Path to the Priesthood: Fr. Andrew Rapoport

Fr. Andrew Rapoport was ordained to the priesthood on May 26th, 2018 in Omaha, NE and celebrated his first Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Omaha.

Father was born in San Jose, California and grew up on the coast near San Luis Obispo.

He studied Automotive Technology at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. During college he became involved with the Newman Center at the nearby university, Cal Poly. Around the same time he discovered the promises of Our Lady of Fatima and soon eagerly began saying the rosary daily and attending Mass during the week. He became good friends with many young adults at the Newman Center.

He started to become interested in reading books that pertained to the Catholic Faith. Shortly after, he went on a retreat that emphasized listening to God during prayer. He began to spend time in prayer before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. He changed his prayers from petitions to simply trying to listen to God and he started to meditate on Christ’s Passion before the crucifix. Fr. Rapoport had no idea where God would direct his life but he knew that whatever God had planned would be far better than anything he could ever have imagined.

As he continued spending time in prayer with Our Lord, he began to feel a distinct call within his heart. One evening during the summer of 2010, while he was kneeling in prayer before the tabernacle, he remembers that he felt a sudden urge to do more than pray; he felt a longing to celebrate the Holy Mass. Before this he had never considered discerning the priesthood but he thought that if God wanted to use him in that way that he would be open to it.

Fr. Rapoport was not immediately enthusiastic about hearing this call from God, but about two weeks later a good friend said something that made him know that God wanted him to take action. During dinner his friend said, “You are probably not going to like what I’m about to say.” At that point Fr. Rapoport knew exactly what he would say. He continued, “I think you would make a good priest.” This left Father in shock for a second because he had not mentioned anything to his friend about the feeling that had been growing in his heart. Fr. Rapoport then proceeded to describe what had happened during the previous weeks and he knew at that moment what God wanted him to do. After that night, he still had no clear idea of where God wanted to take his life but he experienced peace in his heart.

Fr. Rapoport began to discern a religious vocation. Around the same time, he was introduced to the Latin Mass by his good friend. After attending a sung Mass at the California Mission of San Juan Bautista, Fr. Rapoport was struck by the beauty of the Traditional Mass and he knew that if he was to become a priest, this was the Mass that he would like to celebrate. In 2011, he entered Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska and his seven years of seminary flew by faster than he could have imagined.

Fr. Rapoport is very grateful for the support of his family, friends, benefactors and everyone who encouraged him during his priestly formation. Please pray for him and he assures you of his prayers as well.

Fr. Rapoport is currently serving his first appointment at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Cœur d’Alene, Idaho.