Bishop to ordain three men to the priesthood on June 24
June 14, 2022
Bishop William Joensen will ordain three men to the priesthood on Friday, June 24. Here is a brief look at their vocation stories.
Deacon Alex Kramer, Holy Trinity Parish, Des Moines 
Deacon Alex Kramer was just a young boy when the Catholic Church made its first impact on his life. While watching television at five or six years old, a documentary about St. John Paul II’s visit to Iowa came on the television.
“Who is the guy in white?” he asked his parents before deciding that he too wanted to be the pope someday.
This interest in the Holy Father evolved. “The Lord was calling me to be a priest,” he said.
Serving at the altar during Mass in his formative years was a “blessing.” “To be close to the holy mystery – close to the sacrifice of the Mass and serving at the altar enkindled in me a desire to be a priest,” he continued.
He attended Dowling Catholic High School and then went to the seminary.
He looks forward to ordination.
“One of the things I look forward to doing most is celebrating Mass, bringing people the Eucharist and being a Christ-like witness to the world,” he added. “I am so thankful to be a priest and serve the people of God here. Please pray for me and my brother seminarians.”
Deacon Rodrigo Mayorga Landeros, St. Bernard Parish, Osceola
Deacon Rodrigo Mayorga Landeros credits his mother’s devotion to the Catholic faith as the strongest influence on his faith today.
Born and raised in Mexico, his mother taught him and his siblings how to pray. She also made sure they made it to catechism classes every Saturday and Mass every Sunday. She regularly brought the kids to confession, standing with them in line, awaiting her own turn to “dispel any fears around the sacrament and just plainly and serenely go with us and teach us that it’s a beautiful sacrament.”
As a child, Deacon Mayorga Landeros enjoyed celebrating “Mass” in his room with his siblings.
“I would even lead small pilgrimages around our house with my brother,” Deacon Mayorga Landeros said. “I remember clearly and vividly making a wooden cross with my brother and I would process around the house. I think that’s when the idea of becoming a priest first showed up.”
During his senior year of high school Deacon Mayorga Landeros made a few seminary visits, fully expecting to encounter “young but boring seminarians stuck in the books and in prayer.”
“I went to St. John Vianney seminary back in 2014, and one of the nights we were there the seminarians organized a game of dodgeball. But the following morning they had a holy hour,” he said.
He saw the balance seminary offered: prayer, study, fraternity and games. He was sold – seminary was for him.
Deacon Nick Smith, St. Augustin Parish, Des Moines 
Deacon Nick Smith of St. Augustin Parish in Des Moines said his vocation story began with his family.
“I would say my vocation is the result of a lot of small seeds of faith being planted throughout my life – starting, of course, in my family – in the home where my siblings and I were taught the Catholic faith,” he said.
The Smith family attended Mass every Sunday and learned from a very young age to see the world through the lens of faith.
“One of those seeds that was planted early on was to be able to serve at the altar in the fifth grade…” Deacon Smith continued. “That was a real eye-opener for me. I was able to participate in the liturgy and Mass more actively – even at a young age.”
While attending Dowling Catholic High School, he thought more about a religious vocation.
“But it wasn’t until later in high school that I really started to think seriously about priesthood…” he said. “I continued to engage in opportunities to engage with my faith, including serving at Mass, going to adoration, praying a little more often.”
As a senior in high school, he realized that the next step had to be seminary. “It really was in the seminary where I think my vocation was truly confirmed and where I began to really love the priesthood as a life given over to God completely.”