Sitting in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Thomas Hammen joined 3,000 seminarians from around the world awaiting Pope Leo XIV. The gathering took place on June 24, 2025, during the Jubilee of Seminarians.

Hammen, a graduate of St. Joseph Catholic School and Santa Fe Catholic High School in Florida, reflected on his Catholic education. He stated it taught him he was “not just a cog in a machine or to do a job to make money.” Instead, he learned about his unique vocation through faith and family.

Hammen's parents, John and Judy, are active parishioners at St. Joseph in Winter Haven. They have influenced their children through involvement in church activities and by modeling faith-based living.

In college, Hammen drifted from his faith but later found guidance through St. Paul’s Outreach and the Brotherhood of Hope. This led him to discern the priesthood at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary.

During "The Rome Experience," Hammen attended classes at the Pontifical University of Santa Croce and visited pilgrimage sites with fellow seminarians from the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee.

He described meeting people from diverse cultures as unifying under shared beliefs: “We are one because of Peter, because of the pope, and Rome.”

Pope Leo XIV addressed seminarians during the Jubilee event emphasizing love for humanity: “Jesus Christ loved humanity with the heart of a man,” he said.

The Pope thanked them for their energy which fuels hope within the Church: “With your energy you fuel the flame of hope in the life of the Church.”

Hammen was inspired by Pope Leo's missionary background and hopes to embody this spirit as a future priest by actively sharing God's love beyond church walls.

By Glenda Meekins