SEMINARY
St. Francis de Sales Seminary
3257 S. Lake Drive
St. Francis, WI 53235-3702

Pre-Theology I

BIRTHDAY
September 16

PARISH
St. Mary of the Immaculate
Conception Parish, Greenville

CONTACT
ja9bovee@gmail.com

INTERCESSOR

St. Joan of Arc. She has been
an excellent intercessor as
I strive to grow in discipline
and trust in the Lord. She also
had an intense love for the
sacraments that any priest
would be blessed to emulate.

If you found yourself with half an hour of free time, what would you do
during that time?
Half an hour isn't a particularly long time, but it's enough to make a bit of
progress in a book so I'd probably read for a while.
What is your favorite mystery of the rosary?
The First Sorrowful Mystery — The Agony in the Garden. The anxiety Jesus
expressed over his approaching passion and death has often helped me
put my own anxieties into perspective. It's also comforting to know that the
feeling is one familiar to our Lord.
If someone came to your hometown, what is one thing they would have
to do and why?
Go to the Black Otter Supper Club and order a steak. Be warned, you'll have
to show up pretty early if you want to find a seat on the weekend, though.
People come from all over the state, and the line to get in frequently backs
out of the front door.
Briefly, how would you explain what happens at Mass to someone?
Mass is the ultimate journey though God's plan of salvation. We hear from
prophets, apostles, and Christ himself during the Liturgy of the Word, giving
us a glimpse of the millennia over which the human race was prepared
by God, for God. This context is fresh in our minds as we become literally
present to God's sacrifice of himself for us at the Liturgy of the Eucharist. It's
amazing: we are able to commemorate the Last Supper and his sacrifice on
the cross every single day if we so choose.
Explain how a priest helped you discern a call to the priesthood.
The first time I thought about being a priest was in third grade, as I learned
to serve at the altar. I had just finished training and was about to serve at
Mass for the first time when Father turned to me and asked, "Have you ever
thought about being a priest?" before promptly beginning Mass, which left
me with a lot to think about! The memories of that encounter have resurfaced
often throughout the many years that followed, especially as I continued to
encounter priests whose ministry helped me through the rough patches of
my life.
I remember especially after a very healing confession hearing those words
bouncing around my head as I reflected on how beautiful of an example
that priest was in bringing me to understand Christ's love and mercy. It was
a happy day when I went off to college, and the first Mass I attended off
campus was at my old pastor's new parish! Fr. Mark Vander Steeg, thank you
for being there for me not only as I began to think about a vocation to the
priesthood, but also as I began to act on it.
How do you view a priest’s relationship to the Blessed Mother?
Mary is especially important for priests to pay heed to because of their call
to act in persona Christi, "in the person of Christ," while administering the
sacraments. The reason for this is actually rather simple. She was entrusted by
God to raise his son, Jesus Christ. If a priest is meant to emulate Christ, who
could be more appropriate than Mary to care for him and raise him in the
image of her Son?
So, because of this special mission of Mary, all Christians who seek to be like
Jesus, most especially priests, who have a special call to do so, must make an
effort to honor and love Mary in the way that Christ himself did, to listen to
her instruction, and know that she will nurture us in the ways of the Lord.