St. Paul Contestants on The American Bible Challenge!

Three Saint Paul locals who are preparing to become priests, are contestants on the new season of GSN's (Game Show Network) THE AMERICAN BIBLE CHALLENGE, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. The show is the highest rated show in the history of the channel.

Marc, Chad, and Mark make up the team called Sons of Thunder. They are playing for the charity NET Ministries. Catholic NET Ministries helps youth across the country by teaching life skills and encouraging them to become positive forces in society. 

I had a chance to interview Mark Pavlak, one of the St. Paul team members, to learn more.

How did you end up being contestants on The American Bible Challenge?

We ended up being contestants on the show in sort of a whirlwind way. One of the priests at the seminary approached me to tell me "you're going on the show." From what we gathered, it sounded like the producers were trying to brainstorm different ways to make this season better than the last, and they thought 3 future priests would get people interested. We started with Skype interviews which led to more phone interviews which led to a camera crew coming here which led to us going to L.A. to film. Our goal was not just to win, but it was to show the love of Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church, and the priesthood. If people walk away from their TV sets thinking, "those guys are happy about something, and I want to learn more about that something is," then we accomplished something very good.

What do you think was the most fun part of the experience?

The most fun part of the experience was getting to meet all of the other contestants. All of us came from different parts of the country with different faith backgrounds, and yet we were so excited to get to know each other and ask each other questions about their lives. It will be fun to watch these episodes and see these people on the show who we haven't seen in months. I think it will bring back some fun memories.

What are you most excited about with becoming priests?

I am excited about becoming a priest because I know it is what God has called me to do. I am excited to live out the vocation for which I was born, to have that knowledge of "this makes sense" for me. No more "what ifs" and no more "maybes" about what I am to do in life. I am excited to experience the happiness and joy of the priesthood by ministering to the People of God and sharing the Gospel of Christ. 

And for all you  moms out there, Jeff Foxworthy has a special shout out to you!

Shout Out to Moms - Jeff Foxworthy TABC from Motive Entertainment on Vimeo.

NET Ministries challenges young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church. Every August, 130 young Catholics aged 18-28 leave behind their jobs, school, family, and friends to devote nine months to serving with the National Evangelization Teams (NET). Divided into 12 teams, they travel across the U.S. for nine months to share the Gospel with young people and their families. Since 1981, NET teams have led over 26,000 retreats and ministered to more than 1.6 million young Catholics. NET also offers:

• Training for youth ministry leaders
• Local teen Masses and events
• Extended summer retreats held across the U.S.
• Formation and training opportunities for young adults

NET Ministries is under the ecclesiastical vigilance of the Most Reverend John C. Nienstedt, Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. NET is a nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of Minnesota funded through individual donations, program fees and grants and is governed by a national board of directors.