The culture at large has various impressions of millennials — and one of them has something to do with a lack of commitment.

“Commitment is making a resurgence, and I want to join that movement,” said John Stein.

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Challenging this stereotype is John Stein, a 22-year-old from Cincinnati, Ohio, who will be entering the seminary this August. A brand-new graduate of the University of Dallas, where he double-majored in philosophy and theology, Stein will be one of over 5,000 young men across the country to begin studying to give his life to God as a Catholic priest.

Stein will become a seminarian for the archdiocese of Cincinnati.

While many young people his age are shying away from decisions — especially ones involving serious commitment — Stein has found freedom in his decision to start on the journey to the priesthood.

“While it may be true that many millennials are afraid of commitment, others have seen this hesitancy and realized it doesn’t offer the freedom it claims to,” said Stein. “On the contrary, there’s a lot of freedom in committing to something and a lot of young people are beginning to realize this.”

In our culture today, many millennials have “seen the heartbreak and hurt that arises from the hook-up culture and the no-strings-attached philosophy, and they want more,” said Stein. “Commitment is making a resurgence, and I want to join that movement.”

Related: New ‘Scripture For Millennials’ 

The new chapter of Stein’s life will bring challenges, of course, but he has a positive attitude. “I’m excited to enter the seminary and start living the life of a seminarian,” he told LifeZette. “I think that will be a tremendous help for my discernment.”

But how did he know God was even calling him to the priesthood? And where did he start in his discernment process?

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“I began the discernment process by going and speaking to a priest,” explained Stein. “In my prayer, I was feeling as if I might have this call, but keeping it to myself made it even more nerve-wracking to think about. When I opened up to a priest whom I trusted, he helped start me along the discernment process.”

“There’s a lot of freedom in committing to something and a lot of young people are beginning to realize this.”

Throughout his high school and college years, Stein said there were many little moments that contributed to a feeling that he might be called to serve God.

“It wasn’t just one moment,” he said. “There were a few moments I remember as instrumental in the process. One was a moment in high school where I finally looked happily upon the idea of being a priest for the first time. I was dating at the time, so I didn’t necessarily want it all that much — but I was no longer repulsed by the idea. And then there were a few other moments throughout college that solidified the fact that I was feeling this call.”

And what advice does he have for those just starting the process of discerning a vocation?

“Don’t be afraid of opening up to people whom you trust. Find a mentor figure who can help guide you through the process,” he said.

Making any type of commitment — particularly a vocational one — takes serious courage. But Stein advised, “Take things one step at a time, and as Pope St. John Paul II often said, “Do not be afraid.””