‘Living the dream’: Rohan Prince on the joy of pursuing his priestly vocation

From a lively childhood in the outer Melbourne suburb of Lynbrook to the quiet rhythms of seminary life at Corpus Christi College, the diocesan seminary for Victoria and Tasmania, Rohan Prince has always carried within him the hope of one day becoming a priest.

‘I always, always wanted to be a priest,’ he says, describing it as his ‘number-one job’.

Now in his second year of formation, Rohan is one of a growing number of young men responding to God’s call, discerning a life of service in the Catholic Church. His story is one of childhood dreams rediscovered, family faith and the gentle but insistent pull of God’s grace.

Born in Oman, Rohan moved to Australia with his family at the age of four. They settled in Lynbrook, where St Kevin’s Parish in Hampton Park became the centre of family life. His parents, devout Catholics, took the family to Mass each Sunday—and often during the week too.

‘I had a great childhood, and my family was a very devout family, he recalls, adding that he was ‘very blessed to have such a good family’.

To become a priest was actually my dream as a child … I really felt that the time was right.

Even as a mischievous child, Rohan was drawn to the sacred. He tells the story of how, at just three years old, he tried to receive Holy Communion before he was old enough.

‘I was in a very cheeky mood, so after everyone had finished, I went to the side aisle and went to the Eucharistic Minister, and then I came and opened my mouth,’ he says with a laugh.

After completing his secondary education at Nossal High School, Rohan pursued a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne, majoring in engineering. But the call to priesthood never left him. With guidance from Fr Anil Mascarenhas, then assistant priest at St Kevin’s, Rohan visited the seminary for its annual enquiry day.

‘I really felt like I belonged here and everyone was just really nice,’ he recalls. ‘So I thought, yeah, this could be really good for me.’

Initially planning to complete a master’s degree before joining the seminary, Rohan changed course after Fr Anil posed a simple but powerful question: why wait?

‘At that moment when he said that, it just hit me,’ he explains. ‘To become a priest was actually my dream as a child … I really felt that the time was right.’

Life in the seminary is structured around prayer, study and community. A typical weekday starts at 7am with morning prayer, followed by half an hour of silent meditation and then Mass. The day continues with academic study, pastoral placements, communal meals and evening adoration.

Rohan’s pastoral placement is at Corpus Christi Greenvale, a residence for older, marginalised men originally founded by St Teresa of Kolkata and her Missionaries of Charity and now run by VMCH.

‘We go there, have a chat with them and just be there for them, to hear their life stories and hear what they’ve gone through and some of their struggles,’ he says. ‘Just to be there for them is really good.’

Seminary life is not without its challenges though. The biggest, he says, is striking a good balance as he juggles studies, seminary duties and pastoral commitments.

One duty assigned to some of the seminarians is to serve as sacristan in the chapel, ‘making sure that the priest vestments are ready, and the chalice and the host is ready for Mass—so a lot of jobs—even washing all of the linens that are used during Mass,’ he explains. ‘Just making sure that we are getting all our assignments done and, on top of that, also making sure we’re not lacking in our duties is a difficult balance.’

I feel that Jesus is saying, ‘You need to proclaim boldly. I’ve given you all the grace and all the power that you need.’

Yet even the most mundane tasks have taken on a new meaning for Rohan. When he serves and helps around the seminary, he says, ‘I get a really deep sense of joy, which was a surprise to me at first.’

That joy, he believes, is rooted in Christ.

‘That service is also in line with a lot of what Jesus did, in that he was there with the poor. He was there with those who were abandoned and those who were marginalised in society, and even just the smallest things he did made a big impact,’ he points out. ‘I hope to bring that into parish life when I’m a priest, being there for the people.’

At the heart of Rohan’s formation is a desire to proclaim the Good News—not just in word, but also in action. He hopes, he says, to live out what he proclaims, so that the Gospel ‘is not only something that you just hear, but also something that you do.’

That sense of mission is sharpened by an awareness of the cultural challenges facing people of faith today.

‘Looking at the media and seeing [how] religion seems to be shunned’, he says, Christ is calling him to a response that is both more daring and more faithful. ‘I feel that Jesus is saying, “No, you shouldn’t listen to that. You need to proclaim boldly. I’ve given you all the grace and all the power that you need.”’

Being able to have God work through me and be able to share his mercy—it is just such a powerful, powerful thing for me to imagine.

Seminary life, he says, has helped him grow in the boldness needed to live out this calling.

‘Just being able to learn how to speak to people’ and overcome his shyness is a practical and valuable skill he is gaining as a seminarian, one that will equip him to accompany the people of God through the ups and down of their lives. Recalling Pope Francis’ view that priests should have ‘the smell of the sheep’, he believes it will be his role as a priest to ‘be there among the people, feel the sufferings that they’re going through and do my best to allow God to help them in that suffering’

Contemplating the prosect of becoming a priest, Rohan says he is filled with awe at the grace of the vocation.

Just thinking about living out his childhood dream of being a priest and being able to say Mass ‘just blows my mind,’ he says. ‘Being able to have God work through me and be able to share his mercy—it is just such a powerful, powerful thing for me to imagine.’

I know for certain that it’s only through the prayers of the faithful that I am where I am today ... it really gives me hope.

He hopes to carry that sense of humility into his ministry, saying that he constantly reminds himself that ‘it is only through God’s grace that you are where you are today.’

For those praying and supporting seminarians across the Archdiocese, Rohan offers his heartfelt thanks.

‘I know for certain that it’s only through the prayers of the faithful that [I am] where I am today,’ he says. ‘God reminds me that all these people are praying for [me] and it really gives me hope.’

There are signs that these prayers are bearing fruit in the lives of many other young men too. Rohan’s seminary intake in 2023 included 10 new seminarians, the largest in some time. In 2024, seven more joined.

‘We just had the enquiry day,’ he shares, ‘and we had 35 young men coming … just a wonderful experience to see our dining hall full and … to hear this wonderful sound of everyone talking and being joyful.’

When asked what his younger self would say to him if he could see the journey he’s on today, Rohan’s answer is simple.

‘You’re living the dream.’

And to those who might still be hesitating as they discern their vocation in life, he says God’s encouragement is clear: ‘Go! You can do it. Go for it. I’m with you to the end of time.’