Spring Break
A higher, spiritual calling
Student decides to forgo degree at UW-Eau Claire for the seminary
Matthew Werlein
Issue date: 9/29/05 Section: Student Life
"Am I going into the right major?" "What type of job do I want someday?" "What am I going to do with my life after college?"
These are questions most college students ask themselves as they are going through school.
However, for UW-Eau Claire junior Joe Johnson, the answers are more clear now than ever.
Johnson, a broadfield social studies teaching major, has decided to enter the priesthood.
The Higher Education Research Institute reported on Nov. 28, 2003, that 77 percent of college students said "we are all spiritual beings," and 71 percent said they "gain strength by trusting in a higher power."
This information was compiled from surveys collected from 3,680 students attending 46 colleges.
How the decision came about
"It was a very long process," he said of his decision.
Johnson was baptized and received the sacraments, such as the Eucharist, as a child.
For about eight years, he was not religious at all, he said.
This does not appear to be uncommon among students.
According to the Higher Education Research Institute Web site, 76 percent of college students are "searching for meaning and purpose in life."
Johnson said he didn't really care about religion until Christmas of 2004. It was then that he was visiting his mom and went to a nearby church "for nostalgia reasons."
He said his friends kept asking why he didn't go to church or have a faith.
"I didn't practice a faith and didn't have a good answer (for them)," Johnson said.
That Easter, Johnson, his parents and his younger brother, Tom, found his uncle had liver and pancreatic cancer.
"He declined rapidly and died on July 10, 2004," he said.
It was then that Johnson approached his parish priest, Father Kevin Holmes, in his hometown of Sauk Prairrie, Wis. He said the two became friends and he began to practice Catholicism again.
Johnson said he began to attend Mass regularly on Sundays and in the summer of 2004, he began to attend Mass daily.
Johnson said he went to confession that June so he could help rid himself of his old habits.
"Eight years of stuff builds up," he said. "(My life) was not really a moral life."
Johnson said he prays the Rosary for a half hour each day.
"Unless you've got something against the Gospels," he said, "there's no reason not to pray the Rosary."
From here, he said it was uphill rediscovering his faith. He was confirmed on Sept. 11, 2004.
However, Johnson still was undecided about going into the priesthood.
It wasn't until a trip to Europe this past summer with a group of seminarians that he made the decision to enter the priesthood.
He traveled all over Europe and saw so many religious relics, he said.
It was in August at World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, when Johnson saw Pope Benedict VI.
"People from 160 countries were at World Youth Day," Johnson said.
He said the group was on the embankment of the Rhine with virtually no water or food; although, there were many people.
Senior Bridget Smeaton was also at World Youth Day, although she was traveling with a group from Tanzania.
"There were so many people that you couldn't move," she said. "It was insane."
She said there were thousands of people at World Youth Day.
"It was an amazing experience," Smeaton said. "Youth from around the world with their flag, so proud of where they're from."
That afternoon, the Pope sailed down the river.
"I saw a little white figure the size of a pebble waving his arms in a T-shape," Johnson said of spotting the Pope.
At that moment, he heard the hymn "Here I am, Lord," which is one of his favorite hymns. The hymn is about answering God's call, he said.
"I thought 'I could and should do this,' " Johnson said.
He said he turned to the priest accompanying them on the embankment and said he wanted to apply to the seminary.
"What I saw today clinched (the decision)," Johnson said.
The process
Father John Shultz, pastor of Saint James the Greater Catholic Church, 2502 11th St, said there are two sections someone can go into.
There is a Diocesan priest directly under a bishop, or those going into the priesthood can enter a religious order like the Franciscans, he said.
Johnson is planning to go into a seminary for Diocesan priests.
Dioceses are divided by geographical location. Wisconsin has five areas, with the headquarters for Eau Claire county located in La Crosse, Shultz said.
Those interested in pursuing such a career should talk to their pastor to start the process, he said.
"The person needs to go to college," Shultz said. "Most (individuals) go to Saint Thomas in Minnesota."
Saint Mary's in Winona (Minn.) is another college for men living in this area, he said.
"You need a college degree, and then you go into theology," Shultz said.
After a man receives a degree in theology, he can be ordained as a priest, he said.
Daily life
Johnson said he has a routine down that enables him to live the life of a college student and still be able to practice his religion.
He said he wakes up at 6:10 a.m., attends Mass, eats, goes to class, does homework, has dinner, says the rosary and, after watching some TV, heads to bed around 10:15 p.m.
Johnson said he attends Mass at the chapel in Sacred Heart Hospital every day of the week except for Saturdays, because, as he said, the homilies are the same that evening as on Sunday morning.
He said he's served at Mass in various capacities, including serving as a Eucharistic minister.
Johnson said that his favorite saint is Saint Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest who sacrificed his life for a fellow prisoner at Auschwitz in 1941.
According to the survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute, in 2000 to 2003, 52 percent of freshmen reported attending services regularly the year before, but only 29 percent of students said that they attended their junior year.
While Johnson has junior standing, he has decided to leave Eau Claire next year and pursue the priesthood instead.
