For the love of the Heart of Jesus

Five men will be ordained to the sacred priesthood by Bishop Kagan on June 13.
Deacons Grant Dvorak, Paul Gardner, Jake Magnuson, Logan Obrigewitch and Ben Wanner join the brotherhood of priests at the Mass of Holy Ordination at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit beginning at 2 p.m. The Mass will be livestreamed from the Cathedral for those who would like to view online.

This class of five was ordained to the transitional diaconate last year on their journey toward the final year of formation. The men, who have been studying in seminary for several years in the United States and in Rome, will be assigned as priests for the diocese upon sacred ordination.

Seminarians spend several years engaged in minor and major seminary formation before being ordained to the priesthood for Jesus Christ. One might wonder what sustains them through those years of intense formation. This article will offer their insight on that, as well as thoughts about their upcoming ordination.

Deacon Grant Dvorak
For Deacon Grant Dvorak, the sacraments of the Eucharist and reconciliation, as well as daily prayer, have been the main sustenance throughout his years of formation for the priesthood.

“In particular, it has been bi-weekly spiritual direction and good friends which have been of great assistance,” Grant explained. “I have been blessed with great priests who have shown me through their wisdom and example the necessity and power of prayer, friendship and gratitude in the life of a priest.”

When asked about his upcoming ordination, Grant noted, “I just keep thinking about the reality of the sacrament of holy orders as a complete gift from God. It's not something I deserve or of which I am worthy. Rather, it is a gift I will receive as the mode in which God wants me to love Him and others and so participate in the priesthood of Jesus Christ, to be an alter Christus, another Christ.”

Deacon Grant added, “He has already provided me and everyone with the opportunity of salvation in Christ, but He continues to pour out His gifts to assist us on the way with particular vocations to love. My upcoming ordination and priestly ministry are things for which He has been preparing me from the very beginning of my life and all the way through childhood, my teenage years, college and years in seminary. I am very grateful to God for His generosity to me in His providence for bringing me to the brink of ordination and ordained life as a priest.”

Bishop Kagan has assigned the soon-to-be Fr. Dvorak to be Chaplain for Trinity Junior and Senior High School and parochial vicar for Queen of Peace in Dickinson.

“First and foremost, I am looking forward to being an instrument of God's grace by celebrating the sacraments at the parish and for the students of Trinity Junior High and High School. We receive so much instruction and guidance in our formation for the priesthood that I can't wait to share it with others!”

A graduate of St. Mary’s Central High School in Bismarck, Grant’s faith was deeply affected by Catholic education so he’s eager to pass that along. “For this reason, I am also very excited to begin teaching because I was very impacted by my high school chaplains as a witness to the joy, grandeur and unity of our Catholic faith in my classes during high school.”

Classroom and parish work are all critical to formation, but prayer is equally vital in sustaining the men throughout their time in seminary.

“I am so grateful for those who have supported me personally and all of my brother seminarians throughout these last seven years,” Grant stated. “There is no way to thank everyone enough for the formation I have received, but I would simply like every person to know that God is never outdone in His generosity! Thank you for your prayers and support of vocations to the priesthood!”

Deacon Paul Gardner
For Deacon Paul Gardner, any struggles or doubts along the way on his path to the priesthood were wiped away by faith in God’s plan for him.

“During my years in seminary—especially during any difficult days—I was sustained by the conviction that it was Jesus Who had chosen me and called me, that becoming a priest wasn’t just my own idea but His,” Paul explained. “If it was just my idea then I would have been plagued by doubts and second-guessing, but this has been His plan and He has always provided all I needed along the way. He has never failed me.” 

He looks forward to his ordination as a new beginning.

“As I approach ordination, I have been increasingly conscious of the shortness of my life on earth in relation to the vastness of eternity. Ordination marks not only the beginning of a relatively short time of ministry here in the ‘valley of tears’ but also a priesthood that lasts for all eternity, as Psalm 110 says, ‘You are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek.’”

Upon ordination, Bishop Kagan has assigned Paul to be chaplain at St. Mary’s Academy in Bismarck and parochial vicar for Spirit of Life in Mandan, St. Martin in Huff, and St. Anthony in St. Anthony.

“I am most eager to begin the ‘basics’ of priestly life—which are of course, anything but basic—and teaching the truth of Jesus Christ and leading people in the sacraments.” 

Paul, too, recognized the power of the prayer that has sustained him over the years.

“My classmates and I are most grateful for all the encouragement and support we have received from the people in the Diocese of Bismarck during our years in formation. Seminary formation would be impossible for a man to do without such support! Being part of this diocese and getting to serve the wonderful people here are gifts beyond measure.”

Deacon Jake Magnuson
Deacon Jake Magnuson had difficulty narrowing down what has carried him through the years of seminary formation because they are far too numerous.

“There are many things! However, the thing which has sustained me the most during my years of formation is the daily holy hour and frequent spiritual direction,” Jake said “The holy hour is a very privileged place in which I can always be alone with Jesus to be with Him and receive from Him. That time together with Christ is unique because each day is different and so it takes on different forms: asking for a particular grace for myself, asking for a particular grace for someone else, listening to the Lord speak through silence, or through praying with scripture, coming to Him with difficulties and with great joys and gratitude.

