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Friday, February 11,2005
Pair of seminarians mix faith and football By JULIANNE NORNBERG ' CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
FATHER JOHN Cihak of Corvallis, Ore., visits his father, Mike, during a January leave from studies in Rome. In the past 20 years, his home parish, St. Mary in Corvallis, has produced at leas~ two dozen vocations. (CNS photo by Gerry Lewin; Catholic Sentlne~
. Some youths say talking about a vocation·helps them consider it ST. LOUIS (CNS) - Eric a priest or religious. Olsen, Erik Lundgren and David For Olsen, Lundgren and Sailer, Sailer have many ~gs in com- their positive view of priesthood includes the subject ofpriestly celimon. They are all studl?rits at Jesuit- , bacy. They all have dated. Sailer run St. Louis University, they all said he had "a pretty serious girlattend the Cathedral Basilica of St. friend," and when he broke up with Louis, where they fr:equently serve her so he could seriously consider at Mass, and they are all discerning a vocation it was "pretty rough." '''We realize this is something a possible vocation to the priesthood. ' ,very good that we are giving up," And they all belong to the Sailer said, "but we realize that we Edmund Campion Society, a uni- are being called to the priesthood versity group that gets together and that is also very good on its regularly to discuss Catholic faith own." and doctrine and the intellectual traAcross the country, in the Archdition of the Church. The group has diocese of Portland, Ore., at St. about 20 members, both men and Mary's Parish in the college town women. About halfof them are con- ofCorvallis, about two dozen young sidering a vocation. people who have worshipped there "Many of the guys who are part have answered the call to the priestof this group are pretty committed hood or religious life. Many ofthem to becoming teachers and bringing attended nearby Oregon State Uniit Catholic presence to the class- versity. room," Olsen told the St. Louis Re''We put something in the waview, newspaper of the St. Louis ter," said Father John Kerns, jokArchdiocese. "Some are called to ing. He was parochial vicar at the be teachers, some to be priests, and parish during the late 1980s. some to both. Some of the girls, in In those years, Father Kerns and their mind is religious life, and some the parish's longtime pastor, people are pretty certain their call- Portland's Auxiliary Bishop Kening is to marriage." neth D. Steiner, actually did have a Lundgren said one reason he good-natured competition over who wanted to go to a Catholic college could get more people into semiwas to be able to discuss his faith narY and religious life. and to explore a vocation he has ''There is a defInite connection thought about off and on since between eucharistic adoration and eighth grade. vocations in a parish," said 3D-yearSailer said that through the Cam- old Sister Maximilian Marie, the pion Society 'he gained friends to ,former Loretta Garretson. She is in talk to who shared his thoughts, formation as a member of the Dofears and uncertainties. Their meet- minican Sisters of Mary, Mother of ings also include eucharistic ado- the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Mich. ration, where Sailer fIrst reconsidShe said after college she started ered a vocational call that had come praying before the Eucharist and to him while he was in grade school began meeting young women who but was forgotten by high school. were interested in religious life. The three young men are part of Bishop Steiner credits prayer a larger group ofuniversity students and active families for the vocation . who worship regularly at the cathe- success of St. Mary's. When he . dral basilica in St. Louis. They have sensed a college student had an inmade a good impression on the rec- kling of a calling, the bishop retor, Msgr. Joseph Pins. cruited the person to serve in youth ''They show a very strong and ministry. When parishioners went 'active faith," he told the Review. to the seminary or began religious, Those in the group who are in- formation, he put their names in the terested in a vocation, he said, ''have church bulletin and solicited prayers hundreds of questions about being for them.
a heck of a guy to be in seminary and it take's a heck of a guy to be in football." Deacon Mike Lightner, 32, also knows a thing or MADISON, Wis. - It takes focus and courage two about football. Currently serving at Milwaukee's to be a seminarian and to be' a football player. Ben Kessler, recently named an All-American, St. Gregory the Great Parish, he is scheduled to be ordained a priest for the Milwaukee Archdiocese in is both. ' "It was a nice honor," said Kessler, a seminarian May. In fact, if he had not decided to enter the prieststudying to be a priest of the Diocese of Madison who attends St.john Viaimey College Seminary on hood, he might be playing pro football today. The man who was scouted by the Cleveland the University of St. Thomas campus iIi St. Paul, Browns has "absolutely" Minn. no doubt he would have Kessler, ajuniorwith ' made it to the National a 4.0 grade point averFootball League. age, takes classes at the Deacon Lightner had University of St. Thoa full football scholarmas, where he is majorship to Eastern Michigan. ing in phiiosophy and University, an NCAA t>usiness management Div.ision I school in and is scheduled to Ypsilanti. There, he gradmiteiIl ·four years. earned a bachelor offine He is the m,st seminary arts degree and played stUdent to play football right tackle for a team at St. Thomas. that also included future A six-foot-two, 250New York Giants tackle pound defensive tackle, Barry Stokes and future Kessler earned secondDetroit Lions and Pittsteam All-Minnesota Inburgh Steelers quarter-' tercollegiate Athletic back Charlie Batch. Conference honors after Cleveland Brown recording 10 sacks for scouts invited Deacon the university team, the Lightner to participate in Tomrnies. a pre-season training Last December, he camp following his sewas named to the 2004 nior year, but he deESPN The Magazine clined, primarily beCollege Division Footcause during two reliball Academic AIlgious pilgrimages he had America teams. He was become aware of a betamong 25 first-team ter offer that he needed honorees. The College time to think about. Division squad is seAfter graduating lected from NCAA DiDEACON MIKE Lightner, who is to be or- from college he studied visions II and ill and the National Association of dained a priest for the Milwaukee Archdiocese philosophy for two years Intercollegiate Athlet- this May, displays the football jersey he wore in that diocese's semiics. He also is a repeat while playing tackle for the Eastern Michigan nary. After his ordination first-team Academic University Eagles from 1991 to 1996. He probas a transitional deacon, All-District honoree. ably could have made it to the NFL, but he he went to St. Gregory, , Kessler, who wakes traded in his football pads for a Roman collar. where he works with the up each day at 5:30 a.m., begins his day (CNS photo by Sam Lucero, Catholic Herald) Lifeteen and young adult programs. with morning prayer He said he is satisfied with the life he has chosen and'Mass. Football practice, classes and studying and has no regrets about forsaking football. He also keep him going until 11 p.m. It's a challenging cycle, but rewarding, Kessler noted that he had "some pretty serious girlfriends" said, adding that he "wouldn't have it any other way." in bygone days, but that he is "OK with celibacy. I Making the daily switch from studying philoso- love the Church and I love the discipline of celiphy to playing football offers an interesting but re- bacy." He also said that Catholics at the parish level need warding mix, Kessler said. He works with two different types of people: the football players and the to do more to encourage vocations. "We have to teach kids that (priesthood) is a viable call." seminarians. Even when the alternative could be playing pro"One thing I can say about both groups is that they are all courageous guys," said Kessler. "It takes fessional football.