Called apart

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN JORDAN KRAUSE
The Roman Catholic community in Marion County has been doing its part lately to reverse a steady national decline of young men entering the priesthood.



Within the past few years, Holy Family Parish has produced three seminarians who are training for a ministry career within the church.



The three men, the first Catholic seminarians to come out of the county in about 15 years, are John Jirak, Aaron Vinduska and Nick Voelker.



The Holy Family Parish, headed by Father Steve Groener, was formed about six years ago when parishes based in Pilsen, Tampa, Marion, Florence and Burns were unified into one. Services are held in Pilsen, Marion and Florence.



Jirak grew up in the Tampa area, Vinduska around Lincolnville, and Voelker is from the Florence-Burns area.



Jirak and Voelker plan to become parish priests, meaning they will lead their own community congregations.



Vinduska has taken a different route. He has committed his life to a European religious order called the Legion of Christ, which is based in Salamanca, Italy.



Despite the differences in their career paths, these three seminarians share at least one thing: they each feel they have been called by God to pursue church service.



?In first grade, I began to feel that I would grow up to have an important role in the Roman Catholic Church,? Voelker said. ?But it wasn?t until I was in college that the call really came to me. I began to realize that Jesus Christ had called me (to the priesthood) through prayer and different people?s influence, and I said yes.?



Jirak said his calling was ?a gradual process…a steadily increasing attraction to live the life of a priest.?



The attraction became clear for him during his senior year of high school, when he met a young priest at a Catholic youth retreat.



?He was a real guy, but he was on fire with God, and he was someone who really loved what he was doing,? Jirak said. ?I realized I could do that as well.?



Vinduska?s calling came somewhat suddenly, when he and a friend were invited six years ago to a retreat in New Hampshire by two monastery brothers.



?I had never considered the religious life as a career until that point,? Vinduska said. ?However, after I returned home, I seemed to keep hearing the others who were at the retreat ask me, ?Are you going to come back?? My parents saw a change in me as well, and it gradually dawned on me that God was calling me to this.?



Vinduska?s induction into the Legion is a lifelong commitment, one not taken by many present-day religious students.



For Jirak and Voelker, who attend seminary together at the Pontifical College of Josephinium in Columbus, Ohio, the path is one that thousands before them have taken.



But it?s not an easy path. As Louis Voelker, Nick?s father, said, ?Getting a wild idea to be a poster-boy priest is one thing. Getting into seminary is another.?



Before attending the Pontifical College of Josephinium?the only college of its kind in the United States?Jirak and Voelker both attended other colleges. Jirak went to Conception Seminary in St. Louis, and Voelker attended Neosho County Community College and Conception Abbey College near St. Joseph, Mo.



Voelker is currently taking time off from seminary work as a chaplain at St. Francis Via Christi Regional Medical Center in Wichita.



During their years in college, seminarians learn about the Catholic faith and theology in order to earn one of two degrees: a master of theology, which requires a B average throughout seminary, or a master of divinity, which merely requires a passing grade in all courses.



In their last year of seminary, the transition from student to priest begins through a process called the Sacrament of Holy Orders. In their next-to-last year of seminary, students are ordained transitional deacons during Holy Week.



From there, seminarians can take one of two paths. They can either choose to remain a deacon, which, if the position is made permanent, becomes an assistant to a parish priest.



Or they can choose to become a priest, which requires an additional year of training. Once completed, they will be ordained priests by the parish bishop.



If all goes according to plan, Jirak and Voelker both will be ordained parish priests in May 2002.



Once they become parish priests, serving out of the Wichita diocese, the two will live independently within the area and be salaried by the diocese.



Meanwhile, in the Legion of Christ, Vinduska lives a life of apostolic pursuits with the surrounding community. His days involve prayer, daily Mass, studies in theology and philosophy, meditation, and a daily time for recreation and relaxation.



Like the rest of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is headed by a hierarchy of religious leaders. The general director has superiority over the rest, but is supported and advised by a council.



Because of his vow of obedience to the order, Vinduska must obtain permission from the director if he wishes to return to America for a visit. The director will make a decision depending on Aaron?s studies and circumstances at the seminary.



Other than the ruling hierarchy, priests have no rank in their service to the order. In daily conversation, they address each other as ?brother,? a term of respect which is symbolic of the members all being part of the family of Christ.





Catholics view every human as having to choose between three vocations: the single life, the married life, and the life of a priest. Devoting one?s life to the priesthood requires the most sacrifice.



?I always wanted to get married and have a family,? Jirak said. ?And there was part of me that wanted to farm. At times, of course, you second-guess yourself. It?s something that?s hard to struggle through. But the consistency of the call keeps me on the path. I just have to accept the fact that I?m a man, a human, and move on.?



Vinduska, though, sees his calling differently.



?For the past six years, I have been convinced that my vocation is part of God?s will…and I am completely disposed to continue serving God,? he said. ?I want to transmit the experience I receive from God to others, and let them know God loves them and wants them to find salvation. I want them to know that just as the calm comes after the storm, salvation comes after trial.?



Voelker said he has no regrets about the choices he has made, either.



?I would wholeheartedly recommend the priesthood to other Roman Catholic males,? he said. ?It is a wonderful vocation of service to others and the furthering of God?s kingdom on earth, as well as bringing glory and honor to God.?



The parents of these seminarians, wholeheartedly support the career choices their sons have made.



?The bad part is that a lot of families turn against their sons for entering the seminary without reason,? said Louis Voelker.



?But we?re very proud of Nick. I always find myself to be inspired when Nick returns from the seminary and we have long theological discussions. Nick is a real bright spot in my life.?



Mary Jirak, John?s mother, believes her son was divinely chosen for the path is pursuing.



?I really feel that God has predestined us for one vocation in life,? she said. ?Naturally, I?ll support my children in whatever of those vocations they choose.



?I?m delighted and tremendously excited (about John?s choice),? she added. ?If it is what God wants him to do, then of course I support him 100 percent. But if he ends up doing something else, then I will support him in that as well.?



Don Vinduska, Aaron?s father, shares the sense of call with his son.



?We?re very excited for him because it certainly feels like something he was called to do,? he said. ?His journey has been exciting for us, and it?s been very satisfying knowing that he feels so confident about what his calling in life is.?



None of their parents expressed surprise when their sons announced their intention to attend seminary.



Anna Voelker said, ?Nick was always involved with pro-life activities and other things within the church. He taught at the Catholic youth retreat Totus Tuus under Father Bernard Jorges, and would often go to Ceremonies of Adoration at the church. We as a family discussed religion quite frequently.?



Mary Jirak said she had seen indications of John?s call manifesting during his early life.



Don Vinduska said Aaron always was very prayerful. ?People?fellow students?were drawn to him, and it was always amazing to us to see, at different school functions, how other students were always around him.?



But why these three young men? And why now?



Said Father Groenert: ?It?s just something you feel called to do. Life as a priest has been challenging, but I enjoy it. I feel this is where God wants me to be…and it?s where I want to be as well.



?Since ordination, my own personal call to priesthood has intensified quite a bit. In fact, it never weakened. I really believe that it?s something God chooses us for.?

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