Just a month into beginning his new role as the parochial administrator at Holy Rosary, Father Patrick Driscoll has found the rural setting to be a pleasant change of scenery.Having grown up in San Diego and spent his seminary years in St. Louis, Driscoll had grown accustomed to the city.But with the recent departure of Father Bill Thess, he was called to take over the leadership role of Holy Rosary, located on the border of the Truesdale and Warrenton city limits.“The move has been absolutely fantastic with the warmth and welcome of the people,” said Driscoll, who oversees both the church and the K-eight school.Driscoll most recently served as the associate pastor at Assumption Parish in South County, previously serving the same role at St. Clare of Assisi Parish in Ellisville.“This is my third assignment, but it’s my first assignment having sole responsibility for the parish,” he noted.But his journey into the seminary hasn’t been a lifelong calling.Actually, he wasn’t ordained until 2008.Driscoll says being among the “older vocation” is rare, but provides some advantages, such as having dealt with life experiences. And he has some interesting life stories to share, all of which somehow shaped his path toward service for the Lord.While in Hollywood in the late 1970s, Driscoll played several small acting roles, even appearing on an episode of “M.A.S.H.”Ironically, his character, who had just a few lines, put the beloved Father Mulcahy in a headlock.“People are fascinated by it, but I didn’t find acting all that fantastic,” he said. “I had never really wanted to be an actor, but I got a few opportunities to act.”Driscoll recalls one of his most memorable jobs in California, working for a hotel on Sunset Boulevard, which resulted in many celebrity encounters.He vividly remembers a personal tour of Cary Grant’s property by the actor himself.“That was a great experience,” he said.Driscoll eventually went back to school, earning a degree in public relations from San Jose State University.Encouragement from other parishioners prompted him to consider the priesthood, eventually convincing him to enroll in the seminary. But his commitment wasn’t there right away, as he withdrew a few times, considering whether he was pursuing his true calling.“I was in the seminary three times,” said Driscoll. “I was always wanting to figure out if that’s exactly what God wanted.”He finally settled on the priesthood, joining the Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis in 2005, where many of his classmates were around half of his age.“I would be the exception,” explained Driscoll. “Most of my classmates were 20 to 25 years old.”Now he has the opportunity to lead not only the parish, but its school, which has been a part of the community since 1952.“The purpose of having a school offered by the church is to provide a supportive environment to the parents who are the primary teachers in the ways of faith,” said Driscoll.Holy Rosary School has seen dozens of changes during its time, including the opening of a new building in 1985. It will welcome additional changes this school year with the adoption of new cirriculum.While Principal Jim Ford handles duties within the school building, Driscoll will oversee operations and takes pride in helping families nurture their children’s spiritual relationships.Warrenton has provided a culture change for Driscoll, but he said it’s been a surprisingly smooth transition.“It’s a quite slower lifestyle in some regards,” he remarked. “People are definitely more community oriented.”With the parish located near the railroad tracks, his only setback thus far has been an interrupted sleep pattern.“The warmest welcome I’ve received has been from the train engineers at 1, 2 and 3 in the morning,” quipped Driscoll.Father Driscoll