July/August 2001
We have a limited number of back issues available in print. To request back issues, e-mail jjob@dioceseoflansing.org or call 517-342-2595. You will be charged the regular cover price of $2.50 per issue.

	COVER STORY Having a Child with Down Syndrome Led Carolyn to Her Life's Work Working for Jonathan By Janet Cassidy
	In Depth Cliff Boyer is the oldest person working in the diocese (we think). And he has no plans of quitting. 93 and Still Going Strong By Patricia Majher
	Culture A long Sunday drive and a picnic can be a great opportunity to connect o that deeper level. Load Up, Then Open Up By Ronald and Theresa Landfair
	Ordination 2001 Bishop Carl F. Mengeling ordained six men at St. Mary Cathedral, Lansing, on June 9. Meet the New Priests By Christina Kirsh

July/August 2001 Cover Story

Having a Child with Down Syndrome
Led Carolyn to Her Life's Work:
Working for Jonathan

By Janet Cassidy

"To us, Jonathan looked angelic, normal and fresh from God," says Carolyn Bower, speaking of her now 13-year-old son born with Down syndrome. Condolences flooded in from the hospital staff on the 21st of April in 1988 following Jonathan's birth, leaving Carolyn and her husband, Bob, wondering, "Why should everyone be so sorry? Why is this such a terrible thing? Jonathan's Down syndrome has never been an issue since those first four hours on the night he was born," explains Carolyn. "In the wee hours of the early morning, the nurse came in with Jonathan to tell us he had a bowel obstruction and kidney blockage which would require immediate surgery."

Jonathan was baptized in the hospital before his first surgery. And the years following have been filled with multiple surgeries and blood transfusions – heart-wrenching times, as well as times of triumph. Through it all, Jonathan has lived up to the meaning of his name – God's precious gift – by allowing his family, including sister, Carrie, and brother, Grant, to see with eyes of faith.

"After we passed the first major milestone, we came to the threshold of another level of difficulty – Jonathan became anemic and his blood count continued to drop," Carolyn recalls. "He needed a scope which could be fatal. We didn’t really want him to have it, but, we didn't have anywhere else to go. After signing the papers for surgery, we took Jonathan into the chapel at the hospital and put him on the altar."

"Only one other time in my life have I done this," Carolyn says, speaking of her prayer in the little chapel. "At the end of the prayer, I asked for a sign that Jon should not have the surgery."

"Give us a discernable sign. You know how weary we are," she prayed.

The Bowers received their sign.

"We've got bad news," doctors said to Carolyn and Bob. "We can't perform the surgery. The instrument broke in our hands as we were preparing. We can't get another one for two days, but he should stay."

"We knew we were supposed to leave," Carolyn says now. "What would have happened if I had not asked and listened?"

They informed the doctors of their decision and had Jonathan's I.V. removed. "When we went back for Jon's coat which had been forgotten, Jon barred himself in the doorway, not allowing us to go back in," Carolyn reflected.

The Bowers took Jonathan home. He was still bleeding, and they didn’t know what they were going to do about it.

"We never watch TV, but we happened to turn on a show about a doctor from the rain forest who uses medicinal healing plants. I wish we could take Jon there," Carolyn remembers thinking.

Compelled to write the rain forest doctor, Carolyn "argued with the Holy Spirit" asking, "Why should she come to us?" Divine intervention prevailed, eventually creating a lasting friendship between the Bowers and the rain forest doctor.

Two months following Carolyn's initial letter, there was a surprise package from Central America filled with bark. The introduction of these healing plants to their son didn't come easy for the Bowers. They waited and prayed for two weeks, afraid to give it to him. Their confidence was uplifted by a spiritual calendar devotion-for-the-day which read, "You are not guided by fate or wind, but by Almighty God."

When they began the new regimen, "Jonathan's transfusions stopped for 13 months because his bleeding had stopped," says a grateful Carolyn. "Later, the rain forest doctor flew in to see us. ... She taught me everything she could about health."

"God always gets first credit. (However), we also needed the medical doctors to do what they did over the years."

