Our Holy Priests

It’s amazing how God weaves our lives together, how He influences who we are through the people He places in our lives, how our vocations affect others’ vocations.

During Vocations Awareness Week, I’m offering a tribute to all the holy priests who have served at St. Columbkille by reflecting on how some of them have formed my personal faith. I invite you to do the same.

A beloved priest from another parish once commented on how priests tend to come and go at churches, often leaving us just as we are becoming so attached to them. Each priest has “a song to sing,” he said.  After the core of his message is imparted, it’s time to move on and spread that message elsewhere. In yesterday’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells His Apostles: “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose I have come.”

My family has been part of the parish for more than 20 years now, and we have been blessed by so many priests. Some I have had to reluctantly omit in this reflection, but their influence, too, remains in our hearts.

The late Father Robert Steinhausen: He was pastor when my husband and I moved to the parish and were newly married. Father Steinhausen, who had been at St. Columbkille for many years, instructed us in a baptism class and brought the first of our children into the Church. I had the privilege of worshiping at his last Mass. It seemed like a typical Mass. Priests like Father Steinhausen faithfully offer us Mass day in and day out. The next day I was surprised to learn of his death.

The late Father James Bartek: He was an associate pastor here for a short time who had a special calling to minister to the sick. He counted how many hospital visits he made; I believe it was in the thousands. He ministered to our family when we had a newborn daughter in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital. He looked so natural holding our baby in a rocking chair in the NICU. The nurses there knew him; he was acquainted with all the special procedures for visitors. Father Bartek baptized our baby, gave her the Sacrament of the Sick and even Confirmed her.

Some time after that, he commented to me on the two types of women he had a special compassion for: those who wanted to have children but could not, and those who wanted to breastfeed but could not. I was amazed at how a celibate man could begin to understand those struggles.

Father Steven Stillmunks:  One of my young kids called him “Father Chipmunks.” Father let that slide, given the age of the offender.  Father Stillmunks was an industrious man who had a long tenure at St. Columbkille. His legacy is visible. His building campaign included the Steinhausen Center and an addition to the school.  I consider Father Stillmunks one of the reasons St. Columbkille is blessed with so many deacons, because he invited men to consider the diaconate. The way Father contributed to my personal faith was by introducing me to a prayer, the “Anima Christi,” which he prayed aloud after Communion at weekday Masses. God continues to bless me through that beautiful, rich prayer. Here is the version I recall:

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.

Body of Christ, save me.

Blood of Christ, inebriate me.

Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

O Good Jesus, hear me.

Within Your wounds hide me.

Separated from You let me never be.

From the evil one protect me.

At the hour of my death, call me 

And close to You bid me

That with Your saints

I may be praising You

forever and ever. Amen

Father Francis Nigli: Father Francis’ holiness was visible and inviting. He drew young and old alike into a deeper faith. Because of his example, several young men were prompted to enter the seminary, including my own son. His bold faith made him unafraid to correct us when we needed it.

I was inspired by watching him among children, especially the young ones he would embrace. That image reminded me of photos I saw of Blessed John Paul II holding and welcoming  little ones. Then it struck me: that’s how Jesus must have looked when He gathered children to Himself.

Father Vitalis Anyanike: He was our missionary priest who came from Nigeria to evangelize us, and in turn, invited us to share in his missionary work abroad. I loved his relaxed, happy demeanor. His bold proclamations made me think he was a prophet.

Father Damien Wee: Another holy, zealous, foreign-born priest who arrived not long after ordination. He was our Marian priest, who showed us a path to Jesus’ Sacred Heart through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He had an amazing ability to remember names, a wry sense of humor, a knack for photography and a sense of urgency in spreading the Gospel. I owe a special debt of gratitude to Father Wee for inviting my son, and many other young men, to investigate a vocation to the priesthood.

Father Damian Zuerlein: Father Damian has been leading St. Columbkille for several years and is improving our worship by improving our worship space. As pastor, he calls us to change our hearts. From the start, Father Damian has focused on transforming us into Christ’s disciples. All else is secondary. Or useless. As for holiness . . . for a long time my youngest child thought Father Damian was actually Jesus. I can’t give Father a better compliment.

Father Kevin Vogel: What first struck me about Father Vogel was his angelic voice. He has been teaching us that reason and faith are not opposites but that reason leads us to faith. Father’s own faith and intelligence prove his point. Father also illustrates how God doesn’t wait for His faithful to grow old to shower them with wisdom, grace and holiness.

Father Steve Emanuel: I think Father Steve was sent to proclaim God’s immense, unconditional love for us. Somehow that message of love has trouble penetrating into my heart, no matter how many times I hear it. So I’m thankful to Father Steve for his steady reminders, for his holy example, and for his insightfulness and compassion in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Inspired by this Year of Faith we will be posting columns like this from Susan Szalewski about exploring and/or deepening our faith. Watch for it on Thursdays.