INTRODUCING: Dylan Asmus

My name is Dylan Asmus and I am a 5^th year Seminarian who will be on a yearlong placement here in the Parish until Christmas this year. I was born and grew up right here on the Sunshine Coast in Kawana.

I went to school at Buddina State School and Kawana Waters State College before graduating school and attending the University of the Sunshine Coast where I studied Civil Engineering. Halfway through my degree, I realised that the world of mathematics and site plans wasn’t for me, and so I transferred my degree to study Secondary School Teaching (Maths and Science). After my first Practical Placement, my supervisor told me that he thought I would be more suited to becoming a history teacher since I have a passion for the subject. I made the change and went on another Practical Placement, this time as an English and History student. After that placement, I was told by my supervisor that I should really become a Maths and Science teacher. Taking the hint, I suspended my studies and worked several odd jobs.

I had been raised Catholic and my mother, Therese Asmus, introduced myself and my two brothers, Corey and Blake, to the faith. We attended Mass at the Kawana Catholic Community, but over the years I had drifted away from the public practice of my faith. After my mother’s sudden and very unexpected death in 2012, I found that without her I began to drift more and more away from practising my faith, although I would always call myself a Catholic. It was when I left university and began doing some serious thinking about my future that I began to rethink my relationship with my faith. It wasn’t an overnight change, but eventually, I decided to do two things; first to study Law and the second to really explore my faith in a genuine way.

My faith journey was a slow one, but eventually, I came to the conclusion that I needed to return to an active practice of the Catholic Faith after many months of reading books and seeking out material online. I thought that I had done it, I was committed to and very content with my law studies and very comfortable in the parish as a Catholic, but as it is written in the Book of Proverbs, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps”.

I began attending Adoration weekly, and while I sat there in prayer, the thought of becoming a priest would come to me, and I would swat it away. I came up with every reason imaginable not to even consider the idea but it kept coming back. A group began praying the rosary for Priests and Vocations after Adoration and I went along. During the first rosary I attended, I came to the realisation that I couldn’t just swat away this thought of priesthood and that even though everything seemed to be going great in my life I had to at least explore this calling so I could know one way or another.  Four years of Seminary later, I’m still discerning that call and loving the experience.   I look forward to the coming year in the parish and being involved in the faith journeys of each and every one of you.

Dylan Asmus

Stella Maris Parish Office

Adjacent to the Stella Maris Church – Office Hours 9am—2pm Weekdays

T: 5443 3488

E: su******@bn*.au