Born and raised in Fort Worth, he moved to College Station to attend Texas A&M University.

“After college I decided to continue living in College Station, where the desire for a deeper relationship with God led me to come into full communion with the Catholic Church,” he said.

Though not raised Catholic, he believes he was called to the priesthood around the fourth grade.

“I can vividly remember reading my illustrated children’s Bible and having a desire to be one of the priests that safeguarded the Ark of the Covenant,” Deacon Rhodes said.

He is most looking forward to sharing the love and mercy of God with people.

“I want to show them who Jesus is and that he came to save us by the forgiveness of our sins through his passion, death and resurrection. I want to instill hope in the hearts of God’s faithful,” he said.

He is grateful to the people of the Diocese of Austin for their constant support in his seminary journey and considers his interactions with the faithful of the diocese to be some of his greatest blessings.

“I have been blessed to preach my first homily to you, to celebrate my first baptism, to bless your homes and help some overcome difficult situations in their marriages. All these moments are memorable because they are moments that matter to you and to me on our journey homeward to heaven,” he said.