A font of vocations

“Return on investment” is a buzzy phrase in higher education these days. It is true that college costs are a serious commitment on the part of students and their families, and that shouldn’t be taken lightly. This cost is compounded by a real crisis in education that is perceived by hard-working people when they consider what students are actually doing in their college life. Sometimes people get cynical about the majors or lack of career prep provided by our universities.

I was struck recently as I was speaking with someone about vocations at the University of Mary. One area that stood out was the many recent ordinations of several young men to the Diocese of Bismarck who attended the University and made their vocational choice to follow Christ in his priesthood while studying at Mary.

Father Joshua Hill was ordained this past June, which brought our recent total to six ordinations in the past five years of University of Mary undergraduates who joined seminary for this diocese. While numbers never tell the entire story, this is a very significant number for a diocese of our size and a university of our size. In addition to Fr. Hill, Fr. Jarad Wolf, Fr. Christian Smith, Fr. Greg Hilzendeger, Fr. Paul Gardner, and Fr. Grant Dvorak, have all been ordained since 2018. Some of these men were also formed in our diocesan Catholic high schools (two), but several came from towns without Catholic K-12 education. What’s more, Fr. Gregory Crane moved to the diocese to work in the University of Mary’s President’s Office, after which he taught at St. Mary’s Central High School in Bismarck and subsequently joined the diocesan seminary for Bismarck and was ordained in 2019. Additionally, a very high number of young men from dioceses across the nation have returned home from the University of Mary and entered the seminary.

In the University of Mary’s 2014 strategic plan, Vision 2030, a clear desire was documented for the University to become a “fountain of vocations,” especially to the priesthood and religious life.

The vision states, “Our students are asking deep questions about their lives, and we endeavor to provide foundational guidance and encouragement so that they may hear the call of God in their hearts. Discovering and implementing effective means to cultivate the capacity for joy of life and generosity of spirit in our students is central to our mission.”

These vocations have been at least in part due to the labors of a priest of the Diocese of Bismarck who is also our president, Monsignor James Shea. Since he became president in 2009, these men have enrolled at Mary and subsequently become priests for our diocese. The culture on campus is indeed different from other places. Human and spiritual formation are non-negotiables, and a student can expect to receive them.

In my three years as chaplain I have assisted several young men and women to join seminary and religious life, because our culture on campus fosters that kind of discernment. One student in particular, from the diocese of Duluth, had this to say in a recent interview for his diocesan newspaper:

“Fr. Dominic Bouck was my chaplain when I attended the University of Mary in North Dakota, and he brought me into the faith through his RCIA class. He is a wonderful father and loves his students on campus. I heard him preach on the necessity for young men to serve in the role of the priest, and that ‘priests don’t grow on trees.’ This struck me at the right time in my life, and ever since then, Jesus has granted me a desire for the priesthood and drawn my heart to Himself.”

This young man came to the University of Mary unbaptized and moved on to discern priesthood at St. John Vianney college seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota! Young women from our campus have discerned with our sponsors, the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery, the St. Mary Sisters of Bismarck, the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus, the Nashville Dominicans and many more religious communities. Sometimes our students stay in discernment for some time and depart with clarity, others remain and make vows.

One of my many privileges as chaplain is going across the country to witness young men and women (this year, from Spokane to Wisconsin and many places in-between) enter into holy matrimony. They go on to contribute to their local Church by building domestic Churches and becoming contributing members of parish life.

While all of us at Mary strive to continue to grow in our mission and our vision to form our students to be generous in their response to what God has provided in our lives, we are very grateful for what has been and will continue to be a culture of vocations. The return on investment that the University of Mary seeks to provide is eternal: think of all the service these students will provide the families of our area for many decades to come, and indeed, the whole Church in the United States. It is humbling to consider, and for this I am very grateful.

Finally, if you know of any young men or women at your parish or in your family who are coming to the University of Mary and who might be open to a religious or priestly vocation, please let me know. I will pray for them and strive to encounter them during their time of formation here.

Father Dominic Bouck was ordained by Bishop Kagan for the Diocese of Bismarck on June 11, 2018. He was assigned as the chaplain at the University of Mary in 2020. He was also assigned to be the assistant director of vocations for the diocese that same year.