Adam Rieger always felt as though something was missing in his life, but he was never really sure what it was. 

In his teen years, Adam Rieger stopped going to church. He became an atheist and began listening to death metal music. It was then that he also decided that he needed to travel the world. This adventure led him to try out hitchhiking.

"It was amazing. All of a sudden you're just out in the world. You're vulnerable, but people come to your aid," Rieger explains. "It's incredible, total strangers will pull over and they'll pick you up, bring you a few hours down the road and share their life story with you."

Rieger did this for several years, but at the end of the day, he always felt like something was missing in his life.

"In my search for fulfilment, I came across a book that focused on humility, and volunteering came into my mind as something humble," says Rieger. 

That led him to discover the Marian Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, a Catholic lay community, a place where he began to participate and volunteer. 

Eventually, he asked if he could live there and became part of the community. They agreed and this was the beginning of his faith journey.

"It happened in prayer. I was praying and became overwhelmed with this sensation and this feeling of love. No matter what I thought about during that time, I just experienced total love for it," Rieger explains. 

"It was the first time in my life I ever thought of Christ, and I was like, I love that guy. It was a powerful experience. From that moment forward, I believed in Christ."

Today on Connections, Adam shares with us this full circle journey and how he went from an atheist hitchhiker to a catholic seminarian practicing for the priesthood