“Closely linked to daily prayer is daily Mass and frequent confession. To complement these, I have been blessed with great spiritual directors who have been instrumental in every aspect of my formation. Their priestly fatherhood and their ability to help me understand what the Lord is doing have been invaluable.”

He can’t forget to mention the brotherhood among seminarians that has brought him much joy.

“Finally, I have to also mention my brother seminarians and the fraternity that we have cultivated during these years. The author of Sirach says, ‘A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter, and he who finds one finds a treasure’ (6:14). The friendship and example of the other Bismarck guys with whom I have had the privilege of studying has always helped me persevere throughout the last eight years.”

As the day of ordination nears, Jake reflected upon God’s graces.

“Obviously, there is a lot of excitement! I had the privilege of spending a day at the Cathedral while I was home for Easter, and I was able to meet all the staff and talk to Fr. Ehli about some things. This was really the moment when ordination began to feel very close, and a new excitement grew in me,” Jake shared. “I also feel a tremendous amount of gratitude as ordination approaches. I have been reflecting on all the graces that God has given me to this point as well as the many people who have supported me with their prayers and financially. There have been many priests who have been instrumental in my life both in the diocese and at the seminary. I have wanted to be a priest my whole life and the way that the Lord has brought that to fruition at this point in my life makes me incredibly grateful. It also gives me hope for many years of priestly ministry.”

Deacon Jake, upon ordination, is to be parochial vicar for the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck and part-time religion instructor at Bismarck’s St. Mary’s Central High School.

Like many of his brother seminarians, Jake looks forward to administering the sacraments to the people of God entrusted to him.

“The thing I look forward to the most is celebrating the sacraments. At the end of the day, people want priests because they want the sacraments. They want to have their sins forgiven; they want their children baptized; they want to receive Jesus in the Eucharist; they want to be anointed when they are sick. Seminary formation is largely ordered toward facilitating the union between a person and Jesus in the sacraments and I am very excited to do that as a priest. This is one of the great things about being assigned to the Cathedral. The parishioners and people from all over Bismarck make use of the sacraments there very frequently. I am also looking forward to teaching. I think it is a unique opportunity to teach and interact with a group of students every day. Father Jadyn Nelson taught me in high school and had a great impact on my life and so I look forward to having the opportunity to do the same.” 

Deacon Logan Obrigewitch
Just being in the Lord’s presence in the Eucharist has been a powerful agent in holding Deacon Logan Obrigewitch to his vocation.

“The daily commitment to prayer, specifically the morning holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament, is what has sustained and guided me through these years of seminary formation. Stated well by a spiritual director at the seminary, the definition of our life is ‘to be with God.’

Logan offered a Jesuit quote (attributed to Fr. Pedro Arrupe) that he thinks describes this best: “Nothing is more practical than finding God, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of the bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, whom you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”

Upon ordination, Logan will be parochial vicar for Corpus Christi in Bismarck and provide clergy assistance to St. Mary’s Academy in Bismarck.

“I am sincerely and humbly grateful to be called to the priesthood of Jesus Christ. As St. John Vianney profoundly states, ‘the priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus.’ It is from His Sacred Heart that springs the gift of priestly ministry, so my desire is to be conformed to and minister from His Heart as I approach upcoming priesthood ordination.”

Like his brother seminarians, Logan anticipates the joy in celebrating the sacraments.

“Though I look forward to many things as a priest, such as to celebrate the Holy Mass and hear confessions, I am excited to notice how God is present and at work in the lives of others.”

Deacon Ben Wanner
Deacon Ben Wanner echoed what his brother seminarians said about spending time in adoration that was essential in keeping him going through the formation years.

“A steadfast commitment to a daily holy hour—an hour of silent adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament every single day no matter what. Along with that, a steadfast commitment to contemplating the daily readings and forming my contemplative imagination with and in them through lectio divina.”

He also takes seriously the new responsibility he will have of leading others to Christ.

“I am filled with so much joy and gratitude for all the relationships I have made and for the incredibly rich and nourishing ‘nurturing-garden’ seminary environment the Church has provided for my soul. I am excited to be conformed to the sacrificial mysteries of Jesus so that I can lead others into them as a priest of Jesus Christ!”

Deacon Ben’s first assignment as a new priest will be as parochial vicar for St. Joseph’s in Dickinson and part-time religion instructor at Dickinson Trinity Junior and Senior High School.

“I am looking forward to teaching and being radically available to others as a spiritual Father and as a confessor.”

Deacon Ben offered some final thoughts for anyone who might be discerning a vocation to the priesthood or religious life.

“If you are discerning whether God is calling you to lay down your life as a total-self-gift as a priest or religious but have some fears or hesitations, just keep in mind that God is enough for the human heart, not only in heaven, but here on earth too! I hope that my life is a witness to that bedrock fact.”

—Staff report