He knows how much you can give

The 27 men answering the call to be Bismarck Diocese seminarians come with a diverse background of education and life experience. This diversity adds to the strength of character of this group of ordinary men called to become the extraordinary ministers for Jesus Christ.
 
Two of the diocesan seminarians—Dominic Bouck and Jarad Wolf—were ordained to the transitional diaconate this fall, reaching the final stages toward ordination to the holy priesthood. They are scheduled to be ordained priests for the diocese on June 11, 2018. Deacons Bouck and Wolf continue their studies in Rome at the Pontifical North American College, along with diocesan seminarians Brandon Wolf, Gregory Crane, Christian Smith and Nick Vetter.
 
Studying for the diocese at St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C. are: Ryan Martire, Grant Dvorak, Jake Magnuson and John Windsor. Several men attending Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis include: Mark Aune, Greg Hilzendeger, Ben Franchuk, Paul Gardner, Anthony Dukart, Matthew Koppinger and Jacob Degele. Men studying for the diocese at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver are: Josh Hill, Lucas Demers, Dustin Johns and Steven Vetter. Studying at St. John Vianney Seminary in St. Paul are: Ben Wanner, Logan Obrigewitch and Jacob Bennett.
 
Three new men joined these ranks this fall—Isaiah Fischer of Bismarck, Eric Artz of Minot and Colton Steiner of Dickinson—each beginning their first year of formation for the priesthood. Fischer attends St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C. while Artz and Steiner are attending St. John Vianney Seminary in St. Paul.
 
Get to know our newest seminarians.
 
Isaiah Fischer is a member of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck. He graduated from St. Mary’s High School in 2014 and attended the University of Mary for a time. He credits his attendance at daily Mass and Adoration as creating an inseparable bond with Our Lord. Over time, thoughts of the priesthood entered his mind, but he spent some time fighting God’s will. He grew tired of the “spiritual limbo” and decided to follow God’s call to join the seminary.
 
Q: How would you say your Catholic education prepared you to follow your vocation?
Isaiah: My Catholic education has been a major reason that I have a relationship with Jesus. Having the opportunity to go to Mass during the week as well as spending time with friends practicing their Faith really transformed the course of my life. The greatest influence that my Catholic education had in making me who I am has been through the people who are living the Faith there. They are the people who made it desirable as they were fulfilling their vocations. Jesus moved my heart through the faculty, particularly the priests. 
 
Q: What led you to finally submit to God’s will and join the seminary?
Isaiah: Every time I have struggled to accept His Will has been a time when I have failed to recognize the gift that He was laboring to give me. Gifts are very humbling and places of vulnerability in both the giver and the recipient. A true gift cannot be reciprocated. There is a sacrificial offering of oneself that no one else can give because it stems from the unique dignity of the giver.
 
This is something that was deeply rooted in me on one particular day that He gave me the great grace of Himself in the Eucharist. It is almost unbelievable to see where He has brought me this past year, but I believe that from this particular grace He has drawn me to Himself by instilling in me a deep gratitude. He is never outdone in generosity. There are many things that I am continually receiving as I grow closer to Christ, but the gratitude has been accompanied by a desire to give everything to Him. This is what led me to discern the priesthood as well as allowed me to be open to His Will for my vocation.
 
Noteworthy: Once Isaiah decided to surrender to God’s plan for him, he sent a long text message to Fr. Waltz, diocesan director of vocations. In his text, Isiah explained what he’d been feeling about joining the priesthood and posed some questions. Soon after, he received a text from Fr. Waltz saying Isaiah was in his prayers. He figured it was in response to his initial text, but was curious why Fr. Waltz hadn’t answered any of his questions from the initial message. Isaiah came to find out later that Fr. Waltz never did receive his initial text, for some reason, and just happened to send him a message. Isiah took it as a sign that he was on the right path.
 
Eric Artz is a member of St. Therese, Church of the Little Flower in Minot. He graduated from Minot High School in 2016 and attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks for a time before joining the seminary. He points toward his close-knit family as the biggest influence in his life.
 
