Deacon Francis “Frankie” Floeder’s childhood was marked by the presence of clergy.
His uncle, Father John Floeder, is the director of the propaedeutic year and director of human formation at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul. His elder brother, Louis, is the pastor of St. Dominic in Northfield. Priests regularly joined Steven and Chany Floeder and their 10 children for dinner.
It was the positive presence of these priests in his life, Deacon Floeder said, that provided the impetus for him to enter the seminary. He will be ordained with 12 other men from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to the priesthood on May 25 at the age of 26.
“My family has been instrumental in forming me into the man I am today,” he said. “God is calling all of us to be saints, and it has been a blessing for me to see the ways God is using us for the upbuilding of the Kingdom.”
Deacon Floeder grew up attending St. Louis, King of France in St. Paul and Mounds View High School in Arden Hills. He completed his undergraduate degree in philosophy and Catholic Studies with a minor in psychology at the St. John Vianney Minor Seminary at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, where he then earned his Master’s of Divinity at The St. Paul Seminary.
In addition to the witness of priests, the witness of the saints influenced Deacon Floeder’s path to the priesthood. While St. Teresa of Kolkata is his favorite, he said that he hasn’t “met a saint that I don’t like. I love them all.”
“I have put in a lot of time reading the lives of the saints, and they have been a great help to me over the years. St. Mother Teresa is my favorite saint, and she has been hugely influential in my vocation.”
Part of that vocation, Deacon Floeder hopes, is to radiate the love that he received from his family — which he referred to as a “school of love,” referencing a quote of St. John Paul II — to all of those he meets.
“I think the greatest need in our local Church could be summed up in one word: love. We are made out of love for love. We can always grow in our love for God and love for our neighbor. As a priest I will represent God and the Church in a unique way, and my hope is that I can radiate God’s love to all I encounter. I plan on responding to that need by doing small things with great love,” he said, quoting St. Teresa.
Out of all that priests do, Deacon Floeder is most excited for the ability to celebrate Mass.
“I cannot wait to celebrate the Mass. Part of the supreme law of the Church is the glory of God and the salvation of souls. The Mass is a unique way that the priest gets to participate in that, so that is why I am most looking forward to celebrating Mass as a priest,” he said.
He also anticipates playing ultimate frisbee with the youth of his parish.
“Ultimate frisbee is my favorite (sport to play), so hopefully that will give me an in with the youth. I also like playing guitar and singing, and that seems to be a hit when I am at places like hospitals or leading retreats.”
