A formation advisor and spiritual director at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul has been appointed vocations director of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
As announced by Archbishop Bernard Hebda, Father Mark Pavlak will fill the role now held by Father David Blume, who July 1 will take a temporary, three-year assignment to the Diocese of Crookston as one of three members of the priestly fraternity Companions of Christ who have been assigned to that diocese.
In a statement, Father Pavlak said being a priest of Jesus Christ has been the greatest joy of his life and now as vocations director he gets “to help men and women hear their call to follow the Lord Jesus in a more intimate way. I’m very grateful and humbled that the Archbishop has asked me to take on this important task on behalf of our local church, and I’m more than aware of the large shoes to fill that Fr. David Blume is leaving behind; he has done exceptional work these past nine years.”
Father Pavlak said he would rely heavily on his brother priests and the people of the archdiocese for their prayers and support. He thanked seminary rector Father Jonathan Kelly and the priests at St. John Vianney for their brotherhood and holy example. “It has been a privilege to serve with them in the Lord’s vineyard,” Father Pavlak said.
A graduate of The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul who was ordained in 2016, Father Pavlak also has ministered at St. John Neumann in Eagan, St. Joseph in West St. Paul and Visitation School and St. Thomas Academy, both in Mendota Heights.
