Laborers for His harvest

He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest (Luke 10:2).
 
The Diocese of Bismarck is doing their part to send out new laborers for His harvest in the 26 men studying for the priesthood.
 
Two of the diocesan seminarians, Gregory Crane and Brandon Wolf, were ordained to the transitional diaconate this fall in Rome, reaching the final stages toward ordination to the holy priesthood. They are scheduled to be ordained priests for the diocese on June 10 by Bishop Kagan at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. Deacons Crane and Wolf continue their studies in Rome at the Pontifical North American College, along with diocesan seminarians Christian Smith, Nick Vetter, Grant Dvorak and Jake Magnuson.
 
Two new men joined these ranks as the newest diocesan seminarians—Caleb Dusek and Konnor Peterson—and began their first year of formation for the priesthood this fall. Both men are studying at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver.
 
Other diocesan seminarians studying at St. John Vianney are: Josh Hill, Dustin Johns, Steven Vetter and Ryan Martire. There is a large contingent of seminarians at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis including: Mark Aune, Greg Hilzendeger, Ben Franchuk, Paul Gardner, Anthony Dukart, Jacob Degele, Logan Obrigewitch, Jacob Bennett and Ben Wanner. Seminarian Matthew Koppinger is in a pastoral year at St. Leo the Great in Minot. Two seminarians, John Windsor and Isaiah Fischer, are attending St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C. And, two seminarians, Eric Artz and Colton Steiner, are enrolled at St. John Vianney Seminary in St. Paul.
 
Get to know our newest seminarians
 
Diocesan seminarian Caleb Dusek was raised in rural Minnesota. His family moved to Fargo in 2012 and he attended North Dakota State University there. It wasn’t until transferring to the University of Mary that seeds of his vocations took root and really started to grow.
 
“At the University of Mary I was steeped in Catholicism; whether it was the Rome program or Catholic Studies program, my faith was strengthened and nourished,” Caleb explained. “I experienced this growth mainly through the good friendships I gained; it is really inspiring to see one’s own friends accept their own vocation and courageously follow it and that gave me the courage and inspiration necessary to accept what God was asking of me. Lastly, adoration, daily Mass and confession also gave me the grace necessary to follow God and trust in His providence.”
 
Caleb jokes that when he was younger his career dreams included one of the following: marathon runner, comedian or Catholic priest. Even though an inkling toward the religious life was on his radar early, it took a while to get on the path toward the priesthood. That direction came from his parents.
 
“I first learned patience and perseverance from my parents, especially through their own sacrifices,” he said. “First in Minnesota, a new place for my parents and then in North Dakota when we moved, a new home for myself and my siblings. Patience came natural to me because I learned it through my parents’ witness. My mom and dad always taught us to persevere and work hard, seeing things through to the end.”
 
Regarding the eventual choice to join the seminary, God patiently led Caleb there. “Most of the time I did not understand what He was doing in my life and the amount of grace He gave me. Only when I looked back was I able to see how He led me. Especially in a time where many people, including myself, want immediate results, it is difficult to wait and watch and be ready for what God has in store. If we rush into things and are not patient, the present will slip past. Somehow, God works in all of that.”
 
With God’s patience and his family’s example, Caleb knew he wanted to sacrifice for God and live for others and less for himself. “What I saw in my parents’ sacrifice was an image of God’s love for all of us. I am grateful for that, because if I had not known anything like that as a kid, I do not know where I would be right now. If loving God fully means I must sacrifice everything in my life for Him, it is only something I can do through His grace. When I live for myself, I am running off my own steam and that eventually ends. Off His grace, it is endless and I am able to fully give myself to Him.”
 
Seminarian Konnor Peterson also experienced an awakening of his vocation while attending the University of Mary. He was born and raised in Bismarck-Mandan. After graduation from Mandan High School, he attended Bismarck State College where he ended up drifting away from the faith. His decision to attend the University of Mary prompted a change of course.

“My time at the University of Mary was very influential. There, I fell in love with the faith after taking some theology classes and especially taking a class on St. Benedict. God used those classes to start a fire in my soul,” he explained.

But, even Konnor’s time there didn’t feel quite like the right plan for his life. “I came to realize that I really didn't want to study politics anymore and that college was eating up a lot of my time, and really wasn't giving me something I wanted. I brought it to prayer one night and it was put on my heart by the Lord: ‘Is college making me perfect like my heavenly Father is perfect?’ I had to answer no. It took some time to build up the resolve to actually drop out, but the next day I did. I gave God an act of faith in Him and He did wonders with it. Without college burning up a lot of my time I had time to study the faith and pray, and I did. I grew a lot during that time. I became a man capable of answering God's call.”

A life-changing moment came while praying the rosary one day. “While praying the rosary I received a grace from Our Lady that gave me a certainty that I should enter seminary,” he said.

Seminary life so far

Both men are enjoying their time at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver thus far.

“Seminary has been great. The seminary is a great place to grow in virtue. The brotherhood is fantastic, and it would be hard to find that anywhere else. The formators are very holy men that I am really privileged to have the opportunity to learn from,” Konnor said.

Caleb agrees using the same word to describe his time there, “Great!”

He added, “Like anything in life it has its ups and downs, moments of trial and moments of joy. I am happy God called me to be here at this present moment with my seminary brothers and grow as a Christian man. There have been many graces here for me this past year that I could never have imagined possible. I truly believe that the patience and perseverance I learned from my family prepared me for this moment. It is all a gift and I am grateful for it. Lastly, I could not have done it without the prayers from everyone in the diocese; they have been a great support for my diocesan brothers and me.”