Family of faith

Family has always had a strong influence on diocesan seminarian Steven Vetter. Most notably is his uncle, Bishop Austin Vetter, former priest of the Bismarck Diocese, and bishop of the Diocese of Helena, Montana.

Growing up in a large Catholic family laid the foundation for his strong faith. One of his nine siblings, Fr. Nicholas Vetter, was ordained a priest for the diocese in 2021. Steven will soon follow being ordained to the transitional diaconate on Sept. 29 at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and, God willing, to the priesthood in the summer of 2023. The upcoming ordination Mass will be extra special thanks to his connection to the bishop celebrant.

“I am excited to have my uncle, Bishop Austin Vetter, ordain me to the order of the diaconate along with 23 of my classmates,” Steven said. “I look forward to having my uncle as the main celebrant of the Mass, and my brother, Fr. Nicholas Vetter, as the priest who vests me. All these wonderful gifts make my heart fill with gratitude for my parents and grandparents and their faithfulness to God in their own lives and vocations. It is also a good reminder to me that all the prayers that have been offered for me and my family by the faithful people of God have a real effect and have born much fruit.”
Steven spent his summer getting a taste of parish life before returning to study for his final year of formation at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

“I spent the summer at St. Wenceslaus parish with Fr. Robert Shea. It is always a joy to serve the good people of western North Dakota, and this summer was a confirmation for me of the love that I have for the people of our diocese. The time spent in the parish also reminded me of the prayers and support that the faithful show to their priests and seminarians; it is a humbling experience and reminds me of the love that God has for me.”

When Steven thinks about what it means to be preparing for ordination to the diaconate, he can’t help but reflect about how fast the time of formation has gone.  

“Seminary formation is a wonderful gift, and it has been some of the best years of my life,” he said. “Parishioners have asked me this summer, ‘Are you ready for ordination?’ In a certain way, in all humility, I can say that I will never be fully prepared.

“The reason why Jesus gave His Church the sacrament of holy orders was to ensure that the men would receive His grace to live the life that they are called to live. And so, as I draw closer to ordination I recognize more fully my profound inadequacy, yet I realize that it is not so much about me as it is about Jesus and the work that He wants to do with and through me. It has also been abundantly clear to me that living a chaste, celibate lifestyle, filled with daily prayer and loving obedience to my bishop and the Church has made me a much better man.”

Ordination to the transitional diaconate is a major step for seminarians on their path to the priesthood. The name itself comes from the Greek “to serve,” and deacons exercise this service in a variety of ways. 

“What I look forward to most as a deacon is serving Mass and preaching,” Steven noted.
“My apostolate in Rome this year will be at the University of Mary Rome Campus, and I look forward to serving, teaching and growing as a deacon with the wonderful young people who join us in Rome. At the diaconate ordination I will make the promise of celibacy, prayer, and obedience to the bishop and although I know these are serious promises to make, I suspect it will be a new experience of God’s grace to give my life to God and His Church in a permanent and lifelong way.”

Steven is excited to be joined by brother seminarian Deacon Josh Hill in Rome as the two embark on their final year of formation. They will be ordained to the priesthood together next summer with Deacon Dustin Johns who is studying at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis for his final year of formation. Seminarians Hill and Johns were ordained to the transitional diaconate in May in Bismarck by Bishop Kagan.

“I plan to be an intentional presence and encouragement to the other men in the house, especially those that are in their first years of formation,” he said. “This year will have a lighter course load than the first three years which will be a great opportunity to spend time on sacramental practice, and training for specifically priestly things. The year will also be a good time to review Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church as I begin preparing homilies and enter more into the teaching role of the clergy.”