Workers in His vineyard

Vocations to the priesthood are living proof that God wants us close to Him and to know Him more personally.
 
This year, Bishop Kagan will ordain the Rev. Mr. Christian Smith and the Rev. Mr. Mark Aune on June 11 at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.
 
The coronavirus outbreak cut short the two men’s studies—Christian in Rome at the North American College and Mark in St. Louis at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. Both say the abrupt end to their seminary formation was difficult, but they are ready to look forward to their priesthood—reminded, once again, that God has control.
 
For Christian, leaving Rome in early March was bittersweet and prompted him to leave most of his belongings there. “Once it was decided that we were to come back to the states, I think we had roughly 16 hours until our flight left,” he explained. “During that time, I had to pack up what I could and say goodbye (maybe for the last time). I had a list of things I wanted to do and see before I left Rome…. but the list will have to wait until I can go back.
 
“About the same time, we bought plane tickets, I got an email saying that my first Mass vestment was ready to be picked up. They had been working on it for months and it happened to be ready. Being able to fly back with that in my hands was a small consolation, but there was something about it that felt right. God was saying to me, ‘everything is in my hands.’”
 
Mark, too, looks back on his sudden exit from the seminary because of the virus pandemic with some regrets. A meeting on Monday, March 16 informed the men that they had to be out by Wednesday. “The announcement caught me off guard because I was mentally prepared to graduate and leave St. Louis in early May,” he noted. “However, with the help of my diocesan brothers, we packed up my room with six years of possessions and left the seminary on Tuesday late afternoon.
 
“Because of the sudden move, I had no time for closure of friendships. Since being back in the diocese, I have reconnected with professors and classmates via the internet. I am grateful for these life-long friendships.”
 
Where their vocation began
 
The “spark” each man felt for their vocation to the priesthood came in different ways, but both felt God was asking them directly to serve His people.
 
For Smith, it was more of a gradual realization that he was drawn to this holy calling.
 
“One of the biggest influences in my life was my Catholic education,” Christian said. “I went to Cathedral Elementary and then St. Mary’s Central High School. It was there that I took the faith as my own and really began to love it. The intellectual side of it was what always drew me deeper. Stuff like the philosophical proofs for God’s existence and the moral life became fascinating to me because they were putting into words all the things that I was feeling.”
 
For Mark, the calling began later in life while he was working in Phoenix as a physical therapist and the director of rehabilitation services. Already on a successful career path and in his 40s, he was a bit surprised by the desire to change course.
 
“My vocation to the priesthood grew out of an encounter I had with God about three years prior to beginning my seminary journey,” Mark shared. “In this encounter, the last thing God asked me to do was ‘evangelize His people.’ On a nearly daily basis, I contemplated these words with some confusion because I felt I was being used by God in my work as a physical therapist. I was very happy and fulfilled in my career. I felt that God was using me as an instrument to bring healing into people’s lives.”
 
This encounter was reinforced by his prayer life and drawing closer to God, Mother Mary and the Church. He became more involved in parish life and attended daily Mass. It was through prayer and the rosary, that lead Mark to follow God’s request and join the seminary.
 
“I wanted to make sure that I was following what the Lord wanted for me and that I wasn’t going through a ‘mid-life crisis.’ However, Jesus told me, ‘I expect more from you, you have more to offer’ and ‘I will not lead you where I will not sustain you.’ These words gave me the peace and strength to pursue my priestly vocation.”
 
Christian, too, pursued his vocation by getting closer to God through prayer.
 
“Ultimately, the decision to enter seminary came down to a few experiences in prayer,” he said. “As I was deciding what to do about college, I asked the Lord what he wanted for my life. In a kind of Augustinian ‘pick-up-and-read’ moment, I picked up a breviary and prayed evening prayer. It was a Sunday night, and the first Psalm on Sundays is always Psalm 110 which says, ‘You are a priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek of old.’ It was a stunning moment, and it was clear it wasn’t a coincidence. It was absolutely clear that it was God speaking to me. Again, it wasn’t something new, but it was a concretization of what I had been already feeling.” 
 
