Albert Allen

Born in Hannibal, Missouri, my home parish was Blessed Sacrament (now Holy Family). I received my education from Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, Hannibal Senior High School, and Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois. I was an American Board Certified Optician for a number of years prior to becoming a Computer Systems Analyst for the State of Illinois. My home parish is Saint Katharine Drexel in Springfield, Illinois.

I come from a large family, being the third child of ten. My parents worked very hard to provide for our family, but we were by no means wealthy, except for the mutual love and respect of one another. I have known from a very early age that God was calling me to something great. However, I continued to put the call on hold, perhaps thinking it was a wrong number, or wondering why would God call me? I pursued a career, became established in my profession, active in my community, owned a home, a car, and all the material possessions one might desire. I volunteered in many organizations and participated in mission trips to Mexico, Guatemala, and the Yucatan Peninsula to provide visual aids to the poor. It was on these missions and in doing parish work, enjoying the faith of the people, that God's call intensified. I finally answered the call after our Bishop's program of "Called by Name" caused me to realize the Holy Spirit was working through the parishioners to awaken me. Now, I am a seminarian for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, and simply following God's call to the Roman Catholic priesthood. Service has been an important part of my life, and I will now serve the people of God in a more priestly way.