Anything but a priest

“Anything but a priest” is the phrase Davide often repeats to himself during the years when he is trying to find his path, torn between the call to dedicate himself to the most vulnerable and the vocation to a spiritual life. He repeats it when he runs away from the seminary, wounded by an authoritarian, unaffectionate educational model. Then again when his deep feelings for a girl lead him to imagine life as a couple in a missionary community, and once more when darkness and desolation invade his soul. But the pull toward a consecrated life remains strong, despite his attempts to ignore or fight it. A long inner struggle begins for him, which he recounts in this book in a courageous, open-hearted confession, without concealing his mistakes, frailties, missteps, or second thoughts, and filled with gratitude for the many important people he has met, as well as the trials and lessons that guided him along the right path. Today, Father Davide Banzato joyfully serves as a priest in the Nuovi Orizzonti community and has worked for years with “difficult” young people. For them, and for the many young people searching for their place in the world, he decided to share his experience: that of a restless, somewhat rebellious boy who wanted to be master of his own life and eventually accepted being led by God. An unusual, engrossing, and moving story about the struggle to grow up and recognize one’s vocation, whatever it may be; the importance of having teachers and role models to follow; and the happiness that comes from entrusting oneself to someone who loves us above all else.