Church in Harvey a community fostering vocations

“My dear sons, you have been called by our Lord to be his priests in an interesting time. The challenges are many, the opportunities are endless, and the grace of God is unfailing,” said Bishop John Folda at the Presbyterate Ordination Mass on Aug. 8 at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Fargo.

Five men from St. Cecilia’s Church in Harvey that have answered that call to the priesthood were present to concelebrate the Eucharist with newly ordained Father Jered Grossman. 

Expounding on his roots of faith at St. Cecilia’s, Father Grossman said, “I feel very blessed to have grown up in St. Cecilia’s under the care of Monsignor Roman G. Neva. My vocation to the priesthood was sparked by him when I was 10 years old. It was very humbling for me to celebrate my first Mass at the altar which fostered my vocation.”

“Harvey will always be the hometown where my journey to the priesthood began,” said Father Paul Kuhn. “The seeds of faith were planted in Baptism, cultivated and cared for by family, friends, parishioners, priests, Wednesday night Catechesis, and will ultimately be brought to fruition by God in his timing. Although Harvey will always be the hometown where the journey of faith began, God please, it will end in our eternal home—Heaven.”

“Growing up in a small town was a wonderful blessing,” said Father Robert Keller. “I had the support and friendship of many people around me. Grandparents and a close knit faith community provided the seed bed for my vocation to grow. It was through the times of prayer at St. Cecilia’s that I heard the Lord calling to me.”

Father Bert Miller’s formation began in Harvey too. “I remember all my friends in Harvey and the ways in which members of the community formed me for life... working at the Harvey Herald, being a member of the European Tour Choir, Turkey Bingo, and the St. Cecilia Choir. My call to priesthood happened throughout my life... in college at UND with Sister Borgia Sondag and Father Larry Haas who were both on staff at the Newman Center, editors that I worked for, and friends from Harvey to Grand Forks to Beach to Jamestown and Fargo.”

St. Cecilia’s is also proud to have five women Religious Vocations consecrated to God for the ministry of health care and education: Sister Nancy Miller, OSB; Sister Dorothy Bertsch, SMP; Sister Mary Ann Schmidt, SMP; Sister Dorothy Bunce, SMP; and Sister Elizabeth Rose Muscha, SMP.
“As a child I took note of the many Sisters of Mary of the Presentation in our parish,” said Sister Dorothy Bunce. “When I was six years old, I had a tonsillectomy at St. Aloisius Hospital where health care sisters cared for me. So perhaps it is pretty natural that when a visitor came to see my dad and asked me, ‘what are you going to be when you grow up,’ I immediately responded, ‘a Sister.’ My parents were very respectful toward the sisters and priests, and it relayed to me to show similar respect. St. Cecilia’s had many people in attendance at the daily Mass, which I began to attend as a sixth grader. I was in awe of how important God was in the lives of these people. I am grateful for God’s call.”

Sister Nancy Miller, a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery in Bismarck and spiritual and formation director for new members, said, “My parents most influenced my choice to become a religious sister. As they raised me and my seven siblings, they instilled in us a love and commitment to our Catholic faith. They served in many ways. I believe this is really what led me to respond to God’s call to a life of service in the church.”

We would be remiss, if we did not mention the Permanent Deacons from Harvey who have faithfully served the Fargo Diocese over the years: Deacon Jeffrey Faul, Deacon Matt Prom, and Deacon Donald Bunce.
Deacon Faul said, “Diaconal ministry is a bit different than the call to priesthood. Although a permanent deacon is an ordained cleric, the deacon lives a lay lifestyle. He may be a married man at the time of his ordination but may not remarry if pre-deceased by his spouse. Deacons generally maintain a secular vocation and receive no compensation for the time they devote to ministry. I experienced the call to diaconal ministry through the message of the Cursillo movement where it became clear that more was expected of me. After visiting with Monsignor Neva, my wife and I decided ministry would be part of our lifestyle. Twenty-seven years have slipped by and each one has brought many blessings.”

Reflecting on the seeds of faith and religious vocations, we pray for more seeds to be planted and nourished by the witness of all the faithful.