Seminarians share thoughts about vocations

Editor's note: The Catholic Herald recently asked each of the diocese's eight seminarians to provide some biographical information and reflect on his journey to the priesthood. Excerpts from their responses are shown below:

Deacon Eugene Hornung is in his fourth year of theology at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wis. He was ordained to the transitional diaconate Nov. 23, and will be ordained to the priesthood July 13 at St. Anthony Abbott Church in Cumberland.

Hornung is a widower with two sons, Mark and Greg. He has four sisters, Arlene Volhard, Gladys Baumann, Caroline Skrzypchak and Ellen Goetsch, and two brothers, Raymond and Richard. A third brother, Gordon, is deceased.

Hornung said his call to priesthood came from his Catholic communities, both at St. Anthony Abbot at Cumberland and the home parish of his youth in Marathon, Wis.

"They planted the seed and I simply let it germinate and helped it grow. I simply acknowledged the call and responded as best I could. It did not come from me -- I fought it, initially, implying 'You've got to be kidding.' I lost that battle and am grateful for the loss," Hornung said.

What advice would he give to men and women considering a ministry in the church? Hornung said he would tell them, "If you feel called, respond, by all means. If it does not work out, withdraw; but initially, by all means, respond -- to discern between wants and needs."

Andy Anderson is in his second year of theology at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. He is from Minneapolis and his parish in the Superior diocese is St. Joseph in Osceola. Anderson's parents are deceased. He has a brother, Leroy, who lives Apple Valley, Calif., and two sisters, Alice Armstrong, of Rice Lake, Wis., and Yvonne Anderson, Reno, Nev.

Anderson said he sees himself serving the church in the future: 1) by being faithful to the Christian mission of bringing the light of Christ to all people; 2) by being a faithful and obedient priest that journeys with the people of our diocese as we seek the fullness of the kingdom of God and 3) as another voice that seeks ways to unite our separated Christian brothers and sisters, so that Christ's prayer for unity (John 17) may again be realized in the church.

If someone is interested in church ministry, Anderson said he would tell them that being Catholic is a call to action, so volunteering for service to the church is not extraordinary, it is part of living our baptismal promises.

"Despite things looking bleak and our feeling alone, God is always with those who seek a relationship with him. Anyone who truly feels this way will feel compelled to share it with those who have not discovered the peace that is found in Christ." Anderson said.

Antonio Len-Rios is also in his second year of theology at St. Paul Seminary. His home parish is St. Joseph, Osceola. His family consists of parents, Felipe and Janet, and a sister, Maria.

Len-Rios said he became interested in the priesthood because it was an opportunity to make use of his talents and skills for the benefit of others, and because he believes God is calling him to do that as a priest.

What words of advice could he give to a man or woman interested in church ministry as a career? "Church ministry is not easy to do, especially when done well, therefore anyone considering pastoral ministry should take every opportunity available to develop their talents and skills. For those men considering priesthood, I would say that priesthood itself is not a career. It is a vocation and a way of life. While there will be no stock options or Christmas bonuses, the biggest bonus I look forward to being able to have is to walk with people in their daily lives, and to celebrate the sacraments with them," Len-Rios said.

Patrick Hardy, in his first year of theology at Sacred Heart, is from Cudahy, Wis. He just entered the seminary in early January. Hardy has four children and 14 grandchildren.

Hardy said he became interested in the priesthood in high school and began giving it serious consideration a few years ago. He wants to serve wherever God wants him to go.

If asked to give advice to a man or woman interested in church ministry, he said he would tell them, "Take courage and look into it -- honestly and prayerfully."

Mike McLain, from Independence, Mo., just entered the seminary this month and is in pre-theology at Sacred Heart. He is a widower with a daughter, Tina, who lives in Independence, and a son, Michael, who lives in Blaine, Minn. His father, Robert McLain, lives in Fence, Wis. and he has three siblings, James, who lives in Arizona, Timothy, of Carol Stream, Ill., and a twin sister, Mary Martin, who lives in Pembroke, Ga.

