How Others Heard the Call :: Hearing the Call :: Vocations

“As for me, I grew up in a world very different from the world today, but in the end situations are similar. On the one hand, the situation of "Christianity" still existed, where it was normal to go to church and to accept the faith as the revelation of God, and to try to live in accordance with his revelation; on the other, there was the Nazi regime which loudly stated: "In the new Germany there will be no more priests, there will be no more consecrated life, we do not need these people; look for another career." However, it was precisely in hearing these "loud" voices, in facing the brutality of that system with an inhuman face, that I realized that there was instead a great need for priests. This contrast, the sight of that anti-human culture, confirmed my conviction that the Lord, the Gospel and the faith were pointing out the right path, and that we were bound to commit ourselves to ensuring that this path survives. In this situation, my vocation to the priesthood grew with me, almost naturally, without any dramatic events of conversion.” - Benedict XVI, Apr 6, 2006.

I first heard the call of the Lord when I was in 2nd grade at St. Mary's in Panama, Iowa. You might think that was very young. It was. I remember thinking that God wanted me to be a priest. I was very excited. I told my mother and she said that was wonderful and I'm sure that she kept me in her prayers from then on.

As I grew in grade school, I was very concerned about getting in heaven - about what would happen to me when I died. I thought the best way to get to heaven was to be around priests and the things of God. So I prayed a lot and thought a lot about what priesthood might mean.

Especially in high school at St. Mary's, I also thought about lots of different vocations - working in the medical field, being a lawyer (which I knew nothing about), even being a teacher. But the thought of priesthood kept coming back again and again.

There were several seminarians from our parish at the time. I found it easy to think, "I can do what they are doing. They are regular kinds of people." My parents encouraged me, but did not push me at all. They knew it had to be my decision. I talked to Fr. LaVern Wingert who was the associate pastor at the time and had become a good friend. He encouraged me to "...give the Seminary a try..." and see if it was for me.

I did, and it was. I felt comfortable with the Benedictine atmosphere of faith and prayer at Conception Seminary for college. I went to two years Theology after college at St. Bernard's in Dubuque and two years of Theology at St. Thomas in Denver. My vocation grew from a good way to get to heaven to a way to help people in their lives of faith. I took the step of commitment to ordination convinced that on my own I could not do what a priest was called to do but God could do that in me.

Fr. Glen Wilwerding : Pastor, St. Patrick, Grand River; Immaculate Conception, Maloy; St. Joseph, Mt. Ayr; St. Bernard, Osceola

Growing up in rural southwest Iowa was pretty typical. I detasseled, worked at the local grocery store, studied hard in school, and went to college.

I was not particularly involved in any church or religious organization while attending high school or college, but I was an active Catholic. Academics took priority. Nevertheless, I was aware of the desire to share my faith with others and my willingness to get more involved.

After college, I enjoyed my job but didn't find the happiness I believed one is supposed to feel after successfully completing college and beginning a new career. I began reading various Catholic literature and really started to appreciate what the sacraments mean, the value of prayer, and different ways to pray. During that time, I considered a vocation to religious life.

I began to question myself. What am I passionate about? How do I identify myself? What is my outward life telling me about my inner life? Maybe my job isn't right for me. I attempted to answer each and every question. I tried as much as possible to be involved in church activities, but traveling for my job hindered my participation. But thankfully, the job did provide much time for prayer and personal reflection. Months later I spoke with a relative, who had once been in a religious order, about everything that was occurring. She answered right away that I had a call to a vocation.

Later that year I made a resolution to decide for or against a vocation. I contacted a priest friend to tell him my story. After absorbing everything, he responded that he had considered mentioning the idea of vocation to me years ago. With all the information I had gathered, I still wasn't convinced. But God intervened.

A few weeks later I was engulfed in an internal struggle of whether or not to forgive a friend who had betrayed my trust. I was upset and earnestly prayed, asking for God's assistance. Never had I experienced the love of God in such an intense and personal way. This gift of grace was a life-giving moment in a chain of events that led to me entering seminary.

As my senior year began at Dowling High School, everything was "in order". I was registered in pharmacy school at Drake University and my boss at the drugstore where I had been working offered to pay half my tuition each year if I would continue to work for him. My father and uncle were pharmacists, so it was in my blood. I was so happy to have all of this figured out.

But by Christmas, the "perfect plan" was being shaken. I had thought about being a priest when I was in grade school, but had put that behind me. For some reason, the thoughts of priesthood started to creep into my thinking. The fact that I was daily surrounded by priests, since there were 25 of them on the faculty of Dowling in those days, sure didn't help. The thoughts and "promptings" became more intense.

Finally, I spoke to a priest and asked what this was all about. His advice to me was to give it serious thought, pray about it and he was sure I would know what to do. I finally decided to go to seminary for a year "to get it out of my system". But it felt so right and I found such peace that I finally made the commitment to continue to priesthood. All these years later I can't imagine any other path which could have brought me such happiness. Not every day is easy, but the wonderful gift of working with God's people in helping them know the Lord is very rewarding. So my advice, if you hear Him knocking, don't walk away. Give it serious thought and prayer. He will let you know if it is what He wants for you.

In first year college, pre-meds, pre-laws and pre-theology students were asked to write a paper on why they wanted to be a doctor, lawyer, priest. I remember some of the pre-theology guys wrote inspiring papers. Me? I didn't know what to write.

I had always thought about being a priest. When I got to high school, I tried to forget about it! But when it came time to decide, I signed on. I just told God, "If you don't want me here, let me know." I never had a doubt, nor any wistful backward glance.

When I was ten years old (back in 1955), I learned the Latin prayers and became an altar server. I enjoyed serving Mass with my older brother, Jerry, or younger brother, Joe. I am fourth oldest in a family of thirteen; I grew up on a small farm northeast of Westphalia, Iowa.

When I was in 6th grade at St. Boniface School, for an art project, the teacher asked us to draw what we wanted to be when we grew up. I remember drawing a picture of a priest at the altar. Also, in that same year, I remember pausing after doing chores one evening, looking over at a lilac bush on our lawn, and wondering about my future call; reflecting on the experience of Moses and the burning bush.

The closeness of our family to each other, belonging and participating in all the activities at St. Boniface Church and school, and association with the priests who taught religion (especially Fr. Ralph Goeser), kept the notion of priesthood alive in me. One sentence of advice: Remain open to God whether within your own heart or in the words and actions of good people around you.

I wondered about being a priest while in high school, but decided against it. What I really wanted to be was a high school teacher, which I was for twelve years. For years, I assumed I would be a teacher forever -- I loved it! But then the call to priesthood started coming -- a sense that what I was doing was good, but somehow teaching a student how to conjugate a French verb or understand the events of the Great Depression was not enough. I saw too many students with no faith and no church -- something I had never before experienced. So I went to seminary -- and have never regretted leaving all else behind.

A thought to consider: You may be doing very well at what you are doing -- and you may be doing a lot of good doing it. But, if the call to priesthood comes, pray about it and think about it. Better is better than good. Best is even better. If you feel the call, being a priest may be God's way of getting the best out of you -- for the greater good of a lot of other people.