In the midst of dealing with their son's condition, the Bowers were also trying to discern God's will for their 37 acres of farmland. "As Jonathan’s parents, we wanted to do something for his future, so Bob asked God what He wanted us to do with this property," Carolyn says.

Inspired by another farm they had seen, the Bowers decided they wanted to build a place with "a natural setting which would provide a Christian, loving, peaceful, atmosphere," explains Carolyn. "We wanted a place that wasn't commercial. We wanted a community place."

"We began with a meeting at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing. We started setting additional meeting dates and met with architects to make site plans. The Knights of Columbus helped, building a picnic pavilion and greenhouses, the latter being dedicated to Mother Teresa."

"Every time we wanted to quit, a check would come in the mail and God would help us keep going," Carolyn says.

"At least two or three times, when we felt like giving up on a project because we were physically exhausted," Bob adds, "out of the blue a phone call would come or maybe the Knights would be able to help."

Today, the Giving Tree Farm, a non-profit organization located in DeWitt, has an Employment Training Program for adults with disabilities, a leisure garden, and a developing Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. Each provides opportunities for disabled persons and community volunteers to work side by side, learning much about each other.

"This isn't a place where the disabled are cloistered," says Bob. "It's a place for self-actualization, where people can come to be productive and add meaning to their life. People look forward to coming here and are loved. Isn't that what we all want for our children?"

"Our mission," according to Barb Doyle, the farm's development director, "is to enrich and advance the lives of persons with disabilities, as well as the community-at-large, through various organic farming and horticultural programs.

"This place is a bridge. It's a gift. Here you learn what it means to come together to be brothers and sisters in the Lord."

"Giving Tree is a Michigan certified organic farm," Barb continues. "The people who work here are committed to justice issues. The reason they take jobs here is because of the mission and the ministry of the farm. They believe in it. They want to serve something with a nobler purpose. They are people of faith and great trust. They are wonderful examples of disciples."

"Our question is always, 'How can I serve?'" says Carolyn. "When you know who you are in Christ, you know that life is for service. When you know that, and do it, you have peace. That peace is leisure."

Jonathan, who inspired his parents to reach out to others and build a loving legacy through the Giving Tree, has made his First Communion and Confirmation. And, with special permission, he has become a daily communicant in his home. "It is interesting to note that the only solid food Jonathan will eat is the consecrated host," says Carolyn. "Everything else is pureed. He refuses to go to sleep without having received the Blessed Sacrament. His life is a living prayer."
The Bowers' faith, service, discipleship and peace are good fruits coming from a little boy's cooperation with God. Through his special mission, Jonathan Bower continues to enrich the lives of others. As Carolyn and Bob once asked, "Why should anyone be sorry?"

You may visit the Giving Tree Farm at 15433 Turner Road, DeWitt. For further information on the farm and its programs, call (517) 482-8885.

93 and Still Going Strong
By Patricia Majher

Fr. Brendan Walsh, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Dexter, thinks his parish’s groundskeeper is the oldest employee in the diocese. And, even if he isn’t, Fr. Brendan ranks him among the finest.

“Cliff Boyer, who is 93 years young, is the kindest, gentlest, most unassuming man you could ever meet,” explains Fr. Brendan. “He’s always willing to help and glad he has the health to do it.”

Cliff, who grew up on a farm in Archibold, Ohio, tried the factory life as a teenager. “But, I didn’t like it,” he says. Instead, he took the knowledge he gained at home and carved out a life for himself as a handyman in rural Washtenaw County. Cliff spent 25 years on a dairy farm – “eight hours of work before dinner and eight hours after,” is how he described the experience. Then he moved on to a crop farm for 15 years.

He came to work at St. Joseph Parish in 1974 at an age when most people would think about retiring – 66. “I like to keep busy,” is Cliff’s simple explanation for why he continued his career.

Cliff’s position at the church was a new one. “It used to be the grounds were kept up by members,” he noted, “who turned out to work whenever they had time.” After Cliff came on board, all that changed. He became the person the parish depended upon to mow the lawn, rake the leaves, shovel snow, and repair the countless items that break down in a busy parish. “I’ve always been one that if I see things that need doing, I do them,” Cliff says.

