Deacon Joseph Wappes said that growing up in St. Anthony Village and attending St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony, he saw “the witness of many joyful, and oftentimes young, priests and seminarians.”
He first thought about becoming a priest when he was about 7 years old, though he said he “was not set on it.”
Deacon Wappes, 26, is among 13 men being ordained to the priesthood in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis this year — the largest class since 2005. The presbyteral ordination is set to take place at 10 a.m. May 25 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.
Although not initially set on entering the priesthood, the call gradually amplified as he grew. While attending St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School and St. Anthony Village High School, he was an altar server at Mass, began participating in his parish youth group and started a life of personal prayer.
“I felt drawn again to being a priest,” Deacon Wappes said. A visit to the seminary at the end of high school propelled him on the path to priesthood.
“I was sure that the Lord was inviting me to begin to pursue the priesthood, and the time of formation in seminary has confirmed that invitation from the Lord to be a priest — one given over completely to God in service of his Church,” he said.
He attended St. John Vianney College Seminary at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul and pursued degrees in philosophy and Catholic Studies.
He also studied theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, in Rome. The experience allowed him to “feel like I’ve seen the universal Church in a new way,” Deacon Wappes shared with “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley when his interview aired April 26.
“One highlight that comes to mind for me is … I got to serve as a deacon at the Papal Mass on Easter Sunday in St. Peter’s Square. So that was a great gift, just a sense of gathering with the whole Church at prayer along with the Vicar of Christ, Pope Francis. It was a great joy,” he told Conley.
Deacon Wappes said support for his pursuit of the priesthood came largely from his family and friends.
He said his parents, Jim and Mary, “passed on the faith to me and my siblings” and “were very supportive of my decision, as they have always wanted me to open to God’s will.”
“So were my siblings,” Deacon Wappes said of his five brothers and sisters — Brendan, Marie, Michael, Jacinta and Benjamin. He mentioned Michael, who is one year older, as particularly exemplifying a life of faith.
“His witness over the years always gave me courage to live my faith, to continue learning about the faith, and to be open to the priesthood,” Deacon Wappes told The Catholic Spirit. “In fact, he was discerning a call to the priesthood before me, and visited the seminary before determining that it was not God’s call for him. That was a great example for me of how to be open to God’s call.”
“Additionally, I had a good group of Catholic friends who encouraged and supported me in my discernment and decision,” he added. “If I would have had to make the decision alone, without this support, I may not have had the courage to say yes to God’s invitation and to step out in faith to answer it.”
Deacon Wappes hopes to offer support and connection as a priest.
“I see that many people feel isolated, in particular in their lives of faith,” he said. “Each of us needs a community, and in particular in our journey of faith. I hope to assist in fostering vibrant, life-giving communities of disciples of Jesus who support, encourage and inspire one another.”
That community building could happen on the court, Deacon Wappes said.
“I love sports, especially basketball and volleyball,” he said. “I look forward to getting a chance to play sports with parishioners.”
More than participating in sports with parishioners, Deacon Wappes is looking forward to celebrating the Mass with the faithful, calling it a privilege.
“As a priest, my daily life will flow from this act of offering both myself and anyone entrusted to my care to God the Father, in union with Jesus’ offering. What a gift!” he said.
Deacon Wappes also expressed excitement over the size of this year’s class of ordinands.
“I see in my classmates a wide variety of gifts that will bless our local Church. I have been so grateful for their companionship and support over these years and look forward to that continuing into the future. I am aware that a group like this can only be the fruit of the fervent prayers of God’s people to the Master of the harvest, who is pleased to answer those prayers by calling men to serve as laborers in his vineyard.”
For his own ministry, Deacon Wappes said the selfless and sacrificial love his parents offered him and his siblings “prepared the way for me to be ready to offer myself in love for others — for me, as a priest.”
Preparing for his ordination, Deacon Wappes said, has filled him with “a great sense of peace that this is how God has invited me to lay down my life, for service, for the Church. So, I just have great peace and excitement.”
