Seven to be ordained to diaconate on May 22
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 22 at Wichita’s St. Catherine of Siena Parish, seven young men are set to be ordained as transitional deacons for the Diocese of Wichita: Peter Bergkamp, Paul Brungardt, Kyle Demel, Isaac Hilger, Jacob McGuire, Luke Meyerhoff, and Koby Nguyen.
To better acquaint the diocese’s faithful with these seven men, the Catholic Advance reached out to all of them with a handful of questions.
Their responses, which have been lightly edited for reasons of space, follow immediately.
What are your favorite pastimes for fun or relaxation?
When I am at the seminary in St. Louis, my favorite pastimes for relaxation are team sports such as soccer or ultimate frisbee, running, and watching movies or sports with my brother seminarians. I also enjoy hiking, camping, and snow skiing. While I can’t do these activities very often, they are my favorite form of leisure.
Lastly, another favorite pastime of mine is working on the family farm. While I also can’t do this very often, I do enjoy the rare occasions when I can get out on the farm or in the fields and help with whatever is going on.
As you prepare to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders can you please offer some insight into how you have grown from the time when you first decided to enter seminary?
When I first entered seminary, I was encouraged by various people in my life who believed I had many of the qualities that make a good priest. There is certainly truth to this – I do believe that God has formed me in a way that is ordered toward the ministerial priesthood.
However, throughout my time in seminary, I have come to realize that what will ultimately make me a good priest is not the gifts or talents I bring to the Lord and his Church, but rather my relationship with Christ himself and my openness to his love and mercy.
My vocation, then, is an undeserved gift from God – a mystery that took me six years to understand as such.
What has been the biggest surprise of your vocational journey to this point?
The biggest surprise of my vocational journey thus far is hands down God’s providence. I have been struck several times throughout these last six years with the beauty and wonder of God’s providence.
A line from St. Paul that has been a source of consolation for me and serves to explain God’s providence is Romans 8:28: “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.” God has definitely guided my journey these past six years and has consistently brought good out of all situations.
What are you most looking forward to about being ordained a deacon?
I am most looking forward to preaching as a deacon. Preaching is one of the few things that a deacon can do, along with baptizing, and assisting at Mass.
I look forward to seeing how the habit of preaching will affect my relationship with the Lord and his people. While I am sure I will have nerves before preaching, I look forward to proclaiming the Good News to the people of God.
What are your favorite pastimes for fun or relaxation?
Some of my favorite pastimes are going on walks, playing music, and disc golfing.
I love to spend time with friends, especially on porches or around bonfires.
As you prepare to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders can you please offer some insight into how you have grown from the time when you first decided to enter seminary?
When I first entered seminary, I was proud and self-reliant. Now, I am a little less so. Jesus has gently and lovingly broken open my stony heart.
I have grown by receiving his love, which I hope to share with others.
What has been the biggest surprise of your vocational journey to this point?
The biggest surprise is that, despite all my failures and shortcomings, Jesus continues to call me.
He is steadfast love. If he doesn’t give up on me, I know for sure he doesn’t give up on any of us.
What are you most looking forward to about being ordained a deacon?
After two years outside of seminary formation, I returned because I wanted to lay down my life for the Diocese of Wichita.
I am looking forward to doing that in being ordained a deacon.
What are your favorite pastimes for fun or relaxation?
I have always been a big fan of sports, both playing and watching. I graduated from K-State, so I usually keep tabs on how the Wildcats are doing. I also pay attention to the Chiefs and the Royals. I enjoy hiking and have recently gotten into backpacking. One pastime that I picked up in seminary is reading. I regularly have at least one book, usually a novel, history book, or something on the spiritual life, on my coffee table that I am working through.
As you prepare to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders can you please offer some insight into how you have grown from the time when you first decided to enter seminary?
Earlier this year, I was talking to my formator what kind of man I was when I first walked through the seminary doors five years ago. As I reflected on how I thought and acted back then, it hit me that God has shaped me into a much freer person.
For example, I used to think that before I could “approach God” I had to be perfect and completely “put together.” This mindset fueled my perfectionism, which caused me to constantly put lofty, often unrealistic, expectations on myself. I had to be good at everything, and then God would love me. While I still struggle with perfectionism on occasion, I no longer hold on to this notion. God loves me for who I am, most especially in my weakness, and living in this space is very freeing.