A self-described “outdoors man,” Cliff loves to work in the open air. Anxious to get in the first mowing of each season, “he’ll also ride that tractor ‘til the snow flies,” says Fr. Brendan. Cliff is rightfully proud of an attachment he designed and built for the lawnmower that enables him to ‘vacuum’ the lawn clean of leaves in record time. “Fewer trips to the leaf pile for me, too,” says Cliff.

Though he started as a full-time employee, Cliff has cut back his hours in recent years, leaving him time to enjoy other diversions. His weekly schedule of 10 to 15 hours includes emptying the trash on Mondays and tending to the lawn on Fridays (weather permitting), so that – in his words – “the place looks good for the churchgoers on Sunday.”

That still gives him plenty of time during the week to fish and hunt: “Except now, when I hunt for squirrels, I have to take a chair along for resting.”

Cliff also indulges in euchre games at Dexter’s senior citizens center, and looks forward every year to the St. Joseph Summer Fun Festival. An accomplished bingo player, he modestly notes, “I’ve been lucky a time or two.”

During the winter months, Fr. Brendan asks Cliff to apply his considerable woodworking skills to various parish projects – building planter boxes, for example, or repairing and refinishing folding tables. “You tell him what you want,” explains the pastor, “and he can make most anything.” Recently, he constructed a sturdy stand for the cross that parish children use in their Passion Play.

Cliff’s handiwork and desire to help out wherever he’s needed have been appreciated over the years by eight pastors and their staffs. But Cliff was also formally recognized for his contributions to parish life in 1999, on the 25th anniversary of his hiring year. A special ceremony was conducted in the church one Sunday, and many kind words were spoken on his behalf. “One parishioner noted that Cliff does more work by accident than most people do on purpose,” Fr. Brendan said with a smile.

At the conclusion of the recognition ceremony, “they called me up to the front of the church,” Cliff noted, “but, thankfully, they didn’t ask me to speak.” Instead, they presented him with a much-deserved commemorative plaque and a gold pocket watch.

Two years later, this unassuming man is still helping to “keep the place up” at St. Joseph, and has no plans to leave. “I’ve had plenty of jobs in my life, but I’ve never worked for a group that was so reasonable,” he explained. “They’re always telling me, ‘nice job, Cliff.’”

Load Up, Then Open Up

By Ronald and Theresa Landfair

Ask anyone who lives here and they’ll tell you that Michigan is still the motor capital of the world. And, that means getting out on the open road on the weekends. This Sunday consider going on a family a picnic. But, after you load up, prepare to open up.

A long drive can really bring a family together. It gives you the opportunity to connect – which can be as hard to do on busy weekends as during the week.

Choose a location that you’ve never been to. Consider going to Mass in another town. Chances are good that a parish is nearby. A new parish experience can open up your spiritual horizons. Fresh faces, music and homilies can renew your experience of church.

After Mass, you’ll be ready to find that nice meadow or park and dig into that basket. From simplicity to opulent elegance, from plain burgers and ‘dogs to caviar and foie gras, picnics and our choices of food and drink run the gamut to meet everyone’s tastes.

There is something about eating outdoors that takes you back to your ancestral primal roots. The first meals were commonly held outdoors while sitting huddled in circles under the sun or moon. In both Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, meals were commonly consumed outdoors. The wondrous miracle of the loaves and fishes took place on a mountainside by the sea – a perfect picnic spot!

Real family is bringing your favorite dish to pass, a portion shared with all, not unlike our common shared meal of the Eucharist. The meat is a given for those of us who are true carnivores, ranging from beef to chicken or fish. How about trying one of these as an addition to your picnic basket which are sure to please the palates of outdoor epicureans.

(With many of this month’s recipes, remember to keep items that contain dairy products chilled until consumed.)

Deviled Eggs

6 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup Miracle Whip® salad dressing (low fat works just as well)
1 T prepared horseradish
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
Paprika

Peel and cut eggs in half, lengthwise. Remove yolk and set remaining cooked egg white halves aside. Mash the yolks in a small mixing bowl and then mix very well with the remainder of the ingredients, excluding the paprika. Fill each egg white half with the yolk mixture. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired.

