Q&A with Grant Desme
Ports broadcaster Curtis Bryant caught up with Grant as he prepares to enter the seminary later this month.
Stockton Ports: What's a typical day like for you now?
Grant Desme: Usually I try to get down to the parish, help out down there a bit. Then I go to mass, hang out with my family in the afternoon. That's about it. Not too much.
SP: What's the hardest part of the process of entering the seminary?
GD: The hardest part is persevering and dealing with the struggles. It's a hard life to live in a monastery, but it's a very fulfilling life. I don't know personally because I haven't been there yet. But the hardest part is persevering and obedience.
SP: How long does the process take?
GD: Ten years.
SP: When you made the announcement, most of the world was surprised and puzzled. How much positive feedback did you get?
GD: A ton. That was an overwhelming part when it first broke. The amount of friends and family that reached out in support. It was really a great experience to have all those people who showed support that didn't need to or I wasn't expecting.
SP: How many requests for interviews do you think you got after the announcement?
GD: I have no idea. It was quite a few. I didn't think it going to get much press at all. (Laughing) It got way more than I anticipated. So it was quite a few.
SP: How much advice did you seek out when trying to make the decision? Was it mostly a personal decision or did you seek a lot of advice?
GD: I had a spiritual director, but I also talked to my family about it. I talked to different priests about it. I tried to get quite a few different opinions and direction from different people about the whole process.
SP: Did you ever think, "I'll take baseball as far as I can and when I get out, I'll still be young and can pursue the priesthood then"?
GD: I thought of every way to kind of put it off, every sort of scenario. It just really came down to - God was really calling me to do this. I couldn't put it off. It was something that needed to be done. I just trust in God and go from there.
SP: Do you miss baseball?
GD: Yeah. I think baseball is something that's never going to go away. I love the game and the competitiveness. Especially since I've been sitting at home. I think once I enter it will be different, but I don't regret making the decision at all. I don't think the competitiveness and being with the guys all the time, I don't think that goes away.
SP: Do follow baseball closely?
GD: I don't watch very much baseball. Almost every night I check up on friends, or A's minor league teams to see how guys are doing.
SP: Do you hope your decision can serve as inspiration to others struggling to make a decision that may not be mainstream?
GD: I think God has used it in a way to show people that there's more to life than just a job, a baseball. God comes first, so whatever your relationship with God, that's what truly matters and everything else is just secondary. A few people have come up to me and told me that God has used it to help them in their lives with whichever way it was for them.
SP: How does it feel to have a bobblehead made in your likeness?
GD: It's pretty weird, I guess. I never thought about that, but it's pretty cool.