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December 10, 2018Tim and Gloria Wanner of Mandan have found multiple blessings from their nine children, ages 16 to 35, during their 36 years of marriage.
Most recently, three of the children have taken major steps toward committing to religious vocations.
In August, Br. Matthew Wanner O.P., 33, made his first vows with Dominican Friars Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, based in Berkley, Calif. Sr. Therese Marie of the Holy Spirit, ACJ, 29 (Alison Wanner), has taken first vows with Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus in New Ulm, Minn. She will take her final vows in five years. Benjamin Wanner, 22, is a seminarian in priestly formation for the Bismarck Diocese. He graduated from St. John Vianney Seminary-St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minn. He is currently furthering his studies at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis.
The Wanner family
Tim, a home loan specialist with USDA Rural Development, and Gloria, a parish secretary for the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck, said they always aimed to give their children the best opportunities and examples to live an ideal Catholic life. Yet, they never really pushed any of the children toward religious vocations. All were self-motivated.
“We believe God called them and they responded to that call from their heart,” Gloria said. “Whatever, the children decided, they had to learn to make their own decisions.”
The Wanners, members of St. Joseph Parish in Mandan, practiced their faith throughout multiple career moves for Tim, including Columbus, Great Falls and Glasgow in Montana and North Dakota cities of Towner, Rolla, Stanley and Mandan since 1996. The couple met at a high school rodeo dance in Gloria’s home town of Carson and married in 1983.
Tim, a Hebron native, earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Montana State University in Bozeman, Mont. and Gloria acquired an associate’s degree for medical lab tech degree from Bismarck Junior College.
Gloria was a long-time homemaker with their growing family as it moved throughout the Mon-Dak region, but rejoined the workforce when their youngest Caleb entered kindergarten. “You just kind of grow into it. We didn’t have nine kids at once,” she explained.
“The older ones helped,” Tim said.
They describe themselves as devout practicing Catholics. Giving all their children examples of prayer, study and action was standard for the large clan.
Good choices
The children were not sheltered, said the Wanners, but were reminded to ask themselves “what God would want them to do.”
“We had a full house all of the time,” quipped Tim.
Nonalcoholic parties, firepits, rented movies, video games and cookouts were common as the children’s pals made themselves at home. All the children dated and had many friends.
Tim, a 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus, notes that television was not a strong part of their lives. The children were allowed to rent appropriate movies and play video games.
“They were so busy with school stuff, sports, band, plays, speech and summer jobs. They didn’t really have much time,” Gloria said.
An ample supply of Christian reading material was present, as well as religious art. The Wanners were religious educators at their various communities.
“No, they were not always angels, but they were pretty good kids,” said Gloria.
Brother Matthew
“I wanted to serve people as a priest so more people could be saved and brought to Christ,” he said. “I wanted to be with people I could help.”
As a teen, he was active in football, speech, track, band and Tae Kwondo.
His life proved an interesting journey in faith. After two years of studying for an electrical engineering degree at North Dakota State University, Matthew sought something more meaningful.
Next, he studied at St. John Vianney Seminary-St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minn. and attended seminary at Kenrick-Glennon in St. Louis. He made first vows with the French based monastic community of St. John, where he served with brothers or friars in the Philippines, central France and the Netherlands. Their practice of poverty, chastity, obedience, silent prayers and Eucharistic adoration were all worthy, but he said his interests lie more in education and preaching. He visited a number of orders to find his best fit and discovered the Dominicans on the West Coast Official Order of Preachers (O.P.).
While he works to complete final vows with the Dominican order, he prays and studies, serves at Mass and takes opportunities to preach. There is time for healthy recreation among the 42 men he lives and studies with including cycling, hikes, reading, studies, traveling and religious fellowship, he said.
He urges others considering a religious vocation to visit various communities, research them, consult with vocational directors and check orders’ web sites.
Sr. Therese Marie
Alison Wanner, like her siblings, thrived in athletics and school activities and still holds multiple records as a soccer goalie for Minnesota State University Moorhead . She was active in plays, speech and music and was a mascot for the Dragons for sporting events as well.