Simple Baked Beans

1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
2 large cans Bush’s Baked Beans®

Mix all ingredients together in large casserole or pyrex bowl. Heat in 300° oven for 30 minutes, until heated thoroughly.

Aunt Rolly’s Potato Salad

3 lbs. boiled red skin potatoes, quartered
4 hard boiled eggs
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced in large pieces
2 bunches green onions, sliced
1/2 green pepper, chopped into medium pieces
5 or 6 radishes, sliced
3/4 cup Miracle Whip® salad dressing
1 tsp. dry mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all the vegetables in a large salad bowl with the salad dressing and dry ingredients. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Keep cold.

San Fernando Fruit

After attending Sunday morning Mass at the Cathedral of San Fernando in the Diocese of San Antonio, this unusual, yet delightful, creation was being sold by members of their parish council outside on the street.

1/2 lb. cubed fresh watermelon
1/2 lb. cubed fresh pineapple
1/2 lb. cubed fresh cantaloupe
1/2 lb. cubed fresh honeydew melon
1/2 lb. sliced bananas
1/2 lb. sliced strawberries
1 sliced kiwi fruit
2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Mix fruit ingredients into a large bowl. Drizzle top with cayenne pepper, mixing carefully until pepper is well mixed into fruit. Serve immediately, or chill as desired.

Meet the New Priests

By Christina Kirsh
Photography by Christine Jones

During the past year, Bishop Carl Mengeling told parishioners throughout the Diocese of Lansing to "dive in." His challenge is for Catholics to seek God, find out where He is calling them in life and then to "dive in" to that vocation with all their heart, mind and strength.

This June Bishop Mengeling ordained six new priests into the Diocese of Lansing. What follows are their stories - stories of their journeys, struggles, discernment and finally, how they're following the bishop's call by "diving in."

While this is the largest ordination class in recent memory, is it enough? Over the next five years, the ranks these priests join will shrink while the Catholic population is on the rise. Hopefully, their stories will inspire more Catholics to follow their lead.

Fr. Roy Horning
Born: Dec. 1, 1963, in Flint; raised in Fenton
Home Parish: St. John the Evangelist, Fenton
Assigned Parish: Holy Family, Grand Blanc
Favorite activity: Hiking, camping, backpacking, anything outdoors
Favorite Book: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Favorite Food: Anything - pastas, meat; "I love food."

When asking a priest his favorite movie, one of the last you'd expect him to respond with is last year's Academy Award-winning American Beauty. Although the film earned the award for Best Picture, many criticized the film for, among other things, its portrayal of a middle-aged father who lusts after his teenage daughter's best friend.

But Fr. Roy Horning still mentioned it as a favorite - not necessarily his all-time favorite, but at least as one of his current favorites. And here's why: Fr. Roy sees the film - and the world in general through the eyes of a priest.

"Everyone's life in that movie is screwed up," he said. "But the message at the end is that life is so beautiful. This is how Jesus looks at the world. He sees past all the imperfection and looks at what could be."

But Fr. Roy didn't always see the world as Jesus sees it. Before entering seminary, he was a successful sales representative in the water treatment industry, his territory covering Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. He was a "fallen-away" Catholic, having been away from the Church for 16 years, when he started reading the Bible again at around age 30. "I guess I figured if I was going to be a Christian, I should start going to church again," he said. So he went back to the parish he grew up in, St. John the Evangelist in Fenton.

Approximately a year later, he began to sense God calling him into the priesthood. "I thought possibly I was losing my mind," he said about those stirrings in his heart. But the Holy Spirit was moving powerfully in his life, and Fr. Roy decided to enter the seminary.

In his first year, Fr. Roy discerned that priesthood was definitely his vocation. One of the questions asked was, "What kind of priest do you want to be?" Fr. Roy's answer: To be the kind of priest who is always available to people. "I want to say 'yes' if at all possible." In his third year of seminary, he interned at St. John the Evangelist in Davison. His experiences with the parish in working with troubled teenagers, doing home visits and dealing with the death and dying of everyday life cemented his decision. "It was just affirmation after affirmation," he said.

