Seminarians ready for their ordination
Four seminarians will be ordained transitional deacons for the Diocese of Wichita at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 27, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita.
Caleb Kuestersteffen
Caleb Kuestersteffen, the son of Michael and Christine Kuestersteffen of El Dorado, said he is looking forward to the Litany of Saints during the Rite of Ordination.
“After we have been called up from our families into the sanctuary and state our resolution to the bishop, each of us lays prostrate,” he said in an email. “All those gathered then beg the prayers of Mary and all the saints in heaven. They ask that God will pour out his graces upon those to be ordained and the work we will undertake as ministers of the church.”
Lying face down at the altar is a profound symbol and expresses his total gift of himself for the glory of God and the salvation of man, he said. “All that I have, my strengths and weaknesses, are laid vulnerable at the foot of the altar as an offering. The same church that has just called us forth for service now intercedes on our behalf, trusting that God will give his church the good things that she prays for. I get goosebumps thinking about it.”
Looking forward to delivering homilies
Kuestersteffen, a student at Mundelein Seminary near Chicago, said he is looking forward to proclaiming the gospel and delivering homilies.
“I will be commissioned to break open the Word of God and, with His grace, to cause the hearts of my listeners to burn within them – similar to the disciples listening to Jesus on the road to Emmaus,” he said. “My life is forever changed because I know the one who created me, who loves me, and who has brought me into communion with him.”
He added that he is eager to give witness to the joy that he’s found and to show how the story of salvation that began with Adam and Eve so long ago continues today.
The last six years of seminary formation have prepared him for his ordination, Kuestersteffen said. “Seminary formation strives to prepare a man for a life committed to the work of the church in joy, charity, and peace. We grow in our humanity, cultivating virtue and interior freedom. We grow intellectually, in our understanding of truth, revelation, the deposit of faith, and how to present it in a compelling way.”
Spiritual growth important
Seminarians learn pastoral skills, he said, how to foster hearts to encounter others and reveal the love that God has for them.
Most important is spiritual growth, Kuestersteffen said. “In the intimacy of prayer, I have experienced the love, care, forgiveness, and desire for the friendship of Jesus Christ. I am convicted of his will for my good, and that by accepting the invitation to be conformed to his heart of service as an ordained minister of the church, he will be glorified, the world will be sanctified, and the communion we are all made for will be fostered.
“A life of self-gift is what we are made for, it is how we find fulfillment. Through my experiences in seminary, I am able to declare with confidence and joy that the way God desires me to give myself is through the ordained ministry of the church.”
Kuestersteffen said his family was supportive of his discernment well before he began seminary studies, adding that God’s will was always brought into discussions about one’s future. “This, combined with my parents’ dedication to their faith and their own vocation of married life, has given me great confidence in their continued support. Now as ordination draws near, excitement is growing, and I am looking forward to celebrating this moment with them.”
Kuestersteffen expressed his gratitude to the people of the diocese, the Knights of Columbus, and the Serra Clubs for their prayer, their support, and their culture of stewardship.
Jesus Bañuelos
Jesus Bañuelos, the son of Juan and Carmen Bañuelos of Wichita, said he is looking forward to giving his life totally to God.
“This has been the goal since the beginning of my time in seminary. We are all called to do the same, but the Lord has called me to give him my life in this particular way: by prostrating myself before him.”
Bañuelos, a student at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, wrote that his studies and his experiences at the seminary have prepared him.
Encountering God every day
“Every day has been an opportunity to encounter Him in a new way – for me to grow in awe and wonder in the study of theology, to prayerfully study how he desires to pour out his love upon me.”
He said he has become aware of how God is working through others and in his daily experiences. “The more I have come to know him, to become aware of his presence, the more I am impelled to love him.”
Bañuelos said his family is very supportive of his choice to become a priest.
Surprised family
“I don’t think they had it in their minds that someone from the family would be giving their life to the Lord in this way,” he said. “There has been awe and wonder on their part about what God has done in their lives and my own.”
He also thanked the faithful of the diocese for their generosity and prayers.
Matthew Cooke
Matthew Cooke, the son of Mike and Diane Cooke of Wichita, said he has continued to say yes as he moved through seminary and looks forward to making his yes more concrete. “Now, with the help of God, my yes will be lived out as a minister of the church.”
A student at Mundelein Seminary, Cooke said the seminary has reminded him about how God is continually speaking to him.
“Often I am deaf to his voice and blind to his movements,” he said. “With time and patience, I have grown more and more familiar with who God is, what his voice sounds like, and what his movements look like. Maybe put simply, God desires to know me – and each of us for that matter – as much as we are willing to let him in.”
Another surprised family
Cooke said his family was surprised and anxious when he began his studies. “With time I have noticed more curiosity and support. Curiosity as to what it means to be a priest; support by continuing to check in with me as I go through the discernment process.”
He added that he is grateful for all the emotional, financial, and spiritual support from the diocese – especially those who make a weekly holy hour.
Miles Swigart
Miles Swigart, the son of John and Traci Swigart of Kingman, said he is looking forward to the first step in the culmination of seven years of formation and 13 years of hopeful anticipation.
“I am looking forward to finally crossing the threshold and laying down my life for God and the church,” he said. “I am really looking forward to preaching every day and serving as a deacon at Mass, as well as getting to know and helping the people of this great diocese in any way that I can.”
Loved time in a parish
Swigart, a student at Mundelein Seminary, wrote that he loved developing relationships with parishioners of St. Andrew Parish in Independence during a pastoral internship last year and is looking forward to doing the same at St. Mary’s Parish in Derby.
He said he considered his study of classic works of literature and philosophy at the University of Dallas to have been the most important part of his intellectual formation because they had a profound effect on shaping him as a person.
A seven-week pilgrimage to the Holy Land was also formative. “I got to not only visit but effectively live in the places where Jesus and the Apostles lived,” he said. “That experience, especially including my week-long retreat on the Sea of Galilee, certainly shaped and prepared me to give my life to God in ministry for the church. Visiting and spending an entire night at Calvary, once described by the singer Bono (a personal hero of mine) as ‘The place where death died’ will certainly impact my imagination and preaching going forward.”
Thanks to the diocese
Swigart, too, was thankful to everyone in the diocese who has supported him through prayer and their stewardship.
“When I joined the seminary and was shipped off to Dallas seven years ago, I had no idea that I was starting an amazing adventure that would make me grow so much and send me all over the world,” he said. “These genuinely have been the best seven years of my life, and I am incredibly grateful to all of you for making them possible.
Swigart added that he is eager to serve the people of the diocese and return the favor of their generosity and love.