Meet Carl Berner: From Saxophonist to Seminarian
- Guest Contributor
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
This Denver seminarian thought he was preparing for a career in music, on stage and in the spotlight. Instead, God led him to the seminary, to Rome and, soon, to the priesthood.
By Karin Gamba
If you’ve been to an archdiocesan Mass, odds are you’ve seen or met a seminarian or two. You see them serving at those Masses. You may have even noticed them helping organize crowds and point folks in the right direction. You might have even heard them sing, either at Mass or at the annual seminary Christmas concert.
What you probably won’t hear, however, is one such seminarian playing the saxophone — unless you happen to catch an impromptu jam session with friends in Rome.
As a summer seminarian at St. Stephen Parish in Glenwood Springs, Carl Berner is essentially serving as an intern, getting a glimpse of what life in parish ministry might look like after ordination. Because he’s studying at the Pontifical North American College (better known as “The NAC”) in Rome, rather than at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, he especially appreciates this opportunity to be immersed in parish life.
“If you’re in seminary in Denver, you get a lot of parish time on the weekends. That prospect isn’t as available in Rome,” he explained. “This is my opportunity to get to know the parish and the parishioners.”
So, how’s it going so far?
“I’ve learned that St. Stephen’s loves seminarians,” he laughed. “I’ve felt so welcomed. I’ve been here all of two weeks, and I already feel very much at home.”
In his short time here, Berner has jumped right into parish life and the local community. He has accepted dinner invitations, ridden the coasters at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, logged miles on trails throughout the valley and even organized a movie night with young adults from the parish.
From Cleveland to Denver to Rome
Berner may be settling into Glenwood Springs, but he’s a long way from both home and Rome.
“When I tell people I’m from Cleveland, their response is usually, ‘Oh, I’m sorry,’”he joked. “But I love being from Cleveland.”
With no apologies to sports-loving Coloradans, he added, “I’m a Cleveland sports fan all the way through. Cleveland people are very loyal because we have to be!”
Before entering the seminary, Berner attended the University of Denver, where he was pursuing a career as a professional musician. But God had other plans for the talented saxophonist.
Raised in a Catholic family, he credits much of his faith to his father's example.
“He’s a man who takes truth seriously, who reads a lot, and who is convicted of the Catholic faith because of its truth and beauty,” Berner said. “That gave me a set of principles to work from.”
Although both of his parents practiced the faith, they never pressured him to keep attending church while he was in college.
“I had complete freedom to pursue God for myself and not as something that was simply handed on to me,” he remembered.
It’s a freedom, he says, for which he remains grateful.
During college, Carl also met the university chaplain, another influential mentor.
“He really invested in me and encouraged me to follow Jesus even more radically,” Berner shared.
It was during those years that he made a life-changing pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
“I didn’t have my saxophone,” Berner recalled, “but I did have a daily holy hour, daily Mass, and I visited the places where Jesus walked and preached. When I came back, it occurred to me that I wanted more of that. I wanted that more than being a musician.”
Beginning of a Vocation
“I realized God was shifting and reordering the direction of my desires. My desire for him became more potent in my heart than my desire to be a musician,” Berner remembered.
He entered the seminary in 2020.
Trading a career that could have placed him on stage and in the spotlight for a life of quiet, hidden service might seem like a dramatic shift. But Berner sees a surprising connection between the two.
“Music can be a transcendent experience. It draws you into something beautiful; something you create together,” he said. “It lifts you out of yourself and into something more.
“What surprised me about seminary is that the same desires in my heart — to make something beautiful and to do it with others — are fulfilled in this vocation,” he continued.
After three years of study, Berner was asked by then-Archbishop Samuel Aquila to continue his theological studies at the NAC in Rome.
This October, he’ll be ordained a deacon at St. Peter’s Basilica — an extraordinary blessing in itself. Making the occasion even more memorable, Bishop Robert Barron will preside over the ordination. And for anyone wondering, yes — it will be televised.
God willing, Berner will be ordained a priest of Jesus Christ in 2027.
Discerning God’s Call
When asked what advice he would give someone trying to discern God’s plan for their life, Berner didn’t hesitate.
“The starting point is to find time for prayer every day,” he shared.
He emphasized the importance of silence.
“We need to de-stimulate,” he said. “Being able to cultivate silence and attention to your interior life is the fertile ground where you can hear God’s voice.”
As for the saxophone? It didn’t fit in his carry-on, but Berner assures us he still plays whenever he has the chance.
And perhaps that’s fitting. God didn’t take music out of Berner’s life — he simply changed the song. The same heart that once longed to create beauty for and with others through a saxophone is helping them encounter the transcendental and everlasting beauty of Christ through the ministry of the priesthood.
