Following their call

The Bismarck Diocese is blessed with 13 seminarians currently studying for the priesthood.

Three of these men, Deacons Josh Hill, Steven Vetter and Dustin Johns, have been ordained to the transitional diaconate, reaching the final stages toward ordination to the holy priesthood. God willing, they will be ordained priests for the diocese in June by Bishop Kagan at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.

Deacons Josh and Steven continue their studies in Rome at the Pontifical North American College while Deacon Dustin is studying at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis.

Three men joined these ranks last fall as seminarians for the diocese—Jacob Schepp from the Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary parish in Bismarck, Thomas Ruhland of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit parish in Bismarck and Dominic Schaefbauer of St. Joseph parish in Mandan.

We introduce you to the three newest men studying to someday be your priest.

Jacob Schepp

Jacob Schepp grew up attending Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary in Bismarck and attended Catholic schools at all levels. This environment fostered a love for his faith and an openness to a call to the priesthood.

“I first thought about the seminary during my junior year of high school, but the call went away through my senior year of high school,” Jacob shared. “Through my experiences in college I heard a much stronger call during my third year at NDSU.”

Jacob began conversations with the diocesan vocations director while still in high school, but knowing he wasn’t quite ready to join, he decided to enroll at North Dakota State University in Fargo. There, a friend invited him to Mass at the Newman Center. That opened a new experience in forming his faith as well as connecting with new friends.

His freshman year at NDSU was interrupted by Covid and students were sent home. Jacob admits that this was a tough time in his life. His new friendships didn’t have a good chance to solidify yet and he was back home with no plan for the future.

At this time, he found himself drawn to Eucharistic adoration. God was calling him to get more serious about forming his own faith life outside of friends or classmates in Catholic schools.

Being back at college after Covid gave Jacob a clearer path. He got involved at the Newman Center again and hit his stride, so to speak, in meeting people and working in student peer ministry bringing others to Christ. With the influence of priests and religious guiding him, his path to seminary seemed much clearer.

“On my journey to seminary, I had the great influence of Fr. Jared Johnson and Fr. Dominic Bouck as chaplains when I was in high school at St. Mary's Central High School,” Jacob said. “When I went to college at North Dakota State University in Fargo I was active at the Newman Center where I was able to learn from Fr. James Cheney and Msgr. Gregory Schlesselman of the Diocese of Fargo. I also had the opportunity to learn about the spiritual life and discernment from some religious sisters, such as the Nashville Dominicans and Sisters of Life, who would come and visit the Newman Center.”

Jacob is in the spirituality year at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver.

“The experience of seminary so far has been a time of transition as I settle into the lifestyle as well as a time of learning how to pray in a deep way,” he explained. “I most enjoy the friendships that come from seminary life from being around guys who are all striving to follow Jesus and live the Christian life to its fullest.”

Thomas Ruhland

Thomas Ruhland grew up attending St. Michael Catholic Church in his hometown of St. Michael, Minnesota which is about 50 minutes north of the Twin Cities.

The flourishing parish and Catholic school he attended kindergarten through eighth grade set a strong foundation for his faith. So much so, that he was talking priesthood very early in life.

“My mom said the first time I said I wanted to be a priest was when I was 5 years old,” he said.

But it wasn’t until his time at the University Mary that Thomas began to explore this vocation. The idea of the seminary was in his heart, but he said he kind of “ran from it.” It seemed like too much of a heavy weight to bear. He ran for the track team his freshman year, landed an internship and started making good money. It was in pursing sources of worldly happiness that Thomas realized he may never find it if he didn’t pause and revisit the idea of entering the seminary.

“I really did not seriously consider this calling until later in college when I began to take my faith more seriously,” he explained. “I guess the final push was a desire to really buy in to my Catholic faith. That’s when I decided I should pursue this call.”

He credits several people who influenced his discernment. One key individual was his college roommate, Kaden. He was a convert to the faith, and together they completed Exodus 90 for two years in a row. Exodus 90 is a 90-day spiritual exercise for men based on three pillars: prayer, self-discipline and fraternity.

“His strong example of faith and desire to grow in holiness helped me greatly,” Thomas said of his roommate. “In addition to this, the athletic chaplain at the University of Mary, Fr. Craig Vasek, helped me with my choice to join seminary as well.”

When he told Fr. Vasek that he was finally seriously considering joining the seminary, father’s response was, “Are you done running from it?”

That extra push from Fr. Vasek and the tremendous support from his family, both immediate and extended, have solidified his decision that led him to a spirituality year studying at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver.

“My experience so far has been good. The journey has been filled with graces and has been truly lifechanging,” he said. “I would say I like the brotherly fraternity the most. It is great being surrounded by holy men to keep you accountable and to bring you up. It is amazing to have strong friendships that will hopefully last long after seminary.”

He added, “I would like to express my gratitude for the generous support of the people of the diocese which gives me an opportunity to be here. I would also like to say that if there are any young men considering seminary to be open to the idea.”

Dominic Schaefbauer

Dominic grew up as a parishioner at St. Joseph in Mandan and attended Catholic schools all his life. His faith journey growing up in a devout Catholic family was boosted by his parents showing him how to bring the faith to others by their words and actions.

He was an altar server starting in fifth grade through his senior year in high school. He credits serving at Mass and helping with the faith formation program in his parish that made him more open to discerning the priesthood and entering seminary.

“Specifically, regarding altar serving, it kept me engaged and gave me better appreciation for the Mass,” he said. “My first thoughts of the priesthood came when I began serving for Mass. Being able to participate through altar serving gave me a new-found appreciation for the Blessed Sacrament and the priesthood.”

Once he began conversations with his pastor and the diocesan vocations director, Fr. Jordan Dosch, the whole process started to seem real.

“I would say that talking with my pastor, Fr. Josh Waltz, and that initial conversation about the possibility of the priesthood helped me to discern more fully and apply to seminary.”

He’s convinced that God had a hand in how smoothly it all fell into place. Others close to him played a role, too.

“My family, especially my parents, have been the biggest role models in my journey. The example they have shown by living the faith has influenced me and my siblings. Their support throughout my life has extended to my discernment for the priesthood. The various priests, specifically Fr. Waltz, Fr. Campbell, and Fr. Vetter, have also influenced me by showing how joyful and grace-filled the life of a priest is.”

Coming straight out of high school and into the seminary has been a good experience for Dominic. He is at the college I level at St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C.

“My entire seminary experience has been a major blessing, but one is the fraternity. The spiritual growth that I have experienced is shared with my brother seminarians. Being able to pray, celebrate Mass, and enjoy life as a community is a grace from God. The most enjoyable part of seminary is receiving Jesus Christ in the Eucharist every day. Every grace throughout the day begins from simply saying ‘yes’ to Christ.”

He added, “I would like to thank everyone for their prayers, generosity and support. I am blessed to be a seminarian for the Diocese of Bismarck.”

Other seminarians in formation

Please continue to pray for Jacob, Thomas and Dominic, as well as our three deacons entering the final stages of formation, and all the men following their call to the priesthood. Additional seminarians currently studying for the Bismarck Diocese include Ryan Martire and Eric Artz at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis; Isaiah Jilek, Joseph Richter, Joe Schon and Ben Weigum at St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C. Seminarian Colton Steiner is spending a pastoral year at St. Wenceslaus in Dickinson.

Please also include in your prayers all the young men and women in our diocese who may be considering a call to the priesthood or religious life.