Deacon Wappes is “ready to offer myself with love for others” in preparation for the priesthood

Deacon Joseph Wappes said that growing up in St. Anthony Village and attending St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony, he saw “the testimony of many joyful, and often young, priests and seminarians.”

He first thought about becoming a priest around age 7, although he said he “wasn’t committed to doing it.”

Deacon Wappes, 26, is among 13 men ordained priests in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis this year – the largest class since 2005. Ordination to the priesthood is scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. May 25 at the Cathedral of St. Paul and Minneapolis. .Paul in Saint-Paul.

Although he was not initially determined to enter the priesthood, the call gradually grew louder as he grew older. While attending St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School and St. Anthony Village High School, he was an altar server at Mass, began participating in his parish youth group, and began a life of prayer personal.

“I felt drawn again to the profession of priest,” said Deacon Wappes. A visit to the seminary at the end of high school propelled him on the path to the priesthood.

“I was sure that the Lord was inviting me to begin pursuing the priesthood, and the time of training at the seminary confirmed this invitation from the Lord to be a priest, completely abandoned to God in the service of his Church,” he said. he declares. said.

He attended seminary at St. John Vianney College at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul and earned degrees in philosophy and Catholic studies.

He also studied theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, also known as Angelicum, in Rome. This experience allowed him to “feel like I saw the universal Church in a new way,” Deacon Wappes shared with “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley during his broadcast interview on April 26.

“A highlight that comes to mind is… I had the opportunity to be a deacon at the Papal Mass on Easter Sunday in St. Peter’s Square. So it was a great gift, just a feeling of coming together with the whole Church in prayer alongside the Vicar of Christ, Pope Francis. It was a great joy,” he told Conley.

Deacon Wappes said support in his quest for the priesthood came largely from family and friends.

He said his parents, Jim and Mary, “passed the faith to me and my siblings” and “were very supportive of my decision, because they always wanted me to open myself to the will of God “.

“My brothers and sisters too,” Deacon Wappes said of his five siblings: Brendan, Marie, Michael, Jacinta and Benjamin. He mentioned Michael, who is a year older, as a particularly good example of living a life of faith.

“His testimony over the years has always given me the courage to live my faith, to continue learning the faith and to open myself to the priesthood,” Deacon Wappes told the Catholic Spirit. “In fact, before me, he discerned a call to the priesthood and he visited the seminary before determining that it was not a call from God for him. This was a great example for me of how to be open to God’s call.

“Plus, I had a good group of Catholic friends who encouraged and supported me in my discernment and decision,” he added. “If I had had to make the decision alone, without this support, I might not have had the courage to say yes to God’s invitation and move forward in faith to respond.

Deacon Wappes hopes to offer support and connection as a priest.

“I see that many people feel isolated, especially in their lives of faith,” he said. “Each of us needs a community, especially in our journey of faith. I hope to help foster vibrant, life-giving communities of followers of Jesus who support, encourage, and inspire one another.

This community development could happen on the ground, Deacon Wappes said.

“I love sports, especially basketball and volleyball,” he said. “I’m looking forward to having the chance to play sports with the parishioners. »

More than participating in sporting activities with parishioners, Deacon Wappes is delighted to celebrate Mass with the faithful, describing it as a privilege.

“As a priest, my daily life will flow from this act of offering myself and everyone entrusted to my care to God the Father, in union with the offering of Jesus. Which gift ! ” he said.

Deacon Wappes also expressed excitement over the size of this year’s class.

“I see a wide variety of gifts among my classmates that will bless our local church. I have been very grateful for their companionship and support over these years and look forward to this continuing in the future. I am aware that a group like this can only be the fruit of the fervent prayers of the people of God to the Lord of the grape harvest, who delights to answer these prayers by calling men to serve as laborers in his vineyard.

For his own ministry, Deacon Wappes said the selfless and sacrificial love his parents offered him and his siblings “prepared the way for me to be willing to offer myself with love for the others – for me, as a priest.”

Preparing for his ordination, Deacon Wappes said, filled him with “a great feeling of peace: this is how God invited me to give my life, for service, for the Church. So I just feel great peace and excitement.