Like Mark, he didn’t know if the call was real or not. “Admittedly, I didn’t know what to do about it. Or at least, I didn’t want it to be true and so I told myself I didn’t know what to do about it. I figured that if God really wanted it, he would keep making that known to me. After a few years, I had another experience like the one I had in high school. In fact, it was exactly the same. The very same revelation and feeling from God came to me through the breviary. I still didn’t really want to go to seminary, but I decided to go. I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t.” 
 
Years of formation
 
Prayer and fraternity have been the two things that the men point to as what sustained them through the years of formation in the seminary.
 
“Through prayer, I have gained a great deal of strength, peace and reassurance from the Lord that the seminary is where He desired for me to be,” Mark said. “Anyone who has been an older student, like myself, knows the challenges of academic work, building relationships with peers much younger than yourself and the structure of seminary life. These components are comprised of many challenges and blessings. However, it is my prayer life that is my life-line and anchor that has sustained me, consoled me and deepened my priestly vocation during my seminary formation.”
 
Christian said having his brother seminarians along this journey has been extremely valuable. “I have always been blessed to have other seminarians from the Bismarck Diocese with me in the seminary. It makes a world of difference having people who understand North Dakota. That way, when someone says. ‘well, in New York, we do x, y and z,’ we can get together and say either ‘yeah that would be great’ or ‘there’s no way that would work in North Dakota.’ Having a Diocese of Bismarck night every Thursday gave us the chance to bounce things off each other and just hang out.”
 
Priestly assignments
 
Both men have received their parish assignments that begin on July 1. Father Smith will be chaplain for Trinity Schools and part-time parochial vicar for St. Patrick, Dickinson. Father Aune will be parochial vicar for Corpus Christi, Bismarck, and part-time religion instructor for St. Mary Central High School.
 
The men are excited to be able to put into practice all they’ve been studying. “I look forward mostly to bringing the sacraments to God’s people,” Mark said. “The sacraments bring sanctifying grace into our lives and allow us to grow in holiness. I pray that I will be a holy, humble and joy-filled priest who will love God’s people with the same love and mercy that Christ has extended to me. I feel very honored and blessed to be assigned to my home parish of Corpus Christi. The seeds of my faith life and my love of the Lord, the Church and God’s people grew during my formative years there.”
 
Christian, too, said it’s the sacraments that he’s most looking forward to celebrating with the people. “The Mass and confessions—these are things we can practice all day long in the seminary, but it’s not the real thing. You can’t get the real thing until you are ordained.”
 
He added, that working at Trinity Schools will be special for him because of where his vocation began at that time in his life. “To be back in that setting and to give freely the same thing that I received is to come full-circle!”
 
Ordination Mass
 
Not only did the coronavirus change the end of seminary life for the two men, it will also change the look of their ordination. They say they would love to have the faithful present to witness their ordination, but have accepted the fact that the ordination Mass might look a little different this year.
 
“I’m very excited! Because of the virus, much of the plans for ordination are uncertain,” shared Christian. “It was actually a really touching and challenging thing for me spiritually. I had to come to grips with the fact that it might not go exactly how I wanted it to go. Whether it is livestreamed with only 10 people in attendance or there was a giant party with 500 people there, the point is the priesthood, and that will happen either way. The one thing I do know is that you never lose anything with the Lord, He always gives back more than He takes away.”
 
Mark, too, is hoping that some of the faithful will be able to celebrate with them and the Church. “Regardless of how many people can attend, Jesus will be present and a sacrament will be administered, which will be an awesome and humbling experience for the Church and me. On a selfish level, I desire for it to be public because so many of the faithful have been fervent in their prayers for me and my vocation and I desire for them to see the fruits of their prayers. This is their day to rejoice, as much as it is my day to thank God and the people of God who have supported me throughout my journey.”
 
Mark added one last sentiment to the people of the diocese, “I would like to ask the faithful to pray for Deacon Christian Smith and me as we prepare for our ordination and begin our priestly ministry. Please continue to pray for vocations of all ages to the priesthood and religious life. God needs many more workers in His vineyard!”
 
If the restrictions brought on by COVID-19 are still in place at the time of the ordination, a limited number of people will be permitted to attend the Mass. Plans are to livestream the Mass and it can be found at www.bismarckdiocese.com by clicking on the Cathedral player module.