Helias Catholic High School Chaplain Father Tony Viviano found his vocation late in life.
He didn't enter the seminary until he was 44.
"I had a spiritual awakening of sorts that I was being called toward something more," Viviano said. "I had been running the family business in wholesale foods and produce and decided I needed to talk with my priest in St. Louis, who encouraged me to do some volunteer work."
After that visit, Viviano said, he began helping at a local soup kitchen 20-25 hours a week, and it was there he saw the work of several sisters in the community.
"Their reverence and respect for the Mass and priests, as well as their commitment to doing God's will and operating on divine providence, inspired me," he said.
Viviano had been asked if he'd thought about becoming a priest and said it had been in the back of his mind, but his experience at the soup kitchen made him give it serious thought.
A priest for five years now, Viviano worked his first year at St. Peter Catholic Church before become chaplain at Helias. In that role, he provides spiritual formation, guidance and support for students, staff and families through counseling, visiting with students in the halls and at school events, and offering prayers and the sacraments.
He also serves as pastor at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Folk.
"Spreading the gospel keeps me going," he said. "Knowing that our time is finite here on Earth. We're moving toward our eternity for better or worse. I hope to move people to think more about eternal life."
As he works with young people at Helias, Viviano sees the large number of challenges they face.
"The electronic age is the medium for a lot of that," he said. "They have access to so much. When I was in high school I played sports, studied, talked with girls. There weren't as many distractions.
"Now, the world is at their fingertips and a constant flow of the world pulling at them. I've noticed today's youth do not have a lot of time for silence, and I feel that's a time where we can get in touch with God and what we're called to in this life. "
Despite all this, Viviano said, he's always amazed when he see students outside of school present themselves in a way that makes him proud.
"They're courteous, kind, hard-working; and as chaplain, you have a fatherly feel of being proud of them," he said.
Serving as pastor at St. Anthony and working at Helias, Viviano said he does feel at times he's being pulled in a number of directions.
"It was a very hectic first couple of years, but have I found a rhythm," he said.
"Sometimes you feel you neglect one or the other, but you do mange to find a balance. I enjoy where I'm at."