Retired Missioners:
Bishop Patrick Neary, C.S.C
Patrick Neary was born on March 6, 1963, in La Porte, Indiana, the oldest of six children of Jacob and Marybelle Neary. He joined the CSC and as a seminarian attended the University of Notre Dame, earning a bachelor's degree in history in 1985. He then earned a Master of Divinity degree at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California. Neary took his final vows as a CSC religious priest in September 1990
In 2010, Neary moved to Kenya to serve as director of the McCauley House of Formation in Nairobi. After one year, the CSC moved him to the position of Superior of the District of East Africa. In 2018, after eight years in East Africa, the CSC transferred Neary to the role of pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish in Portland, Oregon
On December 15, 2022, Pope Francis named Neary as bishop of Saint Cloud
Sr. Ange Mayers OSF Venezuela /Mexico
I am Sister Ange Mayers, a Franciscan of Little Falls, MN whose home parish is Immaculate Conception Church, New Munich. At this time as I’m putting closure on mission in San Rafael, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, I want to share what this ministry/call to mission has meant.
In Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela 1989-1992, the ministry/mission was based on the model of Basic Christian Communities: Comunidad de Base. This method of forming basic Christian communities was the way of putting into practice the teaching of Vatican II in Latin America. It brought neighbors together, it invited those who felt alienated from the church to have a sense of belonging, it developed leadership skills and it addressed the needs of the neighborhood. It was a living out of the Gospel of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fish.
In 1994-2010, while doing cross-cultural ministry among the Tohono O’odham of Southwestern AZ, I learned that no culture is better than another. Each culture is blessed with gifts to share with other cultures. They are expressed in food, language, rituals and customs. It is our responsibility and privilege as missioners to learn what these gifts are.
In 2016-2020, in San Rafael, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, ministry was two-fold: Organizing a children’s camp for those specifically who live on the margins, those who are not involved in the community. The second, was tutoring English to youth and adults.
In our daily lives, conflict and division exist all around us! As Franciscans we are called to follow in the footsteps of St. Francis by being instruments of peace. Pope Francis, in his more recent encyclical, Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship, calls us to see the value and meaning of forgiveness. “Forgiveness and reconciliation are central themes in Christianity and, in various ways, in other religions.” Each one of us is called to be an artisan of peace, by uniting and not dividing, by extinguishing hatred and not holding on to it, by opening paths of dialogue and not by constructing new walls.” This, we can bring to mission, to our daily lives.
Sr. Anita Jennissen OSF Peru/ Colombia/ Africa/ Mexico
Sr. Anita is Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, MN. She previously served in Peru from 1962-1970, Colombia from 1971-1977, Africa from 1982-1984, 1986-1991, 2002-2004, Kenya 2004-2005, and Mexico from 2005-2008. Sr. Anita says of her time as a Franciscan that the beauty in it is how the spirit of Francis is that he taught through his life and example that we are brothers and sisters with all of God's creation.
Sr. Audrey Jean Loher OSF Peru/ Venezuela /Guatemala
Sr. Audrey is Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, MN. She previously served in Peru from 1964-1974, Venezuela from 1979-1986, and Guatemala from 1995-1997.
Sr. Bernadette (Anna) Keppers OSB Taiwan 1967~73
Sr. Carmen Barsody OSF Nicaragua 1990~97
Sr. S.M Elise Saggau OSF (Sauk Centre) Tanzania 1994
Sr. Carol Schmit OSF (Medina) Venezuela 1977~84
Sr. Carol Virnig OSF (Little Falls) Peru / Bolivia 1977~87
Cheryl Biever Venezuela 1982~85
Sr. Christian Morris OSB Taiwan / Montreal, Canada 1986~89
Sr. Colette Toenies OSF Peru / Colombia /Mexico 1964~2011
Sr. Colette is Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, MN. She previously served in Peru from 1964-1969, Colombia from 1972-1978, and Mexico from 2003-2011.
