Meet Our Seminarians

Andrew “Lawton” Brinkman

Lawton Brinkman was born on September 20, 2002, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Allen and Julie Brinkman. He has three brothers: Jake, his twin; Hudson; and Walker. He moved to Tampa and began school at Christ the King in 2011. He graduated from middle school in 2017 and attended Tampa Preparatory School for high school. While at the University of Tampa, he earned degrees in history, finance, and philosophy.

Following his Confirmation—a moment he recognizes as pivotal in his spiritual life—he became more active in his parish, serving as a core team member for Christ the King’s Edge program and participating in Life Teen. In college, he founded Christ the King’s Exceptional Adults Ministry, dedicated to serving adults with disabilities, and taught OCIA to individuals with disabilities. He also established a Special Olympics program on campus and led a renewal of the University of Tampa’s Catholic student ministry, serving as president of UT Catholic.

Although he spent six years discerning a call to the seminary, his decision was ultimately solidified during the Good Samaritan Project, in a moment of profound mercy and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

His interests include working with homeless and disability ministries, reading philosophy, conducting research in modern Church history, disability studies, and theology, as well as language learning and film.

He is entering his Propaedeutic Year at Saint Joseph’s Seminary College.

Christopher Busser

Christopher Busser was born February 11, 1999 at Saint Joseph’s hospital in Tampa Florida. He was baptized February 12, 2000 at Christ the King. At Christ the King Christopher had his first communion, confirmation, attended catechesis, and was an avid member of Boy Scouts – from Tiger to Eagle. Christopher has one younger brother, Michael, that has accompanied him along the way on his journey.

Christopher attended Jesuit and the University of Wyoming. He previously discerned with the Salesians and worked for them as a private fundraiser and a member of their summer camp administration team. Christopher has also worked for a professional sport fishing charter company. Christopher is currently going into his second year at Saint Joseph Seminary College with the Diocese of St. Petersburg and is starting the discipleship phase. His faith is extremely important to him. Christopher is listening to Gods will for him and answering the call to the priesthood in his heart. Christopher feels called to serve God in the sacraments as he takes this journey discerning the priesthood.

Isaac Cruz

Isaac Cruz was born in Deland, Florida and raised in Mount Olive, New Jersey. He converted to the Catholic Church in 2018. His home parish is St. Michael the Archangel in Clearwater. Raised in the Assemblies of God Church, he felt a call to ministry back in high school. This call shifted to a call to priesthood after having been received into the church. He credits Our Lady and the Rosary for his conversion to the church.

He has a loving father, mother, sister and niece who have been so supportive of his journey to priesthood. He is very grateful to have them in his life.

In his downtime, Isaac enjoys watching Red Sox and Patriots games. He enjoys reading books by Cardinal Ratzinger, Hans Ur Von Balthasar, as well as history books. He loves anything and everything having to do with Star Wars.

Mark DeSio

Mark DeSio is currently in his 8th year of seminary (SVDP) and will be a ordained a Deacon in April! Mark comes from a large Catholic family (is 1 of 6) and had the childhood dream of becoming a professional skateboarder. Born in Saint Petersburg, Mark attended Blessed Sacrament Catholic School in Seminole (his home parish) and St. Petersburg Catholic for most of high school where he later taught theology after 4.5 years of seminary.

Before entering seminary, the first time, Mark was studying to become a firefighter. It was during his second year of college that God called him to be a priest. Having an uncle who is a priest in the diocese (Fr. Gregg Tottle), Mark was inspired by his witness and that of the priests from his home parish as well as the holiness of life practiced by other parishioners, friends, and family. What attracted Mark to the priesthood the most was the desire to celebrate the sacraments and help bring souls to heaven. Being an instrument of God’s mercy in the confessional is what fires him up the most!

Alexander Fleming

Alexander Fleming was born and raised in Tampa and graduated from Robinson High School in south Tampa in 2019. He was baptized and confirmed at Christ the King Parish in 2020 after joining the RCIA program. He worked as a cook at a local Tijuana Flats for three years and left to go into seminary. He is now in his senior year of formation at St. Joseph Seminary College in Louisiana.

