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Father Danny Herman never expected to be a priest.
“I was never asked to consider the priesthood during my formative years,” he said in an interview with Aleteia. “I grew up in a small Appalachian town within a missionary diocese that had limited resources for promoting vocations.”
Instead, he decided to become a naval aviator and trained in the Navy’s flight school for three years. He was just months away from “getting his wings” and committing the next eight years of his life to being a naval aviator when he heard God’s call in prayer.
Today, Father Herman serves as Associate Pastor at The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral Parish in Knoxville, Tennessee.
His mother, Lucia Herman, played a pivotal role in helping build a Catholic church in his rural part of Tennessee. When she begged God to send priests to serve their community, He called her son. “God has a sense of humor,” she said in a can’t-miss interview with Catholic Extension Society. The organization supported Fr. Herman’s seminary education as well as the faith journey of his family.
Aleteia’s interview with Fr. Danny Herman
What helped you make the decision to leave aviation school to enter the seminary?
The decision to leave the military and enter the seminary came after an almost eight-year discernment process. I had originally felt the call to enter the seminary when I was 17 years old but had been actively resisting the call due to selfish ambition.
The final turning point happened one night while I was studying for one of my training flights for the Navy. I found it incredibly difficult to focus on my study materials that night because I felt a profound inner calling directing me elsewhere. I heard phrases like, “You weren’t made for this,” and “I made you for something else,” echo inside my heart. That experience forced me to reflect deeply on my life, and I realized that chasing material and external pleasures wasn’t bringing me lasting joy.
In a moment of grace, I remembered a joyful experience from a summer program at the University of Notre Dame called “Vision.” I was 17, and introduced to an amazing display of the Catholic Tradition that focused on love for the Eucharist, the other sacraments, and the lives of the saints. But what really hit me was the pastoral love a priest showed me in confession. I was broken and he acted the way a father should.
I remember walking away from that moment thinking, “If I could be an instrument of grace like this priest was for me, then my life would have meant something.” That memory reignited my sense of purpose and led me to leave the military to follow my vocation.
Do you have any advice for young people considering religious vocations after investing significant time in education or training?
I’d tell them to recognize that their previous experiences and training—even in secular fields—are not wasted in discerning a religious vocation. I know Millennials and Gen Z often feel pressured to maximize their time and we worry about being “too old” to make a change or too invested in this field to discern a vocation, but I’ve learned thatthe Lord uses everything. Trust in His guidance.
Your past formation and experiences can become valuable tools for ministry and help you relate to others in their own relationship with God. Our Lord has a way of repurposing every part of our story for His work.
Could you share how your parents, particularly your mother, encouraged your religious vocation?
My mother and father made the effort to form me and my siblings at home and do their best to help build our small parish in Mountain City, Tennessee. When my dad entered diaconate formation, I saw my parents living out their faith more fully. That example inspires me daily as our small parish continues to flourish. [Read more about Fr. Herman’s amazing mother here!]
What is the most important thing you want people to know about your story?
The most important thing to know is that I am living proof that our Lord does not limit Himself to those who might seem the obvious choice to become a priestwhen He calls someone.
If you examine my history with strict logic and rational thought, I should not be a priest of Jesus Christ today. I grew up in a small Appalachian town within a missionary diocese that had limited resources for promoting vocations. I was never asked to consider the priesthood during my formative years. I was ambitious and on the fast track toward a career that would make any American proud. During that time, I was self-serving, ambitious, and primarily focused on seeking attention and pleasure.
In spite of all that, God’s grace found me, and I discovered true happiness simply by cooperating with His call. Today, I find immense joy and fulfillment in my priestly ministry, serving a large parish of nearly 10,000 parishioners and 509 students at our preK–8 school. I am deeply grateful and amazed at how God’s grace has transformed my life into one that is truly surprised by joy.
And today we celebrate...