Parishioner, Minnesota State Representative Ron Kresha Keeps Catholic Identity at Center of Service

Here in the United States, January marked the end of one of the most highly charged election cycles in recent history. After more than a year of watching the candidates for president campaign, debate, and spar over various topics, many of us may be experiencing political “fatigue.” However, as Catholics, we are called to engage in the public sphere as responsible citizens formed in the faith. As Pope St. John Paul II reminded us in his 1988 exhortation, Christifideles laici, the Lord asks the lay faithful to go out and bear great fruit by furthering the Church’s mission through active participation in community life.

Rep. Ron Kresha — who has served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for State House District 9B since 2012 and won re-election for another term in November — is one member of the Little Falls Catholic Community who is more familiar than most with the intersection of our faith and public service. He, his wife, Wendy, and their five children are longtime parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes.

While Ron has been active in local politics for about 20 years, he had never planned to make the leap to the state political arena. However, when the opportunity to run for the House of Representatives presented itself, he began a period of prayerful discernment that ultimately led him to enter the electoral race.

“I took the decision to run to my faith group and also spent a lot of time in adoration to see if this was the right path,” Ron says. “I remember many times being in the adoration chapel and I kept thinking about the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus when He was praying. I kept repeating and praying that whatever path He laid out in front of me, I would take. That was my own little agony in the garden, and it wasn’t easy. I knew what that would be like for my family and what the commitment would be, so I resisted a bit, but I kept on my knees.”

Today, eight years into his service in state politics, Ron continues to keep prayerful discernment at the center of his life in public service. When the House is in session, he typically spends 13-hour days working in the capitol, yet he still makes it a point to begin those days with early morning Mass at the cathedral.

These quiet moments of prayer help Ron stay centered throughout the day.

“There is so much coming at us from so many different directions, and the decisions that we make are all across the spectrum of policy and morality,” Ron says. “We get so many voices and so many people trying to sway our opinions, so being able to go to confession or to Mass at the cathedral in the morning gives me that singular voice on everything I’m going to be doing that day.”

By living and serving as a faithful Catholic, Ron strives to maintain his authenticity. He does not use his faith to sway voters or for his own political gain — rather, he seeks to live his faith out each day with absolute sincerity. Thus far in his career, Ron has been heartened by the positive responses he has received.

“When I’m at the capitol, I’m very open about my Catholic faith and how central that is to me,” he says. “I was worried at first that would a liability, but it has turned out to be an asset. When people rely on their faith, they’re viewed as someone who is coming from a strong foundation.”

As Catholics, we are blessed with that foundation in the Church established by Christ. Having been given the great gift of faith, we are called to participate in public life in a unique way. Ron would encourage anyone interested in becoming more engaged in the political sphere to begin with something as simple as reaching out by phone or email to one of their elected officials.

As a particularly divisive election year comes to a close, it is perhaps more important than ever to remember our call to work together to further the mission of the Church in our world.

“I think the social justice side of the Catholic Church is very important,” says Ron. “When you look at people like Mother Teresa or Dorothy Day, our service to the poor and those that really are in difficult situations, we are called to do that. At the same time, there is a very strong calling to keep the family intact, to morality, and to giving our children a good education with the faith in our Catholic schools.

“I think it all mixes together when you just take the time to look at it,” he continues. “You can be a faithful conservative who cares about social justice issues and you can also be a faithful liberal who cares about family values. These issues aren’t as disconnected as they appear to be. There is a human and a faithful side to all of us, and I like to remind people that is who we are when we go down to the capitol and make decisions.”

Ron Kresha is familiar with the intersection of our faith and public service. He, his wife, Wendy, and their five children are longtime parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes. Ron has served in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2012.