By way of intro…

I asked the two seminarians who will be doing their second year field work here to ‘introduce themselves’ with a short paragraph, as they begin their service among us this weekend.

“I was born and raised in the little farm town of West Point, Nebraska. After years of struggling with the Catholic faith, I finally encountered Jesus in a real and personal way in my last year of high school and began thinking about the priesthood. I studied aviation as a student pilot at the University of Nebraska at Omaha before transferring to St. John Vianney College Semi-nary in St. Paul, MN in 2010. I came to Kenrick Seminary here in St. Louis last year, and I’m so grateful that the Lord has sent me to spend this year at St. Ann’s. You all make up a very significant part of my formation as a priest, and that means a lot to me. I’m eager to meet you all!”
Taylor Leffler

“My name is Padraic Stack and I am a seminarian studying for the Archdiocese of Omaha. I am beginning my second year of theology and my fourth year overall at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, having gone through their Pre-Theology program as well. Prior to seminary I studied both architecture and civil engineering and worked for an architecture firm for several years doing structural engineering. Though I loved the design world greatly, I could not ignore the Lord’s invitation to enter into a deeper relationship with Him and to enter into His Holy Church. I am a relatively new Catholic as I just came into the Church in 2010, but in these past five years I have grown to truly love the Church, which has led me to follow the Lord into formation for His Sacred Priesthood. I look forward to these next nine months that I will get to spend at St. Ann’s and to meeting many of you in the weeks to come.”

Students in their second year of theology focus on the Pastoral Care of the Elderly, Sick and Dying, which can take place in a variety of settings, including Home-bound Ministry, and the Visitation of Hospitals and Nursing Homes within the parish. So, in addition to assisting at mass, they will be making some communion calls, visiting folks in the hospitals and nursing homes, and in general, being a pastoral presence here among us. They are expected to do 3-4 hours of apostolic service during the times they are with us on Sun-day mornings/afternoons. Please give them your usual warm, St. Ann welcome.