My name is Rico Passero.  I am 25 years old and come from a family with Italian heritage. I am from St. Catharine Church, Ontario Canada, studying for the Diocese of St. Catharine, Ontario, Canada.  I have two younger brothers.  I attended Brock University and achieved an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration Co-operative degree with a Concentration in Marketing.  I have had several jobs in the professional business world serving as both a Human Resource Analyst, selling hedge funds for a large finance company as well as serving as a Client Service representative at another financial office.  
  I am a huge sports fan and my favourite team is the Toronto Maple Leafs.  I am also a national debate champion; enjoy theatre, movies and relaxing with friends and family.  
  At Christ the King, I am currently finishing my second year of theological studies anticipating my pastoral year assignment where I will be serving in ministry at a parish.  I am taking courses in Christology, Eschatology, the Gospel of John, Spiritual Direction and Moral theology.  My Field Education assignment has been at Attica state prison, a maximum-security prison in which I have worked as a group counselor.  This ministry has been very rewarding to say the least.  I enjoy the beautiful campus at Christ the King Seminary and value the friendships that I have gained with my brother seminarians and the faculty, staff and commuter students.  Christ the King Seminary is a fun place, full of activities and time for prayer and quiet reflection to strengthen my relationship with God.  I feel that my formation here at Christ the King Seminary has truly helped me come to realize my genuine desire to live a life of service for God's people.
  My faith journey has always been very strong, however it was through my two experiences at the World Youth Days, both in Toronto in 2002 and Cologne, Germany in 2005 that really helped me decide what God's call was for me in my life.  Although I excelled in the business world, I felt that God was calling me to serve as a diocesan priest.  I want to be a priest to show others the love of God and journey with others during both spiritual high points and low points in their lives.  I encourage you ~ if you feel that God is calling you, talk to someone about it, don't just discredit it.... God has a way of getting his point across!  Feel free to email me to ask a question or perhaps set up a visit to tour the campus!