What has been the biggest surprise of your vocational journey to this point?
One surprise of my vocational journey is the way the Lord has relentlessly pursued me. Before seminary, I ran away a lot from God’s call to enter seminary, but he was ever patient with me, always gently nudging me back to the question. And in seminary, he has continued to treat me this loving way.
What are you most looking forward to about being ordained a deacon?
While I have enjoyed my time at the seminary, we are not meant to stay there forever. Men are or-dained to be in a parish with the people of God, and this is to what I most look forward; baptizing, preaching, and walking with the people of the parish.
What are your favorite pastimes for fun or relaxation?
In my downtime I like to go back to my roots and do some kind of creative work with my hands. Sometimes this is getting into a wood shop and building something that I can use in my room at seminary. Sometimes it is working on my car or that of a friend. Since I grew up working in my dad’s auto shop, I find it restorative to be able to use the skills I have to fix something.
Recently I have developed a hobby of working with leather to make things that are useful for myself or my friends.
As you prepare to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders can you please offer some insight into how you have grown from the time when you first decided to enter seminary?
Growing up in the Catholic community in St. Joseph, Ost, I heard in school and on retreats, that doing God’s will is what leads us to our greatest happiness. Many times in seminary I have experienced this great joy in being able to serve others in Christ’s name.
While I struggled a lot with academics, I realized even in the hard times I could feel God’s presence calling me to this vocation. By being confident is this plan for my life and trusting God, I did not have to worry about the difficult things. Leaning into this confidence and trust in the Lord allows us to experience all that the Lord is offering to each of us. See Mt. 19:29.
What has been the biggest surprise of your vocational journey to this point?
When I joined seminary, I thought that I knew myself well. Throughout the course of my formation, I was surprised by how much I did not know about myself. Through prayer and study of God I found that the more I learned about God I was also learning about myself. The God who created me, loves me and desires more for me than I could have imagined. In building a relationship with him, he has revealed to me both this wonderful life that is offered to me. I have been surprised by how God has worked in my life to help me grow in desire to serve him and his people.
What are you most looking forward to about being ordained a deacon?
As I approach diaconate ordination I look forward to bringing all that I am and have become, to bring Christ to the diocese. After seven years of formation, I feel very ready to give myself fully to the ministry. Using all that I have learned to preach the gospel well, giving the people of God good insights and hopefully inspire those in the pew to love and serve God.
I also look forward to being able to baptize new Christians, building the Church and bringing people into the Church to begin their new lives in Christ.
What are your favorite pastimes for fun or relaxation?
I love to exercise whenever I have time. Since about the end of high school, it has been something I much more enjoy than feel like something I must do. Whether it be running, biking, or really any form of cardio, it almost always helps me to refocus and de-stress.
As you prepare to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders can you please offer some insight into how you have grown from the time when you first decided to enter seminary?
Before entering seminary, I had never been to Wichita and I had known only a handful of priests. I was also very awkward/quiet at most social events. While I am still certainly not an extrovert, I have come to see Wichita as a second home and am very thankful for how much I have learned from the priests of our diocese.
What has been the biggest surprise of your vocational journey to this point?
It never ceases to amaze me how privileged I have been during my time as a seminarian. The amount of support and encouragement we receive continues to surprise me. I had never expected to be so cared for when I first entered seminary.
What are you most looking forward to about being ordained a deacon?
I am looking forward to simply being at a parish for both this summer and this next spring. As good as seminary is, I would much rather be with the people. I am excited to really begin the life of service I have felt called to for years now.
What are your favorite pastimes for fun or relaxation?
In general, I love to spend a lot of time with my brother seminarians, often just hanging out and enjoying a movie. When I am not with them, I enjoy sports, and to get out to golf, disc golf, or go to the lake.
I am also an avid Kansas City Royals fan, so I love to keep up with them and go to games when I can. These are just a few things I enjoy doing during some of my downtime to recreate and enjoy some of the simpler things in life.
As you prepare to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders can you please offer some insight into how you have grown from the time when you first decided to enter seminary?
