Welcoming Newly Ordained Fr. Joshua Votruba To Our Parish Family

When Fr. Joshua Votruba was in the ninth grade, God’s grace touched his soul in an extraordinary way while he was at his home parish, the Church of St. Benedict in Broken Arrow.

“I was one of the older altar servers, and I was signed up to serve for the Easter Vigil Mass,” he says. “The pastor, Fr. Joe Townsend, had me hold the liturgical book for him while he was bringing the new Catholics into the Church. I remember an absolute joy that came over the people being baptized and confirmed, and the joy that Fr. Townsend had in bringing them into the Church. That is when I first started thinking about experiencing that similar joy and bringing it to other people as a priest.”

Even though this life-changing “ah-ha” moment had been a powerful one, it naturally took some time to settle in and really take effect.

“I had that feeling initially, but it wasn’t until my junior year of high school when I was receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, that I first decided to answer the call,” Fr. Votruba says. “Instead of just thinking about it and dismissing it, I slowly started talking about it with others more often. I soon got in touch with the Vocation Director for the Diocese of Tulsa and began the application process.”

As he moved forward with his discernment, Fr. Joe Townsend stood by his side.

“Through Fr. Joe, I came to know more about what a priest really is and what he does,” he says. “He intentionally made himself available so I could learn from him. He took me and some other guys to visit some seminaries. These trips really helped my discernment.”

Taking a leap of faith, Joshua entered Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas, where he studied for four years, and then moved on to study at Saint Meinrad Seminary in Indiana for another four years.

“I really enjoyed the fraternity aspect of my seminary experience, as well as studying the spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila,” he says. “I have had a deep devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel for a while, and it grew even deeper through this class. I am even considering becoming a Third Order Carmelite someday.”

On June 25, he was ordained at Holy Family Cathedral by Most Reverend Bishop David Konderla.

In July, he began to serve our parish family as our Parochial Vicar. His presence among us continues to be a tremendous gift and grace from God.

“I am really looking forward to giving myself even more fully and completely to the people of this parish,” he says. “Fr. Gary Kastl is doing amazing work here! The parish is really growing and shifting, and new life is coming forth. I am really happy to be part of this growth.”

Fr. Joshua Votruba’s alumni photo for Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology