HOLY NAME OF JESUS
HOUSE OF FORMATION
2589 S. Webster Ave.
Green Bay, WI 54301-2951

Kairos Year

BIRTHDAY
July 25

PARISH
St. Clare Parish; Wrightstown,
Greenleaf, and Askeaton

CONTACT
kylerohan77@gmail.com

INTERCESSOR
St. Anthony of Padua. He is
my confirmation saint, and as a
renowned intercessor for finding
things, he can help me better
discern and find the proper path
leading toward my vocation!

If you found yourself with half an hour of free time, what would you do
during that time?
I watched a TED Talk once that said the ideal nap time is 20-30 minutes, so I
might try that. Other go-to options include a rosary or a podcast.

What is your favorite mystery of the rosary?
The First Sorrowful Mystery — The Agony in the Garden. “Yet, not as I will,
but as you will.”

If someone came to your hometown, what is one thing they would have
to do and why?
They would have to stop and grab breakfast at D&G Restaurant in “downtown”
Greenleaf. With a stellar menu and a wonderful staff, the restaurant boasts
my favorite breakfast item and a D&G classic: the chocolate chip pancake.
Just do not be fooled into thinking you can handle more than one of them!

Briefly, how would you explain what happens at Mass to someone?
At Mass, God shows his overwhelming love for us by first actually speaking to
us in the Liturgy of the Word and then giving himself completely to us in the
Eucharist. We worship by participating in a continuation of the perpetual sacrifice
of Jesus Christ on the cross for us. It is simultaneously an in-the-world and
otherworldly experience in which we offer back to God the sacrifice of his
Son as well as ourselves. The Mass, much like our lives, is not about us, but
instead about the sacrifice being made and offered to our Creator.

Explain how a priest helped you discern a call to the priesthood.
While a few priests have aided in my discernment, my parish pastor, Fr. Brian
Wideman, has especially helped me to practically consider the potential call
to the priesthood within the context of my life and the life of Christ.
I was struck a couple of times with anxious thoughts about the possibility of
entering priestly formation. Scheduling a conversation with Fr. Brian seemed
logical, and I soon found myself chatting with him at the parish office. Thankfully,
he brought a wise, clear-sighted perspective to the table that drew upon his
own experiences prior to entering seminary. Additionally, he was able to identify
some of the fears I had succumbed to — once out in the open, they were much
less powerful. Finally, he offered solid, practical advice for further discernment.
Thanks to Fr. Brian and the working of the Holy Spirit, I was able to take another
look at and, ultimately, another step toward, what God might be calling me to.

How do you view a priest’s relationship to the Blessed Mother?
The Blessed Mother is everyone’s mother! However, because a priest is an
alter Christus, or “other Christ,” he should have an especially close relationship
to the mother of Christ, who the priest emulates and acts in the person of. As
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI noted, the idea of a priest being in the person
of Christ means he is “in Christ, for Christ, and with Christ, at the service of
humankind.” Mary was the first person to be all those things, and thus is not
only a mother to the priest but also a vital role model for him as well, as he
strives to bring Christ to the world by the power of the Holy Spirit, just as
Mary first did thousands of years ago. She is also a channel through which a
priest can reach Christ and progress in virtue, each of which are necessities
for the pastoral obligations of a priest.
The Blessed Mother, along with St. Joseph, raised up the eternal High Priest,
giving her an especially important role in the raising up of and caring for
priests of Christ even today. Her “fiat” and abandonment to God epitomized
what the response to a vocational calling should look like; a priest should
look to her to learn how to best live out the generous vocation he has been
called to, and she will administer the grace required.
In summary, the more intimate the relationship between the Blessed Mother
and the priest, the better!