Looking back to my freshman year of college at the St. Joseph House of Formation, I can see many ways I have grown since. In general, I have grown and matured a lot in these past seven years. However, the biggest point of growth has to be the trust the Lord has helped me place in him. Throughout the years, many things have allowed me the opportunity to trust in his plan for my life, especially that he is always there for me in prayer. I have grown to not just accept this reality, but to begin to live in the reality that the Lord always has the bigger picture in mind, particularly my holiness and sanctification.
What has been the biggest surprise of your vocational journey to this point?
One of the biggest surprises in my journey throughout formation is the lack of a mold the Lord expects from his seminarians. When I first entered, I more or less pictured a military-like “falling into line.” Yes, there are parts of us that have to grow, or habits that have to be abandoned. However, the Lord (and the seminary system) respects our unique qualities and gifts. I have found this consoling, that I don’t have to compare my own qualities to other men, and desire simply to be the man the Lord desires me to be.
What are you most looking forward to about being ordained a deacon?
The thing I am most excited about being ordained a deacon is to become more closely united and identified with Christ the servant. As Jesus stooped down to wash his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper, the Lord is calling me to lay down my life to serve his flock. Within this, I am deeply excited to serve more closely at the altar, to be close to him and serve him there.
I look forward to proclaiming his word and serving him in the Eucharist for the glory of God, and the sanctification of his people!
What are your favorite pastimes for fun or relaxation?
To relax and have leisure, I love to stay active and play sports like golf, softball, and pickleball. I enjoy going to the gym and lifting weights, but my favorite type of intense exercising involves doing obstacle races, like a Tough Mudder. There is nothing like trudging through waist-high water and mud with friends and family. Recently, I have enjoyed learning to cook, especially Italian food. But honestly, any activity that involves being around close friends and family is a way in which I can have fun and relax.
As you prepare to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders can you please offer some insight into how you have grown from the time when you first decided to enter seminary?
One of the most significant insights and growth I have had since entering seminary revolves around the increasing awareness that the peace, fulfillment, and happiness I seek come not from what I can do or earn, but from God.
In seminary, I have become increasingly aware of my anxious, relentless perfectionism that has kept me from believing in God’s unconditional love for me and his desire to invite me into a life of freedom from self-degradation and anxiety that constantly leaves me depleted in trying to prove my worth to him, to others, even to myself.
In both my past and present, I have seen how Jesus has loved me in my weaknesses, limits, and sins; yet, he is neither wearied nor deterred. Instead, I have seen and continue to see how Christ’s power and glory have worked through me. There is much freedom, peace, and joy knowing I am neither perfect nor asked to be. For the rest of my life, I am invited and called to share what I have received in my formation and relationship with Jesus with others.
What has been the biggest surprise of your vocational journey to this point?
The biggest surprise is evident when we think about it, but it is wildly surprising when experienced. It seems obvious enough that we cannot outdo God. We cannot outlove God because He is infinitely more powerful and loving than we ever could be. And yet, somehow, I am always surprised when I find myself receiving more love, more peace, and more joy than when I try to give myself to him and others.
Since entering the seminary, I have been in many parishes, hospitals, and prisons. In each of these places and ministries, I seek to give all that I am out of love for God and the people; yet, it seems that no matter how much I try to pour myself out, the Lord fills me with his love and grace.
But this is the irony of our Christian faith, that the more we seek to be focused on making ourselves a gift for God and others, the more we are fulfilled. The call to this life (as a transitional deacon and priest) of self-gift, just as it is with any vocation, is a call to a full and happy life.
What are you most looking forward to about being ordained a deacon?
I look forward most to having my life in deeper conformity with Jesus. By being born, all of us are made in the image and likeness of God, where we participate in God’s image through our ability to reason and to act freely. In baptism and confirmation, we have a deeper conformity to Christ, and our thoughts and actions now work to build up the good of Christ’s Church and the world.
But ordained a deacon, I will be conformed to Christ the servant. While all of us are created not for ourselves but for others, through ordination, my life will be marked and aimed at making myself a gift for others so that they can come into a living and personal encounter with God, who wants to give them eternal life. I look forward to concretely and truly bringing others to such an encounter with God’s love and desire for salvation for them by celebrating the sacrament of baptism and preaching during Mass.