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Jonathan Fox was a junior in college when he first recognized God’s call to consider a vocation as a priest. “I had just transferred to Pittsburg State University that year. I wandered into the Catholic Student Center (CSC) to print off a term paper I had to turn in,” he said. “I was blown away by being immediately welcomed by a student in the CSC who happened to see me enter and noticed I looked lost,” he added, noting also that, “she genuinely wanted to know how I was really doing and how she could help. Ultimately, she invited me to return for a meal and a talk being given by the chaplain that evening.”
Admitting his sole motivation was the free food and the cute girl, he attended the talk, “which became my first exposure to the theology of the body,” Fox attested. Enamored by how much sense the topic made, he asked the chaplain, Fr. Adam Keiter, if he could follow up with him one-on-one with some questions. These meetings eventually transitioned into spiritual direction. “Fr. Keiter dispelled many lies and excuses I had told myself for why I blindly assumed my calling was to the married life,” Jonathan observed. Excuses included, “I'm not good enough to be a priest,” “my past sins are too awful,” and “I don't pray enough,” among others.
The local parish in Pittsburg has a perpetual Adoration chapel and needed adorers for the wee hours of the morning. Wanting to have more dedicated time for prayer, Jonathan began filling a 3 AM slot on Saturday mornings. “I fell in love with the absolute silence and intimate time with the Lord,” he related. “The silence allowed me to hear God's voice telling me that He wanted me to go to seminary.” Fox finished his senior year and started seminary the next fall.
Fox credits his encounter with his college chaplain, Fr. Adam Keiter, as the turning point for revitalizing his relationship with Christ. “I really see that, after veering off the right path in college and seeing the folly in that experience, I unconsciously began to pursue a path emulating my dad, instead of pursuing the empty pleasures of the world. My parents have a beautiful and vibrant witness of the married life and in spite of my most recalcitrant efforts, they instilled in me the value of self-sacrificial gift,” Fox observed, adding, “I saw the joy of their life together even in the most simple, innocuous moments and desired that true joy also.”
One of the first and most valuable lessons Fox learned in seminary early on was that there are many ways to pray and that personal prayer changes over time. Fox said he had to learn early on that his relationship with God isn't transactional, such as thinking, 'if I sit in chapel and pray then God will give me consolation.' His perspective is that one’s relationship with God is not limited to one’s emotions; one can give Him one’s intellect and free will also.
For Fox, among the most impactful of seminary experiences is the exceptional brotherhood that develops between seminarians. Surrounded by a wide variety of backgrounds and skill sets, all pointed to a singular mission of discernment together, the unique bonds are incredibly life changing. Fox concludes that this brotherhood continuously holds brothers up as seminarians walk this leg of the journey to eternity together.
Jonathan’s folks, Danny and Beth Fox, are retired. They owned and operated Lawrence Automotive Diagnostics which they opened in 1994. The business has now been acquired by Jonathan’s older brother, Justin. He is married to Melissa and has three sons, Landon, Julian, and Arnold. His younger brother, Drew, is married to Kirsten, who teaches at St. John's Catholic School in Lawrence while Drew is an IT security technician. His youngest brother, Blake, lives in Lawrence and works with Justin in the family business.
Fox graduated from Lawrence High School in 2008 and started college at Wichita State studying aerospace engineering. His collegiate experience took him to Johnson County Community College and, ultimately to Pittsburgh State, where he finished a business degree. He then did two years of pre-theology studies at Conception Seminary College and finished one year of theology at Kenrick School of Theology before leaving seminary studies, suffering the burn-out that sometimes accompanies academic studies. He spent almost four years discerning outside seminary, with a good amount of that time spent as a Catholic campus minister at Missouri State University.
To young people contemplating a religious vocation, Fox provides this bit of wisdom: “Get off the fence. Passive discernment can only reveal so much. Eventually you must actively discern. Get a date. Visit a convent. Check out a seminary. Do something!” And, a final note, “You cannot discern without prayer. Find some quiet time with God!”
