Interview with Seminarian Nathan Gentry
BY LUKE MURRAY
Nathan entered the Seminary of Conception Seminary College in the fall of 2024 for the Diocese of Kansas City -St. Joseph.
Where did you grow up? What parish did you attend and how would you describe your faith growing up?
I grew up in Lee's Summit and attended St. Mark's in Independence. I was baptized as a child, went to Mass every Sunday, Confession in Advent and Lent, and even attended Catholic school for a few years. I had all the externals in place and knew the "right answers" when it came to God. However, my faith remained surface-level, and over time, religion seemed to me to be something separate from reality, in a different realm from science or the modern world. I professed the creed with my lips, but it did not come from my heart, and hardly guided my life as I grew older. It was not until college that the seed of faith began to come alive interiorly when I was asked by my friends, "Why are you Catholic?" Realizing I did not have a good answer to that question led me on a journey to figure out what I truly believed and how to live it out more fully. Thanks be to God, He led me right back to the Catholic Church, where I had been all along.
How did you learn about City on a Hill?
I found out about City on a Hill shortly before graduating from the University of Nebraska. I had experienced a vibrant Catholic community there on campus, but I was moving back to Kansas City, away from many of the friends I had made in Lincoln. The idea of starting to build my own community from scratch was daunting to me. Thankfully, one of my family members knew of my situation and referred me to City on a Hill. It seemed like a perfect fit to help me get integrated and begin forming new friendships post-college. Within a week or two of graduation, I went to my first City on a Hill event and met some people there that I have remained friends with to this day.
What events, groups, and/or activities of City on a Hill were you involved in?
I tried to do a little bit of everything with City on a Hill. The first event I attended was a ConnectKC ice cream social, part of a summer series touring Kansas City's best ice cream spots. Later on, I took in the big events (Tuesdays at the Boulevard and KC Underground), which became more and more meaningful and comfortable after building connections through smaller events and the Catholic Challenge Sports leagues.
Those CCS leagues were particularly impactful for me, especially as a newcomer. The draft system put me together with people I would not have met otherwise as we journeyed throughout the season, united in a common goal. After getting more settled in the community, I had the distinct pleasure of captaining a dodgeball team. We may or may not have lost every game, but sometimes friendship is best built through adversity!
Finally, I received a lot of life from joining a Band of Brothers group. Getting to sit down each week with a good group of men and dive deeper into the struggles and successes in living the Christian life was greatly edifying. The structure of the group was a significant help to me in forming the deeper and more intentional friendships that I desired in the community.
How has City on a Hill impacted your life, especially your spiritual life and decision to discern the priesthood?
I am convinced that vocations will thrive in any community that is fired up for the faith. City on a Hill is a great example of that truth. The very presence of young people who care about their faith and are seeking holiness is encouraging to anyone who has felt called to serve in consecrated service to the Church. Though I had begun discerning the call to the priesthood before joining the community, my involvement in City on a Hill was able to foster that further. Beyond the general witness of the people I met, this development was led through intentional discussions in my Band of Brothers group and the opportunity to serve in the City on a Hill liturgies.
Do you have any advice for young adults in the City on a Hill community?
Pray every day, if you are not already. Jesus tells us: "Do not be anxious about your life," but "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well." As young adults, we stand at a decisive point in forming our futures. It is easy to feel as though our decisions now will make or break our futures. This, in turn, leads to a temptation to grasp at and attempt to control our futures on our terms. Do not fall into this trap of needless anxiety! Rather, prioritize your relationship with Christ above all. Pray for trust in God's plan for your life, that you may allow yourself to be led by Him who loves you so much. Consider praying with this scripture (Matthew 6:25-34) and seeing what worries Jesus wants you to entrust to Him right now.
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