Hello! My name is Steven Kessler, and I am a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Dubuque. I just finished my first year of major seminary at University of Saint Mary of the Lake Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, which is just north of Chicago. In three more years, if it is God’s will, I will be ordained a priest. I have had an interesting path to finding my vocation.
I was born on June 26th, 1986, and grew up in Elkader, Iowa. I was baptized, confirmed, and am still a member of St. Joseph Parish in Elkader, which is now one of five parishes in the Emmaus Pastorate. I always thought I was going to be a father, so I never thought about the priesthood. Instead, after graduating from Central High School, I attended Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and then Upper Iowa University in Fayette where I earned a BA in Criminology. I had thoughts of going to law school, but I instead continued to work at Cabela’s in Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, where I started working during my time at Upper Iowa.
Four years ago, I was on retreat and realized that God was calling me to be a different kind of father. Instead of having a family and being a biological father, He was asking me to be a spiritual father. This is what led me to seminary and what brings me to Ames this summer. Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” then told him to feed and tend His sheep. My goal this summer is to be at service to the others and to be like Peter by tending to the needs of God’s people. To do this, I will be working at the Romero House as well as assisting here at St. Cecilia’s. I am looking forward to this opportunity and believe this experience will greatly aid me in my future priesthood.
I humbly ask for your prayers, not only for myself but for my brother seminarians and for more vocations to the priesthood. Without seminarians there will not be future priests, and our Church desperately needs more priests.