Fr. Danny Ohmann MMFB Tanzania
Fr. Danny Ohmann is a Maryknoll Father. He lived in rural Tanzania from 1964 until 2016. While there he served both the Sukuma people and later the Watatulu people. He spent about 25 years with each tribe. His primary focus was on helping those who were seriously sick and with education.
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The Watatulu elders felt that education was unnecessary, because boys were meant to herd cattle and girls were meant to have babies. They felt neither of these things necessitated education, and thus opposed it. Fr. Ohmann, through his relationships with the people, was able to help a number of students receive an education. In 2015 he had 31 students in Catholic Boarding Schools, 9 girls and 22 boys. He even started the Watatulu Education Fund in 2002 to help fund their education.
Emma Meyer - Previously in Honduras
Emma Meyer (Meier Grove) Honduras
My heart was set on fire for mission when I went on a three-week mission trip with FOCUS to El Salvador during the summer of 2019. I saw a third-world country for the first time with my own eyes and encountered the people there. Through prayer (especially reading the parable of the rich, young man) I felt the Lord calling me to serve His people in Central America and specially through Farm of the Child in rural Honduras.
Farm of the Child or "the Finca" still continues to serve through the pandemic. As a children's home, we are providing kids with a safe, nurturing place to grow up. The Finca also operates a community clinic and K-9 school for about 100 kids. The clinic has remained open throughout this time serving our neighbors in socially distant ways. School moved online and missionaries transitioned from roles of teaching Kindergarten and English to tutoring children.
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My initial one year commitment to the Farm of the Child was filled with laughter, tears, fun, struggles, and grace-filled moments where I could see the Lord at work. Because of this I extended my time of service for an additional year and continued living and working at Farm of the Child until December of 2022 before returning home to Minnesota.
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If you want to learn about Farm of the Child and Emma's experience you can visit their website: https://www.farmofthechild.org/
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Sr. Grace Skwira OSF Peru / Thailand / Mexico 1971~2014
Helen Taffe (Richfield) Peru / Bolivia 1980~83
Sr. Jane Weber OSB Japan 1962~75
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Sr. Janice Wiechman OSF Venezuela / Mexico 1981~87
My name is Janice Wiechman. I am a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, MN. I was born and raised on a farm close to St. Rosa, Minnesota in the St. Cloud Diocese. I am the eldest of 11 children of Rose and Al Wiechman. I am presently living and ministering in San Rafael, Mexico. Four of us Franciscans went to San Rafael in 2003. We have ministered in the Parish of San Rafael which is a parish containing 50 villages, about half in the mountains and about half on the plains. Over the years, we have worked with catechesis, with visiting the elders and sick, with youth activities, with Bible study and leadership formation.
While visiting the towns in the parish, we discovered that the young teen girls wanted to study beyond 9th grade but did not have a way to do so. There was only one high school in the parish and it was located in the central village of San Rafael. There was no transportation from their villages to San Rafael and often a lack of finances. So, with help from our Congregation and many donors, we built a house with three dormitories and study room where the young women could live with us and go to the local high school. Close to 60 girls have lived at our house and graduated from high school now. When they graduate, we work with their families to support those who wish to continue to study in college. Some have graduated as nurses, a lawyer, soon a primary teacher, some psychologists, some in forestry and some in administration. Thanks to the support of many, many people, we have been able to support the young women on a journey they otherwise would not have been able to take. Thank you.
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Jason & Inge Becker & Family (Browerville) Costa Rica
Sr. Jean Schwartz OSB Brazil / Taiwan 1987~92
Jean Yoerg Venezuela 1974~77
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Fr. Bill Vos (Maryknoll Assoc.) Holdingford
Tanzania 1980~1999
Jerry Hansen MKLM (Sauk Rapids) Tanzania
Jerry Hansen grew up on a farm east of Sauk Rapids, MN. After High School, he joined the military serving in Viet Viet Nam (1966-67) as a machine gunner with the 101st Airborne Division. Following his time in the military, he spent seven years working in East Africa as an agricultural volunteer with the Maryknoll Fathers.
