On May 30, transitional Deacons Dominic Miller and Peter Romens and four other men will be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The ordination Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. in the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. The two men didn’t always know they would be priests.
Deacon Romens earned a degree in civil engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He worked for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation as a bridge designer. It wasn’t until he was in The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul that he learned one of the pope’s official titles: Pontifex Maximus — Latin for “supreme bridge-builder.”
“I always liked math. It made sense,” Deacon Romens told “Practicing Catholic” co-hosts Leah Heselton and Father Tom Margevi?ius for an episode that debuts May 22 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. “The beautiful thing about the Catholic Church is it makes sense. Everything’s coherent. Everything fits together.”
While working in Madison, Wisconsin, Deacon Romens attended daily Mass at a church in the area that offered it. The church also had perpetual adoration. He went to Mass after work and prayed a Holy Hour before going home each day.
“During my time in Madison, it became really clear that I wanted to be a priest,” Deacon Romens said. “I started to watch the priest say Mass.”
Deacon Romens watched an older priest who was feeble. The priest took his time with every movement. He “was just so careful and reverent,” Deacon Romens said. Deacon Romens said he thought it was beautiful, and he thought to himself, “I would love to be a man like him someday.”
Deacon Miller attended the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, and got a degree in business administration. In high school and college, he was convinced he was meant to be married. He chose his degree because it would be helpful in supporting a family. He graduated college with a girlfriend and a job lined up.
Then came 2020.
“I graduated in December 2019 right before COVID(-19),” Deacon Miller said. “Long story short, my girlfriend and I eventually broke up. It was the right decision for both of us, but it was hard, and then because of COVID and the economy, I could not get hired on to my job.”
During college, Deacon Miller said he developed a strong daily prayer life. Wondering where his life would lead him, he prayed often.
“I was praying the rosary a lot during those tough spring, summer months of 2020 and asking Mary, ‘Hey, Mother, I know God has a purpose for me. I don’t know what his plan is right now, but please just give me trust in him. … I prayed that intention every single day, and then also, like silent prayer and then visiting (a) 24/7 chapel nearby, and all of a sudden, thoughts of seminary started popping into my head.”
To hear more from Deacons Miller and Romens about their discernment to the priesthood, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. May 23 and 2 p.m. May 24.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest episode also features Deacons Alexander Hall and Sebastian Spencer in an interview about their discernment process for the priesthood. The episode is produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at practicingcatholicshow.com or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