McLain said he became interested in the priesthood when he was in the seventh grade. He wants to be a parish priest and hopes to work with youth and make God's love known to all.

Mark Kociemba, from Collegeville, Minn., is in his fourth year of college at Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona, Minn.

Kociemba said a TEC retreat had a big influence on him. He said, "It got me thinking about what God wanted of me."

Kociemba has been very involved in Scouting, reaching the level of Eagle Scout. He said when he is a priest he wants to help others know what their calling is and would like to continue his involvement in Scouting.

Ryan Kramer is in his third year of college at St. John Vianney. His home parish is St. Joseph in Hayward.

Kramer's family consists of his parents, Rick and Diane Kramer, as well as 10 brothers and sisters and six nieces and nephews.

Kramer said that the thought of priesthood kept coming to mind as he thought about the future. "For a long time I tried to ignore it, but God has a lot more patience than I do." Fr. Bill Greene, pastor at St. Joseph, has been a great example for him. "Scripture speaks of the light of Christ shining through us. Fr. Bill is a great model of that," Kramer said.

In the future, Kramer sees himself serving as a pastor, shepherding the people of the parishes he is serving and having those same people challenge him to grow closer to God.

"The idea of presiding at the Eucharist and sharing the bread of life is a picture of what I hope my ministry will be," he said.

Aaron Kalmon is in his first year of college at St. John Vianney.

His home parish is Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Medford and his parents are Laura and David. He has three brothers and four sisters, listed from oldest to youngest: David, Cameron, Melissa, Sarah, Leslie, Peter, Kristen.

How did he become interested in the priesthood? Kalmon said, "My interest in the seminary is not the end result of many years of thought and building, but the beginning of an answer to a question that I found in the quiet spaces of time between moments in life. Right now, I know that the question is about truth, and that the only correct answer must ring with truth too."

He added, "My biggest influence on my spiritual journey was God. There were times when I had no hope of my own, by my own fault, that I was given strength and promise and faith enough to supply me through rough spiritual times."

Here is a list of the Diocese of Superior seminarians. The year they are scheduled for ordination is shown in parentheses. Everyone in the diocese is encouraged to pray for these men. Addresses and birthdays are listed in case you wish to contact them and offer encouragement.

Deacon Eugene Hornung
4th Theology (2003)
Sacred Heart School of Theology
PO Box 61
Hales Corners, WI 53130-0061
E-mail: genehornung@hotmail.com
Birthday: January 25

Andy Anderson
2nd Theology (2005)
St. Paul Seminary
2260 Summit Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105
E-mail: bganderson@stthomas.edu
Birthday: August 18

Antonio Len-Rios
2nd Theology (2005)
St. Paul Seminary
2260 Summit Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55105
E-mail: lenrios@hotmail.com
Birthday: March 14

Patrick Hardy
1st Theology (2006)
Sacred Heart School of Theology
PO Box 61
Hales Corners, WI 53130-0061
E-mail: JFPatrickHardy@aol.com
Birthday: February 1

Mike McLain
PreTheology (2007)
Sacred Heart School of Theology
PO Box 61
Hales Corners, WI 53130
E-mail: mikemclain@papadurley.com
Birthday: November 21

Mark Kociemba
4th College (2007)
Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary
700 Terrace Heights, #952
Winona, MN 55987
E-mail: markkociemba@hotmail.com
Birthday: November 24

Ryan Kramer
3rd College (2008)
St. John Vianney Seminary
2115 Summit Avenue #6373
St. Paul, MN 55105-1095
E-mail: caedmon78@yahoo.com
Birthday: February 18

Aaron Kalmon
1st College (2010)
St. John Vianney Seminary
2115 Summit Ave. #6637
St. Paul, MN 55105-1095
E-mail: grendl@mac.com
Birthday: May 22

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2003