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May 1, 2023Two men studying to be priests for the diocese will be one step closer in their journey as they are ordained to the transitional diaconate on May 24.
Diocesan seminarians Eric Artz and Ryan Martire are currently studying at the Theology III level and will be ordained to the priesthood, God willing, in the summer of 2024 at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.
Eric Artz
Seminarian Eric Artz grew up in Minot as a member of St. Therese the Little Flower Church. With a strong desire to serve others for God, he comes from a close-knit family and parents who stressed the importance of faith through service. Eric credits the example set by his parents as paving the way to his vocation to the priesthood.
When Eric was in high school, his twin brother died from cancer. This difficult time taught him about suffering and taking up your cross leading him to turn to Eucharistic adoration to fill a void after losing his best friend. It was here, sitting before Jesus in the Eucharist, that he listened closer to God’s will for him and waited patiently for direction.
While in college at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, Eric began to seriously look at the seminary as an option to fulfill his calling and find the true happiness he was seeking. He is currently studying at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis.
“I had the opportunity to begin this year with a weeklong silent retreat in January,” Eric explained. “It was a very blessed time to pause, be with the Lord, and see what he was desiring for me as I come closer to being ordained a deacon in Bismarck this May.”
The retreat had a profound effect on Eric and further cemented his faith.
“The Lord reaffirmed my vocation towards priesthood and deepened my confidence that I am called to live a life of celibacy. More specifically, in praying with the nativity scene, Mary allowed me to hold her newborn son in my arms. As I was holding Jesus, I was filled with a comforting and consoling sense that I would be taken care of, that I would be provided for, and that I was still on the right path. In a sense, I realized that it was really the infant Jesus Who was holding me.”
During this year of study, the seminarians further develop their prayer life as they journey toward sacred ordination.
“As the months have gone on since this prayer experience, I have come to more deeply realize that I live a very joyful, peaceful and happy life as a seminarian. In fact, I could not imagine a better life for myself. The Lord has surpassed my wildest expectations and done more for me than I could have ever imagined in these past six years of seminary formation. I have also come to find that the ‘yes’ that I will give in just a few weeks to the diaconate is really a ‘yes’ and a deeper confirmation to this life that God has provided for me,” Eric said.
He’s enthusiastic, yet humbled, about being ordained to the transitional diaconate after years of formation.
“I am very excited to be ordained a deacon—to live more deeply as a celibate in the service of charity and at the altar at Mass. I am also filled with much excitement at the future possibility of being able to assist the priest, preach homilies and possibly even baptize children this summer as I return to North Dakota for my summer break. Although I still have another year of being able to grow closer to the Lord in prayer and study until I am ordained a priest, I can now pause and see that the Lord is about to give me a great and wonderful gift—one that I am not worthy to receive, but one that God has earnestly desired to bestow upon me.”
Eric added a message to the people of our diocese, “Until that day, please keep me in your prayers and know of mine.”
Ryan Martire
Growing up in Bismarck, Seminarian Ryan Martire gained a strong foundation for his faith through years of Catholic education and as a member of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. After his parent’s divorce during grade school, to cope with the major life change, he thought his focus should be sports. But he eventually learned that only faith could fill the void.
It was in fulfilling his dream to play Division 1 soccer at DePaul University in Chicago where his true vocation came into focus. While there, he connected with the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa Sisters) regularly serving at their soup kitchen. He said the sisters were a constant encouragement to his vocation to the priesthood.
Ryan was resistant to the call to the seminary at first thinking he was destined to be married and have a family. But as his heart opened to the idea, he began to hear God’s voice directing him. After years of formation at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, Ryan’s path became clear after spending last summer immersed in parish life.
“I entered into this year of seminary formation coming from a pastoral internship at Queen of Peace in Dickinson,” Ryan explained. “The internship was a very rich and rewarding year that gave me peace, security and confidence in God's call for me to serve as a deacon and priest in the Bismarck Diocese. That year taught me how to serve, how to break out of my selfishness and to give myself as a gift to others. Also, many beautiful people entered my life that year who were a great gift to me in various ways.”
That desire for service to others became even stronger back at the seminary.
“This current year in seminary is a continuation of the internship year, learning to live according to the needs of others at the seminary, at my apostolate at a high school and parish in St. Louis. I am also grateful for deepened friendships with my brother seminarians this year,” Ryan said.
He’s looking forward to being ordained to the transitional diaconate after years of formation.
“I am very grateful to God,” Ryan expressed. “Every year of formation has been unique and full of grace. Each year has drawn me closer to Jesus Christ and helped me to grow in my humanity in many ways. God has provided many necessary graces of healing to prepare me to serve the people of God during my time in seminary. I have come to a deeper acceptance of myself as a beloved son in the Father which gives me greater confidence to serve the diocese authentically. The journey has not been too slow, nor too fast, and the diaconate ordination comes at the perfect time.”
Ryan and Eric will soon put their knowledge into practice as deacons, true servants of the Church. The transitional diaconate is the entry into the clerical state, meaning the men become members of the clergy.
“The diaconate is a tremendous gift from God, conforming the man to be ordained to Christ the servant. Among the many services of the deacon, he is the servant of the word and the servant of the faithful. I am really looking forward to preaching the word of God to help lead others into a real encounter with Jesus Christ. Further, I am looking forward to being surprised with the people who God sends into my ministry as a deacon and to respond to the daily call to serve their needs.”
Next fall, Ryan and Eric will return to Kenrick-Glennon Seminary for one final year of formation before coming back to their home diocese for priestly ordination.
“The easy temptation for the final year of formation is to ‘check out’ so to speak,” Ryan noted. “I look forward to resisting this and trusting that God has great plans for me to serve as a deacon in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and Kenrick-Glennon Seminary for my last year before I return home to Bismarck. Further, the last year of formation can be filled with much necessary interior preparation to receive the eternal gift of the priesthood. I know I will need the time and formation to let the Lord stretch out my heart to receive this eternal gift.”
Both men are eagerly anticipating their new diaconal faculties to assist at the Church’s liturgies and being able to share more actively the joy and freedom of the Gospel. While summer assignments have yet to be determined, they are looking forward to putting that into practice back at “home” in the parishes within our diocese.