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Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin
(USA), OFFICE OF VOCATIONS
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Support for vocations comes through support for seminarians, entrants to religious orders
By Joseph O'Brien, Assistant Editor
ROLLING GROUND - Seminarians and postulants to religious life are getting some welcomed help from parishes in the Diocese of La Crosse.
Headed up by the Parish Council of Catholic Women (PCCW), these faith communities are adopting candidates for the priesthood and religious life by sending them financial and spiritual support during their time of discernment. Sometimes that support comes in the form of cold, hard cash, and sometimes as a care package complete with promises of prayer.
Pastor of St. Philip Parish, and its sister parish, St. Mary's Church, Gays Mills, Father Alan Wierzba encouraged his parishes to adopt a seminarian and postulant each. He sees it as a way to show his appreciation for the support he received when he was attending seminary.
"I very much appreciated receiving those boxes of cookies, a little spending money here and there and notes and cards from around the Diocese," he said. "It's a nice way to know that when you're outside the Diocese people are still thinking about you, that you're not forgotten."
According to Father Wierzba, while all the gifts were special, one in particular stands out as a sign of people's concern for vocations in the Diocese.
"When I first started out in seminary, one man send out $500," he said. "He was a young man whose wife recently had died of cancer. He had four young children and I guess the life insurance came through, so he sent this money to show his support for the priesthood in memory of his wife. I was really touched by that - especially because I know I would have had a whole lot of other things on my mind at that time if I were that young man."
St. Philip's adopted seminarian is Gregory Michaud of Notre Dame Parish, Chippewa Falls, currently studying at the Pontifical College Josephenum, Columbus, Ohio, and its postulant is Therese Nazar of St. James Parish, La Crosse, currently with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George in Alton, Ill. St. Mary's adopted Jeffrey Pedretti of St. Patrick's, Onalaska, who is discerning his vocation at Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, Winona, Minn., and Emily Laddick of Our Lady Queen of Heaven, Wisconsin Rapids, who is a postulant at the Holy Name of Jesus Carmelite Monastery in Denmark, Wis.
To the north of Rolling Ground and Gays Mills, St. Mary's, Viroqua, also has a seminarian adoption program started by one of its previous pastors, Father Steven Kachel, now pastor of St. Mary's, Tomah, and St. Andrew's, Warrens.
According to Pat Biebl, secretary for St. Mary's PCCW, the idea sprang up between Father Kachel and her group as a way to support vocations and fulfill the mission of the PCCW.
"We wanted to support something in that way," she said. "We didn't know too much about our seminarians but with the letters we received from them we found out some came from larger families, and they were doing all they could just to support themselves."
Currently, St. Mary's helps to support two seminarians - Robert Latona of Blessed Sacrament, La Crosse, and Franz Klein of St. Peter's, Stevens Point. Last year, their previous "sons" were ordained priests - Father Derek Sakowski, chaplain at Pacelli High School, Stevens Point, and Father Paul Czerwonka, associate pastor at St. James the Less.
St. Mary's PCCW Treasurer Barbara Gronemus believes that the program is also a great boost for the parish, because it comes to know seminarians through adoption - and especially through their grateful letters of reply.
"We got to a point where we felt close to these two young seminarians," she said, "They would write back and I'd share the letters at our PCCW meetings."
According to Gronemus, after supporting Fathers Sakowski and Czerwonka for so long, it was a real thrill to be able to attend their ordination this past June.
St. Mary's current "sons" are every bit as appreciative of the support they receive and Gronemus has the whole parish praying not only for the seminarians but also for their families.
"Franz [Klein] told us about his family," she explained, "and he asked us to pray for his brother Stephen who is in the Marine Corps. The family is hoping he doesn't have to go to Iraq."
Before St. Mary's, Father Kachel began adopting seminarians at his first assignment, Sacred Heart, Polonia, in 1995. Since then Sacred Heart has established a trust fund from which they draw for the annual financial support of seminarians.
Published in the Catholic
Times, January 8, 2004
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2002-2004. Office of Vocations, Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin (USA). Questions and Comments? Contact The Administrator.