He has always been close to his family; his dad, grandparents and brother all have played a huge role in his journey to becoming Catholic and discerning the priesthood. Alexander first felt God’s call to discernment when he was in the RCIA program to become Catholic. At first, he thought it was just an interest in what the priesthood was, but as time moved on, he could not stop thinking about the possibility of becoming a priest. Going to Mass and a daily prayer life were two major ways that he has been discerning the call.

He loves sports, especially the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and loves to read during his free time, especially classic novels. Cooking is another passion of his, especially for his friends and family. He is grateful for your continued support as he continues priestly formation for the diocese.

Dakota Gates

Dakota was born in Clearwater, FL but his parents, Krist and Nancy, are originally from upstate New York. Dakota has one older brother, Tyler, who is also a seminarian of the diocese. Dakota graduated from Countryside High School in 2019 and received an associate degree from St. Petersburg College. He is currently a senior at St. Joseph Seminary College in Louisiana. Prior to joining seminary, he was a Life Teen missionary in Georgia for two years. He enjoys fishing, Star Wars, and competing in all sports. Dakota’s attraction to the priesthood sprung through sharing in real graces with the faithful of Jesus Christ, and he is humbled to be on this journey.

Tyler Gates

Tyler was born in Albany, New York, and moved with his family to Pinellas County with his family a year later. He attended Florida State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Biological Science. During his time at FSU, he became deeply involved in the Catholic Student Union, an experience that profoundly influenced his decision to respond to God’s call to the priesthood.

After graduating, Tyler returned to the Tampa Bay Area and spent a year working in the operating room at Mease Countryside Hospital. In spring of 2023, he completed a master’s degree in Philosophical Studies. He recently finished his fourth year of formation at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach and is currently in his Pastoral Year at Our Lady of the Rosary in Land O’ Lakes.

Tyler looks forward to his ordination to the transitional diaconate in April 2027 and, God willing, to the priesthood in May 2028. In his free time, he enjoys being with family and friends, relaxing at the beach or pool, and playing golf. He is also a devoted fan of FSU athletics, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Lightning. Notably, his younger brother, Dakota, is also a seminarian for the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

Spencer Grant

Spencer Grant is a proud Tampa native and loves everything to do with the city he loves, with the highs and lows of Buccaneer seasons, the three-time Stanley Cup Lightning Champions, and the so-close-to-good Rays. Spencer has been calling St. Timothy Parish home since his family first joined the Catholic Church in 2009; it was there where he first felt the call to Christ’s priesthood thanks to the stellar examples of the priests and the love and support of the faith community.

During a leave of absence from formation, Spencer taught theology at St. Petersburg Catholic High School and remains a loyal Baron to this day. He is an avid (albeit a rusty) golfer and enthused (albeit lackluster) lacrosse player. Spencer coached both sports during his time at SPCHS even though most of the student-athletes were far better than him.

Spencer loves nothing more than being a beloved of Jesus and is beyond grateful and humbled to be following a call towards sharing in Christ’s priesthood as he continues formation at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida. Entering into his first year of Configuration, he is fueled by the love of his diocese which he looks forward to giving back to one day.

Cody Holton

Cody Holton was born and raised in St. Petersburg. He is an only child. Cody graduated from Osceola Fundamental High School, where he played tuba in the marching band. Cody loves to read, cook, and most of all to be with friends and family playing games or having invigorating discussions. Cody worked most recently as a maintenance technician for the Diocese of St. Petersburg Pastoral Center. Before that, he worked at a beer distributor for seven years cleaning and maintaining draft beer equipment.

Raised as a Methodist, Cody went to church every Sunday with his grandma through middle school. In high school, he fell away from the faith. Several years later, he became interested in philosophy, which led him back to God and to the Catholic Church. Cody was Confirmed at St. Raphael’s Catholic Church in St. Petersburg in December of 2022. All through his conversion, Cody had an interest in the priesthood. After his Confirmation, that interest became a strong desire to be a priest. Cody is attracted to the priesthood because he wants to help others come to Jesus and experience the same love and healing he has found.

