a different way than most of my peers, which has already proved very advantageous.”

NCSU 2022, Major in Aerospace Engineering, Minor in Mathematics
Aubrey Leaser, STMA '19

"St. Thomas More Academy is led by a strong and devout faculty that shares a deep love for the Catholic faith and seeks to bestow the same love in the next generations. In the four years that I spent at STMA, I found assurance in my faith and the knowledge to pursue my interests. I was taught how to think critically and to formulate strong arguments. Since entering college, I have realized that I am better prepared than many of my college peers, both academically and socially. I attribute this to my time spent at STMA, as it was there that I learned to love learning and was given the tools necessary to succeed."

University of Virginia Class of 2023, Major in Biology