Fr. Ryan Nigli

I was born in Etobicoke to loving parents who emigrated from India. It was at home where the seeds of my faith were sown. My parents had me baptized, taught me to pray, took me to Mass every Sunday, and witnessed to my two siblings and me what it means to work hard, love selflessly, and trust in God completely.

In eighth grade, I was very much inspired by my charismatic and enthusiastic teacher and decided that I wanted to become a teacher. With a passion for the faith, it became my mission to become a Catholic religion teacher who would faithfully pass on the teachings of the Church to as many young people as possible.

I enrolled in a very fitting university program called Catholic Studies for Teachers, and soon after that I had met a good, Catholic girl and could envision my life’s plan coming together: to become a teacher, get married, and start a family.

When my dating relationship ended before my final year of university, I was subsequently surprised to find that, unlike my peers who were eager to soon begin Teacher’s College, I was filled with doubts. Struggling to understand why my well-intentioned plans were not working out, I was at a loss for what to do next.

Through prayer, I began to realize that despite my worthy aspirations, I had become obsessed with fulfilling my own desires and lost sight of what God might want me to do. And so, in this time of anxiety about my future, I prayed fervently for the grace to be open to God’s will for my life, and that He would show me the path forward.

A short time later, while at a Sunday Mass, I recall being weighed down with worries about my future. But at the moment of elevation, after the priest prayed, “this is my body which will be given up for you,” and lifted up the Body of Christ, I had a lifechanging experience. In that brief moment, the word “seminary” came to me almost like a whisper, and I instantly felt a deep, inner peace. I knew very clearly in that moment that God was inviting me to consider becoming a priest.

I spent the past seven years of my life receiving excellent formation at St. Augustine’s Seminary of Toronto. And, with gratitude to God, I was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on May 11, 2024, and I am now joyfully serving as Associate Pastor of St. Justin Martyr Parish, Unionville.