Reinaldo Jara

Benjamin Kieler

Benjamin was born March 6th, 1995 in St. Petersburg. He was baptized the following month at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Clearwater, where he would later receive first communion and confirmation. Benjamin feels immense gratitude toward his parents Greg and Patty for his Catholic education at St. Cecelia, Clearwater Central Catholic, and two years at Loras College in Iowa. He has three brothers: Michael (a priest in St. Augustine), Chris, and John. He is godfather to his niece Camryn and nephew Luke.

In 2018, Benjamin graduated from FSU with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance. He spent the next seven years as a salesman for MetLife, spending two years in Missouri, and most recently three in southeastern Michigan.

Benjamin has long suspected a potential priestly vocation, and through the years developed a deep love and appreciation for the priesthood. This appreciation was fostered particularly by the excellent example of great priests including his brother, Fr. Kenneth Malley, Fr. Mike Schmitz, and Fr. Stuart Long. He is deeply grateful for the opportunity to enter seminary formation.

Benjamin’s home parish is Sacred Heart in Dade City. In his free time, Ben enjoys exercising and organized sports, exploring outdoors, and spending time with his family.

Joseph Levesque

Joseph Levesque is in his Propaedeutic year at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach. He was born and baptized in Columbus, Ohio but moved to Florida as a baby and has spent most of his life living in Wesley Chapel, where he has been a parishioner of Our Lady of the Rosary in Land O Lakes. Joseph graduated from Land O Lakes High School in 2021 and then went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in computer science at USF (c/o 2025). During high school, Joseph worked jobs at Wendy’s and Firehouse subs, and in college he worked as a software intern for an electrical engineering company.

In his free time, Joseph enjoys hanging out with friends, making rosaries, woodworking, and endurance sports. He completed an Ironman triathlon in September 2024, one of his life-long goals, and he would love to do another one someday.

Joseph became very involved with the Catholic Student Center at USF in college and it was through his involvement there that he felt the call to enter seminary and discern the priesthood more intentionally. Above all, Joseph wants to become a saint, and knows that following God’s will is going to be the best way of achieving that.

Caleb Malec

Caleb Malec is the 4th of 5 children to be born in New Jersey before moving to and growing up in Riverview attending St. Stephen Catholic Church. He went to St. Stephen Catholic School, Tampa Preparatory High School and he graduated from Riverview High School in 2018. Growing up he thrived on playing sports and spending time with family and friends. He grew up playing lacrosse, racing motocross and bmx. Following high school, he was a full-time missionary with NET Ministries serving in Dallas, TX. He spent another year as a full-time missionary with Life Teen, serving at Camp Covecrest in Tiger, GA.

He is very grateful to have been raised and taught the basics of Catholicism, although it was not always fun or pleasant to him. Thanks to his friends, a good youth group, and his upbringing he began to take greater responsibility for his faith in high school. Ever since renewing his relationship with Christ, he has a desire to help others come to know the joy and freedom our Lord offers each of us. The many young priests he encountered prior to seminary helped him to realize his desire to give himself more fully to God. It was their authentic witness, daily prayer, and a good community that gave him the courage to answer the call and pursue the priesthood.

Alesander Salgado

Michael Santos

Michael Santos was born August 12, 1998, to Edwin and Denise Santos. Growing up in New Port Richey he received all his sacrament at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and was always very active in the life of the parish, where he got his first job in high school as a maintenance man. He is also blessed with a younger sister, Mary Santos. Michael was home schooled through high school and attended Ave Maria University, receiving his bachelor’s degree in music and history with a minor in Medieval Studies. After graduating college Michael worked as a teacher for two years, teaching 3^rd grade and then 6th grade history/high school art history. Michael has always felt very close to the priesthood and feels that now God is calling him to a new love, to step out in faith and surrender to God’s will, in service to the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

Austin Smith

Austin Smith grew up in Brandon, Florida, and has attended his home parish of Nativity Catholic Church since he was very young.  Before entering seminary, he attended Jesuit High School in Tampa and felt the call to be a priest the summer before his junior year of high school while sitting in solitude and silence.

After graduating, Austin moved to Nashville for two years where he ministered to teens in middle school and high school with a group called the Love Good Apprenticeship Program. While in Nashville, his calling to priesthood was deepened, and after a year at Ave Maria university, he joined the seminary in the fall of 2020.