This doesn't faze him, as he has decided to leave things in God's hands.
"Do things the right way," Johnson said, "the way they are supposed to be done."
These are questions most college students ask themselves as they are going through school.
However, for UW-Eau Claire junior Joe Johnson, the answers are more clear now than ever.
Johnson, a broadfield social studies teaching major, has decided to enter the priesthood.
The Higher Education Research Institute reported on Nov. 28, 2003, that 77 percent of college students said "we are all spiritual beings," and 71 percent said they "gain strength by trusting in a higher power."
This information was compiled from surveys collected from 3,680 students attending 46 colleges.
How the decision came about
"It was a very long process," he said of his decision.
Johnson was baptized and received the sacraments, such as the Eucharist, as a child.
For about eight years, he was not religious at all, he said.
This does not appear to be uncommon among students.
According to the Higher Education Research Institute Web site, 76 percent of college students are "searching for meaning and purpose in life."
Johnson said he didn't really care about religion until Christmas of 2004. It was then that he was visiting his mom and went to a nearby church "for nostalgia reasons."
He said his friends kept asking why he didn't go to church or have a faith.
"I didn't practice a faith and didn't have a good answer (for them)," Johnson said.
That Easter, Johnson, his parents and his younger brother, Tom, found his uncle had liver and pancreatic cancer.
"He declined rapidly and died on July 10, 2004," he said.
It was then that Johnson approached his parish priest, Father Kevin Holmes, in his hometown of Sauk Prairrie, Wis. He said the two became friends and he began to practice Catholicism again.
Johnson said he began to attend Mass regularly on Sundays and in the summer of 2004, he began to attend Mass daily.
Johnson said he went to confession that June so he could help rid himself of his old habits.
"Eight years of stuff builds up," he said. "(My life) was not really a moral life."
Johnson said he prays the Rosary for a half hour each day.
"Unless you've got something against the Gospels," he said, "there's no reason not to pray the Rosary."
From here, he said it was uphill rediscovering his faith. He was confirmed on Sept. 11, 2004.
However, Johnson still was undecided about going into the priesthood.
It wasn't until a trip to Europe this past summer with a group of seminarians that he made the decision to enter the priesthood.
He traveled all over Europe and saw so many religious relics, he said.
It was in August at World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, when Johnson saw Pope Benedict VI.
"People from 160 countries were at World Youth Day," Johnson said.
He said the group was on the embankment of the Rhine with virtually no water or food; although, there were many people.
Senior Bridget Smeaton was also at World Youth Day, although she was traveling with a group from Tanzania.
"There were so many people that you couldn't move," she said. "It was insane."
She said there were thousands of people at World Youth Day.
"It was an amazing experience," Smeaton said. "Youth from around the world with their flag, so proud of where they're from."
That afternoon, the Pope sailed down the river.
"I saw a little white figure the size of a pebble waving his arms in a T-shape," Johnson said of spotting the Pope.
At that moment, he heard the hymn "Here I am, Lord," which is one of his favorite hymns. The hymn is about answering God's call, he said.
"I thought 'I could and should do this,' " Johnson said.
He said he turned to the priest accompanying them on the embankment and said he wanted to apply to the seminary.
"What I saw today clinched (the decision)," Johnson said.
The process
Father John Shultz, pastor of Saint James the Greater Catholic Church, 2502 11th St, said there are two sections someone can go into.
There is a Diocesan priest directly under a bishop, or those going into the priesthood can enter a religious order like the Franciscans, he said.
Johnson is planning to go into a seminary for Diocesan priests.
Dioceses are divided by geographical location. Wisconsin has five areas, with the headquarters for Eau Claire county located in La Crosse, Shultz said.
Those interested in pursuing such a career should talk to their pastor to start the process, he said.
"The person needs to go to college," Shultz said. "Most (individuals) go to Saint Thomas in Minnesota."
Saint Mary's in Winona (Minn.) is another college for men living in this area, he said.
"You need a college degree, and then you go into theology," Shultz said.
After a man receives a degree in theology, he can be ordained as a priest, he said.
Daily life
Johnson said he has a routine down that enables him to live the life of a college student and still be able to practice his religion.
He said he wakes up at 6:10 a.m., attends Mass, eats, goes to class, does homework, has dinner, says the rosary and, after watching some TV, heads to bed around 10:15 p.m.
Johnson said he attends Mass at the chapel in Sacred Heart Hospital every day of the week except for Saturdays, because, as he said, the homilies are the same that evening as on Sunday morning.
He said he's served at Mass in various capacities, including serving as a Eucharistic minister.
Johnson said that his favorite saint is Saint Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest who sacrificed his life for a fellow prisoner at Auschwitz in 1941.
According to the survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute, in 2000 to 2003, 52 percent of freshmen reported attending services regularly the year before, but only 29 percent of students said that they attended their junior year.
While Johnson has junior standing, he has decided to leave Eau Claire next year and pursue the priesthood instead.
This doesn't faze him, as he has decided to leave things in God's hands.
"Do things the right way," Johnson said, "the way they are supposed to be done."