While earning a computer graphics degree at Moorhead, she became active in the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, an on-campus, mission program through the North Dakota State University. She advanced in campus mission after graduation for four years, but wanted to further her journey with God. She joined the Handmaids, spending one year as a postulant, two years as a novice and will take final vows in five years.
“My parents didn’t seem surprised,” she said of her decision.” They saw how the Lord was moving my heart with the zeal I had in investing my time in other young people.”
Sr. Therese Marie, found her siblings, friends and her contacts with FOCUS supportive. She and family members liked that the Handmaids were genuinely joyful and peaceful during a visit to her home in route to a retreat to Richardton.
Sr. Therese Marie had to make some adjustments. “She had hundreds of contacts on her phone,” Gloria said. “She had to turn it over to me. When she went in, she had to hand me that phone. She said, ‘Hurry up. Take a picture of me in my postulant skirt.’ She went ‘beep,’ sent a picture of herself …and she was off (the grid). That was it.”
The Handmaids evangelize and help the secular world as assigned by the bishop, said Gloria. The sisters teach religion for our Cathedral High School in New Ulm.
As a temporary professed sister, she now serves in apostolates for her diocese and at the motherhouse convent.
There are still recreational activities Sr. Therese Marie can participate in through the relatively new order such as archery, tennis and life-size foosball at Camp Foley in Minnesota and regularly attending sporting events and joining athletic activities.
The Handmaids allow her to grow, be a vessel of love in the world. “There is so much joy and peace and hope for heaven living a taste of it here and now,” Sr. Therese Marie added.
Benjamin
The former homecoming king at Mandan High School seeks to be ordained in the spring of 2022 after completing eight years of seminary formation. He completed his minor seminary requirements of four years and has four more years of major seminary. Like all diocesan seminarians, Ben is scheduled to first be ordained a transitional deacon with priesthood ordination to follow.
As a teen, Benjamin was active in swimming, tennis, band and the Latin Club. “After much time in silent prayer, I felt confident that God was calling me to lay down my life in love through the vocation of the diocesan priesthood,” he said. “My family was supportive, but my friends were not that excited and tried to talk me out of it,” he said. “I knew this was the life I wanted because it became clear to me over time while relating thoughts about the priesthood to God in silent prayer.”
Benjamin said being a seminarian affords him the opportunity to live out a life centered around Christ. “I get to pray and go to Mass while reading and learning about God…What a life!” He adds that God freely chose to share his priesthood with men who would be the bridge between God and all people through the seven sacraments. “Without priests, there are no sacraments to communicate God's grace in the way that He wanted to.”
Seminarians and priests have healthy and holy leisure time just like everyone else, according to Benjamin including hunting, hiking, music, sports, and hanging out with friends.
The Wanners, also grandparents to six, say Matthew proved a positive faith influence for his siblings and he helped mentor Ben in seeking his vocation.
‘We feel very blessed’
Eight of the Wanner children graduated from public school. The youngest, Caleb, is attending St. Mary’s Central High School.
Three children have also been called to the vocation of marriage and three are still deciding their life’s path: Deanna Wheaton, 35, living in Seattle and a senior pricing analyst with Zillow, and married to Patrick; Kyle, 31, director of the State Aeronautics Commission, and married to BriAnna; Jonathan, 26, a teaching Fellow of English at Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C. and an adjunct professor of humanities there. He is currently finishing his doctoral thesis with CUA. He graduated from Thomas More College, Merrimack, N.H. and graduated from CUA Washington, D.C. for under graduate studies. To round out the bunch are: Jacob, 26, of Mandan, a music director at New Salem High School, married to Jacey; Theresa, 20, a full-time student at the University of Mary in Bismarck and Caleb, 16, a full-time student at St. Mary’s Central High School in Bismarck.
Financial assistance is available for aspiring priests and sisters, according to the Wanners. They advise potential candidates to visit a vocational advisor for information.
“We feel happy, thrilled, and very excited about their choices. We feel very blessed,” Gloria said.