Family and friends were all supportive of his decision, he said, and any initial shock already has worn off. Was there anyone who thought he was the last person who would ever become a priest? "Oh yeah, probably every woman I ever dated," he said, laughing. His decision has really all been a matter of trust. If he really believes in God, that He knows what is going to make him happy and has faith that He is going to do what is best for his spiritual growth, then he has to trust that God has placed him in his vocation.

"The whole thing is to let the Spirit guide me," he said. The lessons he's learned are ones he hopes to bring to the people in his parish. "I really enjoy being with people," he said.

Fr. John Rocus
Born: May 17, 1949, in Detroit
Home Parish: Sacred Heart of Dearborn/St. Thomas in Ann Arbor
Assigned Parish: St. Joseph, Howell
Favorite Movie: "For many years it was 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is appropriate since that's the year I was ordained. Now it's Babe. I guess I'm an animal lover."

As a seminarian at the second-vocation seminary in Hale's Corners, Wisc., one thing Fr. John Rocus learned is that life is mysterious. Sometimes, God calls unusual people to unusual things. And it's not that Fr. John's life has necessarily been unusual, but it has taken many twists and turns, all of which have lead him to where he is today.

After high school, Fr. John enrolled at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit with the intention of becoming an automotive designer. But in his last year of college, he was diagnosed with cancer. Doctors told him he wasn't supposed to live more than two years. But now, 30 years later, his cancer is still in remission.

"Obviously God had other plans for me," he said. As he recuperated from cancer, for the first time in his life Fr. John had a chance to "take stock" of his life without any pressure.

"It was during this time, as I pondered my brush with death, that I began to grow in spirituality," he said. He began to date, but his relationships always fell just short of marriage. He began taking an even closer look at his relationship with God. "It was a time of confusion, frustration and a lot of soul-searching, which eventually led me to a clearer understanding of Jesus and his expectations of me," he said.

He received his teacher certification and taught high school industrial education classes. He has also worked as a self-employed woodworker since 1978, and he has been a Salvation Army staff worker. But in 1990, he received his first call to the priesthood. It was just a simple question from a friend who wondered if he had ever thought of becoming a priest.

"It seemed harmless enough a question but it had a staggering effect on me," Fr. John said. "I immediately put the idea out of my mind." A few days later, the question was asked again. Then again. It was asked in so many different ways by so many different people that Fr. John knew something was going on.

"It was still not news that I wanted to hear and I did everything I could to convince myself that this was not really what I thought it was," he said. So he asked God for another sign, and he got one immediately. After a few more years of discerning, God reminded him again. Finally, in 1997, Fr. John entered the seminary.

One of the things Fr. John plans to focus on in his ministry is the role of marriage and family in people's lives. "I think my specialty has been engaged couples," he said. "I'm concerned about the (50 percent) divorce rate and about cohabitants. I think it's important for people to consider Church teachings."

Above all, Fr. John aims to help people along in their walk with God. "I would like to reassure people that God is there for them."

Fr. Gerald Gawronski
Born: 1962 in Michigan
Home Parish: St. Thomas the Apostle, Ann Arbor
Assigned Parish: St. Mary Cathedral, Lansing
Favorite sport to play: "Something fast like soccer or football or running. I tried skydiving once and I would like to go again. Skydiving isn't really a sport; it's advanced falling.'"
Favorite food: "Anything from Zingerman's in Ann Arbor."

As Fr. Gerry Gawronski entered seminary, by his estimation, a lot of his friends were more certain than he was that he would finish. But sometimes, apparently, others know you better than you know yourself. When they learned of his intentions, many of his friends told him, "Finally you are doing what God wants!"

However, during his childhood he was not a believer, Fr. Gerry said. "I grew up in a time when Catholic catechetics were in flux," he said. "One teacher said that teaching catechetics at that time was like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall."