Q. How as your parent’s love and support influenced you?
Eric: I have never known two people who have been more loyal, honest, and authentic with each other than my parents. They expressed true love without any limitations, or barriers between them. This commitment was very beautiful for me to see as a child and I understood the responsibilities and the commitment that real love both demands and desires. At an early age, this love was implanted in my soul, and I have desired to live it in my life as I grew older. I’m still discerning what sacrament that God wants me to say yes to with this live, but I do know that God has called me to seminary to develop and grow in it.
 
Q: What led you to decide to join the seminary?
Eric: Through my entire time of discerning seminary in the last few years, I have always sought rest, peace and consolation for I knew that these gifts were evidence of God’s hand at work in my life. I knew that God would never lead me anywhere with anxiety, fear or loneliness for these are not signs of the Holy Spirit. It is also true that God cannot fully show us His will unless we are honestly trying to seek it, or if we are never truly asking Him what it is.
 
I finally asked God what He wanted for me in my life. At that point, I was pretty serious about seminary, as I had met with Fr. Waltz a few times, but I wasn’t 100% on board with the idea. I had asked God a hundred times before, but this time was different because I truly surrendered my desires and any concerns. In a peaceful interior voice, I heard Him way, without hesitation and I should pursue seminary. I said okay, and that very moment, I was filled with consolation, peace and rest. This was a clear sign to me that God desired me to do this, and after that, nothing else mattered as I just wanted to do His will.
 
Noteworthy: Eric’s twin brother, Nathan, died of cancer in the middle of their junior year of high school. This left a void in Eric’s life that tested his faith, but reinforced his belief in the need to draw closer to God. Eric realized that only a dependency on Christ would bring him peace. Nathan’s full surrender to God’s will in faith and trust was an inspiration. Eric offered a passage that Nathan wrote about his trust in Jesus, “Through all my struggles, I always loved. Through all my challenges, I knew. Through all my disappointments, I believed. Through all my life, He knew.”
 
Colton Steiner is a member of St. Joseph’s in Dickinson. He graduated from Dickinson Trinity High School in 2016 and attended the University of North Dakota for a time before going to the seminary.
 
Q: How would you say your Catholic education influenced who you are?
Colton: I can honestly say that I am the man that I am today because of the education I received from Trinity High School. The top tier teachers and staff at Trinity helped develop my intellectual skills and prepare me for further education. The hard-working coaches helped me train my body and work outside of my comfort zone, which in turn, helped me to perform to the best of my abilities and glorify God through the athletic abilities that He gave me. The chaplains and religion teachers educated me in my faith and helped me to develop my relationship with Jesus Christ. It is where I first learned how to pursue a life of holiness and live for the Lord.
 
Q: Who most influenced you as your thoughts settled on a call to the priesthood?
Colton: Fr. Luke Meyer, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center on the campus of UND, helped me to understand what God was trying to tell me and what he was calling me to do with my life. He helped show me how real the signs were that God was showing me and just how significant they really were. He did a really good job at helping me to clear my head of all the things that were clouding my discernment and focus. I saw a genuine love for the priesthood and for saving souls that was very attracting to me and caused me to admire Fr. Luke a great deal. He pointed me to passages in scripture and encouraged me to take them to my holy hour. From there, God really did all the work and lead me to where I am now.
 
Noteworthy: While thinking things over, Colton visited St. John Vianney Seminary in St. Paul with Fr. Tom Grafsgaard (then chaplain at Dickinson Trinity). The unforgettable experience of total immersion in seminary life sealed the deal, so to speak, for his decision to join the seminary for the diocese. In fact, that is where Colton ended up beginning his studies this fall, at that very seminary. He still recalls Fr. Grafsgaard’s huge smile as he reacted to Colton’s decision to join seminary—proof that we never know what a lasting and impactful impression we leave on someone else. It was Colton’s first observation of the school chaplain years earlier that struck him as someone who loved what they did and displayed true happiness in his life—qualities that Colton desired for himself.