Studying and praying in seminary is a blessing, but outside of these activities, he enjoys shenanigans with friends, watching and playing sports, working out, reading fiction, adventuring, eating, and listening and analyzing music.

What attracts him to priesthood most is the idea of being a spiritual father, and being able to hear confessions.

Anthony Valancius

Anthony Valancius grew up in Odessa, FL and is the youngest of six children. He was homeschooled from 1st grade through high school and attended Christendom College in Front Royal, VA, for a year. Anthony had felt a calling to the priesthood from a very young age – mostly due to the example of his priests at his home parish of St Paul’s in Tampa. When his family transferred to St. Timothy’s in Lutz, his interest in the priesthood only grew. After a year at Christendom, Anthony felt that the Lord was calling him to enter seminary. As stated earlier, Anthony’s attraction to the priesthood is due mainly to the examples of the priests of his childhood. Just a few priests who had an influence on Anthony were Fr Bob Romaine, Fr John Blum, Fr Drew Woodke, Fr Anthony Ustick, and Fr Connor Penn. He wants to follow their example in being a spiritual father to the people of our diocese – to serve them in what ways he can and to assist them as they deepen their relationships with Christ and His Church. The ability to bring the sacraments – especially the Eucharist – to the people who raised him in the Faith in our diocese is also an important aspect as to why Anthony is currently discerning the priesthood. Anthony’s family travels out west many summers to visit various national parks; as a result, Anthony greatly enjoys hiking. He has also recently taken up golfing and will bore you to death on anything related to European history or ecclesiastical architecture. Please pray for Anthony and especially pray through the intercession of St Charles Borromeo, the patron saint of seminarians, for Anthony’s discernment journey.

Ricardo Velasco

Ricardo Velasco was born on August 26, 2004, in Miami Florida. His parents are both migrants from Venezuela and at the age of 2 Ricardo and his family moved to Riverview Florida. Ricardo was raised a cradle Catholic; his family has been attending Resurrection Catholic Church for the past 13 years.

Ricardo has 4 siblings, all of whom are boys. Ricardo likes to play and watch sports and he and all his siblings like to watch movies together. Ricardo attended Bell Creek Academy in Valrico for high school and afterwards attended Hillsborough Community College for one year before deciding to go to seminary.

Ricardo decided the priesthood was his calling after experiencing a profound experience in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Ricardo is entering his second year of formation at Saint Joseph Abbey and Seminary College in Covington Louisiana and is grateful for all the prayers and support.

Vincent Washburn

Vincent Washburn is a seminarian from St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Hudson. Vincent grew up in Hudson where he graduated from Fivay High School in 2016. After graduation, he attended Pasco-Hernando State College for two years before transferring to USF Tampa where he earned a bachelor’s in psychology in 2020. Despite his plans of becoming a forensic psychologist, the idea of priesthood entered his mind while a senior in high school and remained with him throughout college. While still a student at USF, he began working as part-time Youth Minister at St. Michael’s Parish in Hudson where he eventually began working full-time as Youth Minister, Director of Liturgy, and coordinator of the parish’s ministry to the sick and homebound. After experiencing the depth of parish ministry with people of all ages and in various life circumstances, it became clear to him in prayer that a life of service to the Church as a priest, was indeed the Lord’s invitation to him. Vincent entered seminary for the Diocese of St. Petersburg in 2021 and attended St. Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, Louisiana where he graduated in 2023. Later that year, he began his theological studies at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida and is currently in his Pastoral Year at the Catholic Student Center at USF Tampa

Mark Wegener

Mark is a seminarian studying theology at Saint Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida. Mark was born and raised in upstate New York living with his parents and three siblings. Mark has always had a passion for cars, and books, but he is also known to love watching movies, going hunting, and/or going fishing in his spare time. After high school he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and spent two years as a financial statement auditor. In his mid-twenties Mark moved to Florida and spent two years as a tax accountant before answering the call to enter seminary. Mark’s home parish is Saint Anthony the Abbot in Brooksville, Florida. Mark was known for being involved in the parish life by attending the weekly Pastor’s class, holding a seat on parish council, volunteering as a Knight of Columbus, and even teaching the youth group. Mark’s active involvement in the faith and parish life deepened his desire to know, love, and serve God as a priest.