Jackson Reeves St. John Vianney College Seminary (Junior Year) Home Parish: Holy Name, Gulfport

 Jackson Reeves was born and raised in St. Petersburg.  He has one older brother and one younger brother.  He has been very involved in his parish of as an altar server and Eucharistic minister.  He attended local public school through 5th grade.  After that, he was home schooled.  He is an accomplished piano player.  Jackson is in his junior year at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami.  Jackson is a member of Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Gulfport.

Do your family and friends think it is a good idea that you’re becoming a priest?  My parents support me completely, especially my dad, who is not Catholic. He supports me in everything I do, something I appreciate greatly.

Do you ever have any fun? What do you do in your free time?   In my spare time I like to play ping pong, play the piano, or simply to just chill and relax.

If you were not a priest, what do you think you would be?  I would have loved to get a music degree either in sacred music or a performance degree.

How many brothers and sisters do you have?  I have two brothers; I am stuck in the middle and we are all two years apart.

What is your favorite TV program?  My favorite show this year has been The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Who is your favorite singer or music group?  My favorite Music group is the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Do you ever get bored while studying to be a priest?  There have been very few times when I have been bored. There is always something to do here whether I am praying, playing sports, studying or doing my house job. I manage to keep myself busy.

How is a seminary different than a regular school?  A seminary is totally different from a regular school. A seminary is a school of formation balanced under the four pillars of formation: Human, Spiritual, Intellectual, and Pastoral.

How often do you see your family?  We have the same breaks as a regular school would have, so I get to go home often enough. 

Can you really be happy as a priest since priests don’t make much money?  If you wanted to become a priest for the money you have the wrong intentions at heart. You can be really happy if you are there to love and serve the Lord and his people with all your heart and might. Priests make enough to survive and support themselves.

Who helped you decide to become a priest?  Someone who helped me the most would be Fr. Tim Sherwood, my former spiritual director. He helped me in my discernment and was able to tell things from another perspective that I might not have seen in my prayer and discernment.

When did you decide to study to be a priest? How did you know God was calling you to be a priest?  I decide to enter seminary in my senior year.  I was not and I am still not 100% sure that God is calling me to be a priest. That is part of the reason why I applied to discern more that possibility.

What do you think the best thing will be about being a priest?  I think the best part about being a priest would be being there for the people of God at their most crucial points in their lives, as well as administering the sacraments.