Mount Gambier and Millicent Catholic parish priest Father Peter Zwaans (pictured) has told a recent inter-church gathering of his vocation to the priesthood.

He has been based in the Blue Lake city for almost a year.

The 40-year-old took the helm of the two parishes after Father Dean Marin was promoted to be the Adelaide Catholic Archdiocese Vicar-General based at St Francis Xavier Cathedral in the capital city.

Father Peter was previously the parish priest of Brooklyn Park and assistant priest at Hectorville and Willunga in suburban Adelaide and the director of vocations for the archdiocese.

According to Father Peter, he was keen to explain his life-long commitment to the church which involved a celibate lifestyle and obedience to the bishop.

The opportunity to tell his life story came from the Millicent Combined Churches Mens Fellowship which held its bi-monthly breakfast at St Alphonsus Hall on Saturday.

Among the gathering were three ministers from other Christian denominations in Millicent

In his 30-minute address, Father Peter said he was born in Adelaide and raised a Catholic and attended two church schools.

One was the Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School at Henley Beach and the other was the St Peter’s Anglican College at Hackney.

His next step in his formal education was to complete a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Adelaide.

A turning point in his life came at the end of his tertiary studies when he attended the 2002 World Youth Day at Toronto in Canada.

“The final Mass was in a former air base and was led by Pope John Paul 11 who is one of my heroes,” he said.

“I remember the words of the Pope clearly.

“If in the depths of your hearts, you feel the same call to the priesthood or consecrated life, do not be afraid to follow Christ on the royal road of the Cross!

“I can only describe it as a movement of the Holy Spirit, but I understood that Christ was inviting me to share in his ministerial priesthood.

“I felt it as an invitation and not a command; a call which sought a response.”

He started his journey to the priesthood at the Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Sydney in 2003, before spending four years at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

“During my seminary days, I floated on a bed of certainty,” he said.

At the age of 30 in 2011, he became the youngest serving Catholic parish priest in South Australia when he was ordained by Archbishop Philip Wilson at St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Adelaide.

Father Peter urged the breakfast attendees to consider the presence of God in their lives.

“There is anxiety among young people they have to do it all themselves,” he said.

“It is also known as F.O.B.O.: Fear of a Better Option.

“God has invested time, talent and treasure into us.

“The world is crying out for the Gospel.

“We can be a beacon of hope.”

The Millicent Combined Churches Mens Fellowship will meet again in May at the Millicent Baptist Church.