Three prepare for May 26 ordination as transitional deacons for archdiocese

Three men preparing for the priesthood will be ordained as transitional deacons May 26 at St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha.

Archbishop George J. Lucas will preside at the 7 p.m. ordination Mass at St. Cecilia Cathedral for Taylor Leffler, Patrick Moser and Padraic Stack.

"It’s a very good class of men," said Father Andrew Roza, director of the Vocations Office. "They’ve all been entrusted with leadership roles in their seminaries" and they are well respected for the work they have done in various ministries in the archdiocese and elsewhere, he said.

The men will spend the coming year preparing for ordination to the priesthood by gaining experiences in parishes this summer and returning to seminary this fall, Father Roza said.

"I’m excited about having them in the ranks of the clergy and moving forward in the next steps to the priesthood," Father Roza said.

TAYLOR LEFFLER

Background: Home parish, St. Mary, West Point. Parents, Dana and Diane Leffler. Sister, Brittany, Lancaster, Pa. Brothers, Brady, Los Angeles, Spencer, Omaha.

Education: Guardian Angels Central Catholic High School, West Point, University of Nebraska at Omaha, St. John Vianney College Seminary at University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn., Pontifical Angelicum University, Rome, spiritual year in St. Paul with Companions of Christ.

Activities/Ministries: Religious education, Missionaries of Charity, St. Joseph orphanage in Minneapolis, also night of prayer (Nazareth Night) with young adults, Theology on Tap, pastoral duties, praise and worship at multiple parishes, all St. Louis.

Summer assignments: St. Francis Parish, Humphrey; worked and lived with Father Paul Hoesing and seminarians at a formation house in Omaha; worked in Wisconsin offering Catholic outdoor expeditions for high school students and young adults; Institute for Priestly Formation, Omaha; Spanish immersion in Antigua, Guatemala; this summer as a transitional deacon, St. Bernadette Parish, Bellevue.

Reflections on ordination: "I’m eager to take the next step into spiritual fatherhood as a transitional deacon this year. I anticipate the many hidden moments in which the Lord will work through me as his minister, especially preparing couples for marriage, baptizing children, being present with the dying and their mourning families, and preaching from my heart to the people of God."

PATRICK MOSER

Background: Home parish, St. Theresa of Avila, Clearwater. Parents, Edward and Sandy Moser, Clearwater. Brothers, Mark, O’Neill, and Scott, Clearwater. Sisters and brothers-in-law, Jennifer, Omaha, Jill, Clearwater, Amy and Dale Lassek, Krakow, Rachel and Scott Becker, Elgin.

Education: Pope John XXIII Central Catholic High School, Elgin; University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, St. Louis.

Activities/Ministries: Hospice, soup kitchens, pro-life organization at the seminary, pastoral duties in assigned parishes while in seminary in St. Louis.

Summer assignments: St. Bernard Parish, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Institute for Priestly Formation, all Omaha; Spanish immersion in Antigua, Guatemala; this summer as a transitional deacon, Sacred Heart Parish, Norfolk.

Reflections on ordination: "God has given me a wide variety of talents and experiences in my life. I look forward to using these to bring Christ to others in a life of service to the Archdiocese of Omaha."

PADRAIC STACK

Background: Home parish, St. James, Omaha. Parents, James and Elizabeth Stack, Manhattan, Kan. Brother and sister-in-law Seamus Stack and Brittany Hackett, Arlington, Va. Sister and brother-in-law Ellen and Brandon Scott, Auburn, Kan.

Education: Hastings High School, Hastings; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, St. Louis.

Activities/Ministries: Life Teen youth group, Communion to the homebound, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, second-grade religious education, student body president at Kenrick-Glennon, parish assignments in St. Louis.

Summer assignments: St. Patrick Parish, Fremont; Institute for Priestly Formation, Omaha; Spanish immersion in Antigua, Guatemala; 30-day silent retreat; this summer as a transitional deacon, St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Omaha.

Reflections on ordination: "It is humbling to be called to such a magnificent vocation, recognizing that ‘it was not I who chose it, but God who chose me and appointed me this task to bear fruit that will remain.’ This fruit will come through sacrifice, by laying down my life for others – the vocation of a deacon being one of service. I find comfort knowing I will not be alone in this ministry of sacrificial service; two other men will lay down on the marble floor of the cathedral alongside me, making the same gift of self.

As we lay prostrate, the Litany of Saints will be sung, reminding us of all those who have gone before us in service to God and his church, and who, even now, serve in heaven through their constant intercession. First among these saints is our Mother, Queen of Heaven and Earth. I look to her, humble and devoted handmaid of the Lord, asking for her prayers, that I too may be so generous as to respond: ‘Fiat! Let it be done to me according to Thy will.’"