Henry Karduck

Parish: Holy Cross, Champaign

Birthdate: October 26

Seminary: Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary: Entered 2026, Class of 2034

Why did you become a seminarian?

Although I grew up Catholic and always went to Sunday Mass, I wasn't close with the Lord until later in high school. Since middle school, I desired greatness and fulfillment, so I pursued good things offered by the world, like academic excellence, sports, and Scouting, but I never found what I truly longed for. In my junior year of high school, a good priest-friend invited me to help lead a Confirmation retreat for eighth-graders, where I experienced prayer and Catholic fraternity like never before. I became inspired to consistently attend daily Mass, where the Lord profoundly revealed Himself to me, and it was He whom I truly longed for. For the remainder of high school, I grew to desire God's will for my life instead of my own, knowing that He has bigger plans for me than I can even imagine. I knew that seminary was the best place to discern God's call, and after months of spiritual direction and overcoming my fears, I decided to give the Lord a shot, confident that He will reveal His plans for my life and excited about the possibility of priesthood.

What did you do before seminary?
I was a student at The High School of Saint Thomas More in Champaign. I played golf and basketball the first two years, and baseball all four years. I loved math and science classes and considered going to college for engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

An interesting fact about you:
I am an Eagle Scout from Troop 9, and my favorite Scout trip was to the Smokey Mountains and Mammoth Cave, where my troop scaled mountains, explored caves, rafted whitewater, and showed a group of bears who's boss.