May 27 marks an important moment for transitional Deacons Kyle Etzel and William Kratt.
They — along with transitional Deacons Ryan Glaser and John Rumpza — will be ordained to the priesthood during a 10 a.m. ceremony at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.
Deacon Etzel and Deacon Kratt shared the journeys that brought them to this moment with “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley during a recent interview.
Deacon Etzel said Father Rolf Tollefson, pastor of St. Hubert in Chanhassen, helped guide him in the direction of priesthood discernment.
“When I was in college, (Father Tollefson) simply just asked me the question and that was really the day I kind of got walloped by the Holy Spirit two-by-four,” Deacon Etzel said. The deacon said he “knew right then and there that the Lord wanted me to discern this call to the priesthood.”
Deacon Kratt shared a similar experience growing up attending Divine Mercy in Faribault and seeing the example of Father Kevin Finnegan, then pastor of the parish.
“I would see … his consistent witness and anyone who knows Father Kevin knows there’s no duplicity in the man. He’s just a very authentic witness of joy, of just integrity, of just kind of a consistent … zeal for whatever the Lord wants him to do.” Deacon Kratt recalled Father Finnegan encouraging “whatever God’s calling you to in your life … that’s the only thing that’s going to be worth doing.”
Deacon Kratt started feeling a pull to the priesthood during a mission trip in Missouri his sophomore year of high school. Initially, the thought of joining the priesthood hadn’t even crossed his mind. But then there was “just a point where I thought, OK wait a second. I’ve seen many good priests who are just really on fire, who are definitely fulfilled or joyful, who have given their lives to this. I’m like, OK, maybe that could be me.” So, he took that to prayer and from that point on, the thought “never really went away,” he said.
Deacon Etzel’s discernment began after his transition into his senior year of college at Iowa State University; a time when he felt he needed “some real friends and authentic faith.”
“I ended up at the Newman Center in a small group, just sort of by grace,” he said. Though he grew up attending Catholic Mass with his family and participated in the sacraments, this was a time he began pursuing his faith more intentionally. That year, he described having “a profound experience in the sacrament of penance” and began seeking spiritual direction from Father Tollefson. The day Father Tollefson asked whether he might consider the priesthood, Deacon Etzel said he felt the Holy Spirit and realized “he’s been working on me for a long time” through the “beautiful cooperation of a good pastor and a faith community (and) within my family.”
More information about the ordination event can be found online at archspm.org/ordinationpriesthood.
To hear the full interview, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. May 26 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. May 27 and 2 p.m. May 28.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes an interview with Deacon Glaser and Deacon Rumpza as well as Father David Blume, director of vocations for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show.
