Kenneth Davis serves at St. Joseph Seminary College in Louisiana as the Visiting Professor of Spirituality. His vocation journey began in 1973, when his parish in Louisville, Kentucky, hosted a youth retreat at Mount St. Francis. There he encountered several friars in formation—young men his own age, marked by unmistakable joy and fraternity. He remembers thinking, “I want what they have.”  He professed vows in 1980 and was ordained in 1985.

After joining the friars, he volunteered for mission work in Central America, fully expecting to serve abroad for decades, as was customary at the time. Instead, in a surprising turn, Fr. Juniper assigned him to minister to the Hispanic community in Chicago. Although he spoke Spanish, he knew little about the particular experiences of U.S. Hispanics. This led his provincial to support his pursuit of a Doctor of Ministry degree focused on Hispanic ministry. Another unexpected assignment came when he was asked to teach seminarians, something he would never have volunteered for, but became one of the great joys of his life. Over the years, he has published a dozen books, written more than fifty articles, and recorded several conferences.

Still, as Pope Francis often emphasizes, it is the personal encounter that matters most. He has come to see that people rarely remember what he wrote or taught or any accolades he received. Yet during the pandemic, many reached out to him simply because he had earned their trust—another of God’s quiet surprises.

He claims no particular talents outside of ministry, though he enjoys historically accurate video games.  Looking back on the many surprises that have shaped his life, one truth does not surprise him at all: the steadfast generosity of benefactors who make his ministry possible. Their goodness and kindness, shown so consistently over so many years, continue to amaze him—though never to surprise him. Gracias!