For Father Bradley Zamora, life and ministry are about reaching out to students and bringing them closer to God.

“I feel fulfilled. This is what I’m meant to be doing,” he said.

Zamora currently serves as the Catholic chaplain at Northwestern University and director of the Sheil Catholic Center. But being a priest wasn’t always part of the plan. As a music lover, the then-13-year-old Zamora aspired to become the sixth member of the Backstreet Boys.

“I had never thought about being a priest at all until my pastor in 2002 said, ‘Bradley, I think you’d make a great priest.’ That simple line, to me, changed the trajectory of my life,” Zamora said.

Zamora went on to attend Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago, where he prayed, attended Mass and discussed the implications of priesthood with his peers. When it came time for the next step, however, Zamora still wanted to pursue music. Though he was accepted by various music schools, he was hesitant to enroll. Zamora spoke to his music teacher, who echoed the words of his childhood pastor and suggested that he pursue priesthood instead.

Zamora then studied at the Saint Joseph College Seminary of Loyola University Chicago. He fell in love with ministry work soon after while shadowing a priest at St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic Church in Palatine, Illinois. There, he worked with children, visited the sick and taught Vacation Bible School.

“I came back on fire,” Zamora said, citing the experience as the moment he knew that ministry was his true vocation.

Afterward, Zamora attended the University of Saint Mary of the Lake (Mundelein Seminary) and spent time as a seminarian at Saints Faith, Hope, and Charity Catholic Church in Winnetka, Illinois. After being ordained in 2014, he served at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago and taught at Mundelein, Illinois for six years.

Since arriving at Sheil in July 2021, Zamora has been working to navigate the dynamics of campus ministry and develop new ways to engage with the Northwestern community.

“He’s taken the torch, so to speak, and tried to reimagine for himself and for us as a center how to better provide for the students,” said Tim Higgins, a campus minister at Sheil.

As the Director of the Catholic Center, Zamora started programs designed to bring students together in faith, such as Harbor, a weekly prayer service featuring his musical talents followed by food and fellowship.

Zamora’s ministry also focuses on forging close ties with students.

“He greets students by name almost inevitably, and when he doesn’t remember [a name], he’ll ask,” said Sister Belinda Monahan, director of Transformative Learning at Sheil.

Outside of Sheil, Zamora gets involved on campus, serving as a chaplain to the Northwestern football team and making himself available to students at Norris University Center.

Zamora recalled a time when, while he was walking along the lakeshore, students approached him asking for prayers before exams and wishing him a Merry Christmas: “That’s living in the mission of what I am meant to do here.”