" When I studied to be a priest, there were so many temptations. The fact is that I was tempted every day by the devil and every day the devil won!" - Pope Stephen X
Andrew did join the priest seminary as soon as he left school. In a way, it was no surprise for anyone. It was an unwritten rule that at least from one each family joined the clergy as a nun, priest, monk or brother. So when people looked at Andrew and his brothers, it was assumed that he most likely would have a vocational call.
From the start, Andrew separated himself from the other students. One example was after a week of studies, the students would watch a film and eat some junk food. Andrew did not participate. He would sit in a dark prayer room in deep prayer. The others admired Andrew and his ability to pray.
One of the students he studied with told me, "Andrew was special and we all knew it. His spirituality was unique. He had a special friendship with the Lord, and he did not see praying and meditation as some religious duties. It was just something that he did. The strange thing is he was a living saint, but at times he could shock us and do something unexpected."
There is a story that Andrew and his group decided to do a dance routine at a charity that was held with other students from different religious orders. While the others sang religious songs and were quite sweet, Andrew came out dressed in Madonna and lip-synched to "Like a Virgin"
One woman who was there, and now is a nun told me, "This was totally the wrong time and the wrong place and we all sat in shock! I will admit that Andrew was a good dancer, but we were all looking at his provocative performance and thinking what was he trying to tell us! To this day, I do not know, maybe he just wanted to shock us."
This was not the only incident. There is a story where the priests were having a party to celebrate something. The students were invited. They sat in a corner sipping coke and lemonade. As the night went on, Andrew told one of the others to get him some whiskey. When the fellow student came with a small glass, Andrew instructed him to get the bottle as he wanted to know what it to get drunk. At the end of the evening, he was drunk and in tears telling the pupils how unworthy he was.
It often has been asked how Andrew had so many different sides. He was known for being very spiritual and yet at other times, known to do some shocking things. The question many people asked was why he did things that were not expected.
One explanation could be that Andrew was protected most of his life. The first time he drank alcohol was when he studied to be a priest. Andrew was shocked when he saw how some priests lived. Some were alcoholics. Some ate too much. He once told a friend that many priests were lonely. The worse thing he noticed is that prayers often became a routine and duty for priests. God was not an important part of their lives. This must have shocked a young man, who had a great relationship with God. When I interviewed the men he studied with, a few of them told me that his worse fear is that God will be something he possibly believes in, and not a friend.
The superiors were also concerned if Andrew could be a priest. The director of students told the press at one stage, "I was unsure if Andrew could be a priest. He had a deep faith and yet he could be a rebel. I thought that his rebel side was positive, as it showed that he was human and could make mistakes! Still, Andrew always spoke with a quiet voice and in many ways he was submissive. It just seemed like that he was missing that element that he needed to be a leader of people."
Andrew also asked many questions. He wanted to know why the Church was against abortion and divorce. He wanted to know why homosexuality was a crime. Some other priests were afraid when he defended homosexuality. Some joked that he could actually be in the closet. In any case, his questioning proved to be a challenge for many students and priests, that they could not or did not want to answer.
At one stage, Andrew was asked to consider if the priesthood was for him. He went on a retreat for 14 days. During these days, he fasted and sat out by a lake that had wildflowers. Even if it was raining, he would be sitting there. Some of the monks came and begged him to eat something, but he was in a world of his own.
Andrew came back after the retreat and told the student director that he knew that he was being called to the priesthood. Andrew admitted that he was not the perfect priest, but he wanted to be the hand of God and wanted to learn.
A few years later, Andrew was ordained as a priest.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
