About Sebastiaan
So… you want to know a bit more about me?
The Early Years
I was born 30 years ago on Christmas Eve in a little village named Renswoude. My family consisted out of dad Harry (now passed away), mother Wil and my younger sister Nini. My parents sent me to the protestant elementary school in town, where I learnt how to pray and became acquainted me Jesus and the Bible.
My high school was about a 30 minute bike ride away in Veenendaal. Also this school was protestant and although I did get involved in a religious committee and continued taking religion classes, I had no idea one day I’d wind up at seminary!
Student Life
After high school, a few amazing years began in Enschede, close to the German border. I studied Communication Studies there at the University of Twente. I enjoyed living on my own, the student life and doing way too many things! I worked hard in many areas: the faculty students’ club, a fraternity, the local music scene, and so on. After 6 years of study, I graduated in New Media and Communication Technology with minor in Christian Communication.
Called to the Church
During my time at university, I got to know a Catholic friend. I realized that I really didn’t know too much about the Catholic faith and at that point I decided I wanted to learn more about it. With the help of a pastoral assistant at the university, I finally wound up at Holy Mass (God really does work in mysterious ways!) and during the consecration I felt a calling deep inside to become a Catholic. I was eventually baptized on Pentecost 2001.
Working for God
Two years after my baptism, I went to go to Winnipeg, Canada, to do an intership of half a year at St. Paul’s College’s Christian Communication Institute. Here I realized that I wanted to work for the Church. This desire was answered when, back in Holland, I received an offer ‘out of nowhere’ from the Brothers of Saint John in Enschede to come work for them.
After graduating, I did exactly that for two years. I also got a job as national project coordinator for World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne. During the WYD I began to realize how much God loves every one of us. From that moment on, I began to understand and accept (just a tiny bit!) how much God also loves me. This is when I could accept His calling to the priesthood.
Life at the Seminary
After a year of discernment, I began my studies at St. John the Evangelist Seminary in Den Bosch, where I finished my philosophy degree in 2009. Having been in touch with the Archdiocese of Winnipeg for several years, I decided to continue my discernment in Canada and, through the gracious support of the Archdiocese, am now in my second year of theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Edmonton.