A SENSE of peace enveloped Peter Ferwerda when he accepted the call to priesthood.

His early inclination to join the Catholic ministry emerged during his teenage years, but it was not until he had worked as a medical doctor for three decades that his discerning process reached some fruition.

Even after he entered the seminary as a middle-aged man, he questioned God's will for him and sought prayerful affirmation before being ordained a deacon.

Prayer and meditation remain key aspects of life for Fr Ferwerda, who last weekend began his new role as parish priest at Kerang.

His first appointment as a parish priest at St Patrick's Catholic Church is accompanied by administration of neighbouring parishes at Cohuna and Pyramid Hill.

Fr Ferwerda was ordained a priest by the late Bishop of Sandhurst, Joseph Grech on December 8, 2006, in the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo.

He has since served as a parish assistant at Shepparton and Wangaratta.

Kerang is not entirely foreign to Fr Ferwerda. He assisted Fr Peter Taylor with parish duties here during a seminary holiday period early during his training.

"I was excited to come here, pleased with the phone call," he said.

"It was a friendly environment (when he was here previously) and I have been well received again."

A teenage Peter Ferwerda was an altar server at Our Lady of Victories in suburban Camberwell when the thought of joining the priesthood first emerged.

He was two and a half when his parents moved from The Netherlands to Australia.

"Mum always had a strong faith and encouraged the six of us to practice our faith," he said.

"I was an altar boy until I was 17 and I enjoyed it because I saw the goodness in the priests.

"As foreigners, they treated us so well and helped us to adapt."

Becoming a family doctor was a competing interest, which initially held sway, first in his own clinic for nine years and more than two decades as a locum general practitioner.

Becoming a missionary doctor was one option he had considered.