In his senior year of high school, he remembered, he was sitting at the dinner table and could hear his grandmother's television blaring from her room. A sitcom was mocking fundamentalist Christians, with one character asking another in a shrill and overbearing voice, "Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?" "I remember wondering with a mixture of teenage intrigue and indifference, 'Is that possible?'" Fr. Gerry said.

The next year at the University of Michigan he became involved with a Christian student organization and learned the answer to his question was "yes." "I realized that Christians really are supposed to be different from how the rest of the world lives," he said. "It was at that time I learned how to really talk to God." While he was in college, Fr. Gerry sensed God calling him to be a priest.

However, after visiting a couple seminaries at that time, he wasn't comfortable with seminary life. Some years later, as he was reevaluating how he was living his life for God, Fr. Roger Prokop at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Ann Arbor told him he should become a priest.

"The deepest reason I felt God calling me to this vocation was the powerful attraction I felt toward Christ's presence in the Eucharist," Fr. Gerry said. "To be honest, I had some prejudices against the priesthood that I had to overcome. The Lord guided me through an obstacle course."

In seminary, he learned the importance of the relationship between theological truths, philosophy and faith. However, he learned that's not everything. "All the systematic kind of knowing in the world is useless without the more personal ongoing conversion I experienced at the seminary," he said. "As Paul says, 'without love, I am a noisy gong, a clanging cymbal.'"

Fr. Gerry sees Holy Orders as a unique sacrament. It means being a part of the "ministerial priesthood" of Jesus Christ - ministering on Jesus' behalf. For example, offering sacraments to others is a participation in this special role of a priest.

"The priest is, therefore, in a particular way, a servant to others," he said. "I aspire to this ministry of service in Christ's love." At his assigned parish, Fr. Gerry realizes he will be there to help out the pastor with the particular needs of the parish, which vary from church to church. "I hope to further (the pastor's) goal as the shepherd of the parish," he said.

Fr. Patrick Ikechukwu (Ike) Agunwa
Born: Awgbu, Anambra State, Nigeria
Home Parish: St. Theresa Catholic Church, Awgbu; St. Agnes Parish, Flint
Assigned Parish: St. Patrick, Brighton
Favorite food: "Other than my cultural food, meat lasagna. Why do I like it? Well, that part is going to be for God to answer. I just do."

If God is everywhere, is he on the Internet? Apparently he is, and he sends e-mail, too. Just ask Fr. Ike Agunwa. During his discernment process, he was certain of two things: God loved him, and he was attracted to the manner in which the priesthood could enable him to help others know God's love for them.

"I will say that I received e-mail from God," he said. "That e-mail was the support of my family, friends, the role model of my former pastor. Through those messages, I was convinced that this is where God is calling."

Fr. Ike was born and raised in Awgbu, Anambra State, Nigeria. His first inclinations toward the priesthood came as a youth in his home parish of St. Theresa Catholic Church in Awgbu, where he wanted to be just like his parish pastor.

"(He) was, and still (is), though he has been called to the eternal kingdom of God, my role model."

As he grew older, his reasons for wanting to be a priest went through what he called a "metamorphosis." He attended seminary high school in Nigeria and received his bachelor's in philosophy from Bigard Memorial Seminary there as well. In 1996 he began graduate studies in theology at St. John's University School of Theology in Collegeville, Minn.

"In a sense I consider myself an 'antique' when it comes to discernment of vocation to the priesthood," Fr. Ike said. He uses the word "antique," he said, since not many people start their discernment process as early as high school.

But nowadays his discernment process is complete. "The episode in the Gospel of Matthew (4:18), where Jesus says in clear terms that He is anointed to bring good news to the afflicted, proclaim liberty to the captives, sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed, holds an unmitigated attraction to me on why I want to give my whole and entire life to the love and service of people through the priesthood."

As a priest, Fr. Ike hopes to be an instrument of God, helping others see the deeper love of God in themselves and in the lives of others. Does he like the state of Michigan, despite its cold winters and much different climate than Nigeria? "Yes," he said, adding that it's the hospitality of the people he's met here that makes him feel most at home.

