By Amy White
The Texas Catholic
When Father Allen-Michael Muench recalled his journey to the priesthood, he framed the story as a series of providential relationships — a succession of friendships and mentorships that, through the grace of God, led him to his priestly ordination at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Plano on May 24.
A Wisconsin native, Father Muench moved to Flower Mound, Texas, shortly before his freshman year of high school. Although his Catholic faith was important to him at the time, he recalled feeling unsure about how to live it well. Then he met John Peters, his tennis doubles partner, who challenged him to think more deeply about his beliefs.
“He and I would have discussions about the faith,” Father Muench recalled. “We could have fun together, joke around, but we really began to be real friends. He showed me what brotherhood looks like.”
Peters also introduced Father Muench to eucharistic adoration.
“Right after he got his driver’s license, (Father Muench) asked if he could take the car to church on a Wednesday evening for eucharistic adoration,” the priest’s mother, Kim Muench, recalled. “That was an early indication of how important his faith was to him.”
After graduating from Flower Mound High School in 2011 and making his way to the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, Father Muench encountered another important friendship. As a freshman, he met Nic Gutierrez, a Catholic from north Texas who happened to live in the dorm room next door. The two became fast friends and soon spurred each other to greater holiness.
“He showed me the lived life of a disciple, a follower of Christ, in a way that I hadn’t seen before,” Father Muench said of Gutierrez. “We became good friends, and he definitely was very influential for me.”
Father Muench’s new friend began extending invitations to daily Mass, holy hours, and days of fasting. Gutierrez recalled one Lent where the two friends decided to forgo food each Wednesday with the intention of praying for their future vocations.
“As soon as midnight would happen… we would just eat everything in sight,” Gutierrez laughed, adding, “We would talk about brotherhood a lot when we first met, and accountability and challenging each other.”
During his freshman year, Father Muench also attended a Kairos retreat, which he identified as a moment where his faith became much deeper.
“I remember Saturday afternoon going out and for the first time offering my life to the Lord, saying ‘Lord, I give you everything,’” the priest said. “That weekend, I came to know the love of God in a personal way, and the message was ‘Go and share what you’ve received.’”
Inspired by this experience, Father Muench embarked on an intellectual exploration of Catholicism — reading books, watching videos, and engaging in conversations about God. He got to know the priests on campus, who inspired him through their witness and dedication to prayer. By his sophomore year, Father Muench had begun pondering priesthood.
“That question was on my mind,” he said. “I was trying to be open to God’s will, but really hesitant about it.”
As part of this discernment, Father Muench decided to leave college temporarily after his sophomore year to serve as a NET missionary. “I think there was space in my heart to be open to really what God was calling me to do by stepping away from where I was at St. Thomas,” he explained.
As a NET missionary, Father Muench traveled the country, ministering to Catholic youth alongside a team of other young adults. His mother, who had the opportunity to witness one of the retreats his team organized, recalled the impact that her son had as a missionary.
“Watching him and his team transform those middle schoolers during that one retreat day was incredible,” she said, especially noting Father Muench’s moving portrayal of Jesus during a retreat skit. “These boys that were so inattentive in the morning were crying.”
During his time as a missionary, Father Muench often heard the same question from those he encountered along the way: What will you do next?
“Thinking about this question… priesthood finally kind of sunk in,” Father Muench said.
“There was a peace about it. I don’t think there was anything else I wanted to do with my life than to be a priest.”
Father Muench returned to the University of St. Thomas to finish his schooling and began serving in peer ministry on campus. He also arranged conversations with Father Edwin Leonard — then-vocations director of the Diocese of Dallas and fellow NET alumnus — to discuss his vocation. Father Muench graduated from St. Thomas in 2016 and spent the next two years as a supervisor with NET. At that point, he felt ready to join the seminary.
Father Muench studied at Holy Trinity Seminary for two years before continuing his formation at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, Louisiana. He spent his pastoral year at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in McKinney. After graduating from Notre Dame Seminary in 2024, he joined the community of Holy Cross Catholic Church, where he served Masses, beautified the campus, and helped form the Immaculate Heart of Mary youth group. On May 24, alongside three other ordinands, Father Muench was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Dallas. Beginning in July, he will serve as parochial vicar of St. Ann Catholic Church in Coppell.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him in his vocation,” Gutierrez said of his friend. “The Church is very, very blessed.”
His mother expressed a similar sentiment: “He cares very deeply about what he does, and so I know he will bring that into his life as a priest.”
For his part, Father Muench said he is excited to “father people to heaven” through his priestly ministry.
“God’s plan for our lives is really what’s best for us,” the newly ordained priest said, “and His will is really where we find true joy, peace, and happiness.”
Cutline for featured image: Father Allen-Michael Muench prays over the chalice and host during a Mass where he was ordained to the priesthood on May 24 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Plano. (MICHAEL GRESHAM/The Texas Catholic)
