Twenty-six years ago a woman in Nebraska made an appointment to have an abortion. She was in college and believed she couldn’t afford to take care of her baby. However, she couldn’t go through with it so she made an appointment with another doctor– an OB-GYN. After her appointment, she decided to place her baby for adoption. She wanted to give her baby the very best chance at life.

Around the same time, Randy and Sherry Kaup, were struggling with infertility. They were in their forties and unable to have children. Although they had a very different situation than the woman facing a crisis pregnancy, they were visiting the same OB-GYN. The doctor connected the Kaups with the unwed mother and they adopted her son, Ryan. The couple took him home three days after he was born.

Ryan loved his new home and lived peacefully with his parents on an acre of land in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Kaups were practicing Catholics and when Ryan grew older, they placed him in a Catholic high school and were very involved in their church.

But that didn’t mean Ryan didn’t struggle to stay on the right path. Ryan said, “I became more of a wallflower for the first couple years of high school. I spent more time by myself and with my coworkers who didn’t always have the best influence on me.”

Eventually though, Ryan found a group of friends who inspired him to be better and to stay close to his roots.

As his graduation day approached, he began considering colleges. He received a full scholarship to attend the University of Nebraska where he majored in Advertising and Spanish. Ryan also studied abroad for a semester in Chile.

Additionally, at the university he became very involved in the Catholic center. He developed friendships with other students who began showing him the joy of living for God. Ryan also observed other priests and started to feel that God was calling him to the priesthood.

The Seminarian Casual shares more about Ryan’s developing faith and decision to become a priest:.