Fr. David Hudgins
Born: St. Louis, Mo.
Home Parish: St. Thomas the Apostle, Ann Arbor
Assigned Parish: St. Thomas Aquinas, East Lansing
Favorite outdoor activity: "I grew up in Montana, so I enjoy the outdoors, particularly spending time in the mountains."

For a long time, Fr. David Hudgins had the hottest question burning in his heart. That question was, "How can I show others the incomparable beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?" Through much discernment, Fr. Dave eventually found the answer to his question - by becoming a priest.

Since his childhood, Fr. Dave has been drawn to daily Mass, even during high school, college and graduate school, he said. It was through the Eucharist and the Word of God that he sensed God calling him to the priesthood. As an undergraduate at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, the college's chaplain, Fr. Charles Kelly, helped Fr. Dave through his discernment. Also, while a graduate student at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Fr. Roger Prokop also greatly influenced his discernment process. Fr. Roger invited him to be the first resident of Chi Rho House in Ann Arbor.

"That was a great blessing," Fr. Dave said. He took some time away from the seminary to further discern his call as well as the sacrament of matrimony. "After much prayer and spiritual direction, it became clear that God was calling me to the celibate way of loving as a priest." His family and friends have been completely supportive of his decision. "I take consolation in their faith," he said. "I give God thanks for this great grace." It was the work he did in the parishes, as well as prayer, that led Fr. Dave to realize the deepest joy and sense of fulfillment of who he was lay in the priesthood.

"The most important thing I have learned in the seminary is the importance of prayer. Without ongoing communion with God I'll be in trouble." Fr. Dave has found the people of the Diocese of Lansing to be "the best," he said. "I'm am sure they will be patient with me as I learn to serve."

Fr. Eric Weber
Born: St. Johns; raised in Fowler
Home Parish: Most Holy Trinity Parish, Fowler
Assigned Parish: St. Thomas the Apostle, Ann Arbor
Favorite food: Just about any type of Italian, Mexican and Chinese food. "I have really grown to love the pasta, pizza and bread in Italy."

In junior high, Fr. Eric Weber hated going to Mass. Now he's a priest. Until sixth grade, Fr. Eric, now 26, enjoyed his faith, even praying the rosary, reading Scripture and often attending daily Mass. But as he entered seventh and eighth grade, none of his friends seemed enthusiastic about the faith and he became less interested, too. "I developed a deep dislike for attending Mass," he said. "I would often complain to my parents when they made me go to Mass."

His parents took note. One day his father gave him an article from a Catholic periodical written for teenagers in question-and-answer format. One of the questions asked, "What if I do not enjoy going to Mass?" The question suited Fr. Eric's situation perfectly. The answer was short and simple: If you do not like going to Mass, then you need to reflect more on what happens at Mass.

"At this point in my life, I already knew the Church places an incredible amount of emphasis upon the Mass," Fr. Eric said. "After all, I thought, Mass is the only thing that Catholics are obliged to do as a community on a weekly basis." He also knew the Church teachings about Mass attendance is required by Catholics mainly because it is where they can receive Holy Communion. He also knew the Catholic belief in the Eucharist that during Mass it actually becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ and that this belief separated Catholics from other Christian denominations.

"I knew that I believed in Holy Communion when I was in grade school, but I was not sure if I believed in it anymore," he said. So Fr. Eric decided he would have to pray and study about this belief. "If I came to believe that Holy Communion is not Jesus' body but merely a piece of bread, I would have to leave the Church," he said. "Obviously I could not be part of a religion that I did not believe in." Out of respect to his parents, he decided he would wait at least until after he graduated high school before abandoning the faith.

After much prayer and study, Fr. Eric came to believe the Eucharist is truly Jesus' body and blood. He knew then that he had to take his faith more seriously. "I began to think about the past few years when I had hated going to Mass," he said. "While I through my sins and my coldness toward him had been nailing his body to the cross, he was desiring to feed me with that same body. I then began to grasp how fully God loves me.

It was at this point that he realized his call to the priesthood. "I decided that nothing could make me happier than to spend my life helping others to better know this God who so loves each of us," he said.