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Jerry is an avid writer. He is the recipient of the 1990 Loft-McKnight Award for Peotry, and a 2009 Bush Artist Fellowship in Poetry In addition to the books Blessed Are the Piecemakers, The Medicine of Place, The Kontum Madonna, and Without Dividend in Mind, he is the author of the multi-media play, The Wedding of Tomorrow and Sorrow.
Jerry Hansen seen on left.
Sr. Joan Gerads OSF Venezuela / Colombia / Chile
Thailand / Ecuador
It is estimated that 90% of Latin America’s baptized Catholics have no real church or parish home due to the shortage of priests and church facilities. Parish Neighborhood Renewal Ministry (PNRM) has a solution for this challenge: We take the church to the people in their own neighborhoods.
Parish Neighborhood Renewal Ministry was founded in 1975 by Sister Joan Gerads, a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, Minnesota, and Maryknoll Father Tom Maney. For over 40 years, Sister Joan trained missionaries to create Base Church Communities as a means to bring the Gospel to very poor, remote areas of Latin America. Currently, PNRM primarily works in Ecuador and Venezuela. By identifying leaders and engaging people in their own neighborhoods, PRNM has allowed the development of hundreds of small groups of faith-seekers to grow stronger in their relationship with God and with others.
Sr. Joanne Klinnert OSF (Bluffton) Venezuela / Nicaragua 1984~94
Fr. John Schweiters OFM - Amazon Brazil
Fr. John Schweiters, OFM is from the Melrose-Freeport area of the St. Cloud Diocese. He's is a Franciscan Missioner in the Amazon region of Brazil and is part of the Franciscan Custodia Sao Benedito da Amazonia. COVID has caused many challenges in the past year, and along with the loss of some community members, many of them have been sick for extended periods of time. However, Fr. John is hopeful, and in a recent letter to the Office wrote, "I'm very moved by the 'missionary spirit' that continues to prevail in the whole Diocese, and the generosity you report from the people. Thanks so much for all you do to encourage the people to look widely and beyond, and be reassured that we who benefit from such generosity will remember you always in prayer."
Sr. Josue Behnen OSB Taiwan 1966~83
Sr. Karen Niedzielski, OSF - Previously in Africa + England
Sr. Karen is Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, MN. She previously served in England from 1976-1977, Africa from 1988-1994, and Kenya from 2004-2005.
Sr. Katherine Howard, OSB - Previously in Montreal, Canada
Sr. Katherine is a Benedictine Sister of St. Joseph, MN. She previously served in Montreal from 1987-1989
Sr. Kerry O'Reilly, OSB - Previously in Brazil
Sr. Kerry is a Benedictine Sister of St. Joseph, MN. She previously served in Brazil from 1983-1992
Br. Larry Kenning, MMFB - Previously in Boliva
Brother Larry is a native of St. Augusta, MN who served with the Maryknoll Brothers in Bolivia for over 40 years. He was able to work with youth at the Language school in Cochabamba where he was known for his gentle presence. He was also able to able to help those less fortunate, often by giving them food out of his own garden.
Liz Mach, MKLM - Previously in Tanzania + South Sudan
Liz Mach is a recently returned Maryknoll Lay Missioner
I [Liz Mach] am sure that if many of us had a preconception of all that was going to happen during these months of COVID-19 we might have made other choices in our lives. I am probably no exception. I moved back home to Minnesota after 44 years of living in Tanzania, East Africa as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner. I came into quarantine, people living in isolation and unable to visit and socialize with the extended family I am blessed to be a part of and was so looking forward to reconnecting with on my return home from the missions. Once again in my life-God's plan-not mine.
But one thing I have learned well in mission-there is always a new trail to follow and challenges to meet. And so, I find myself living in the USA, still vitally linked to Maryknoll as I work part time for them. But I have also found new ways to keep my heart in mission. I volunteer as a nurse with the SSJ Sisters program for health clinics in the Twin Cities. It allows me to connect with our immigrant communities and using my nursing skills. It puts me in contact with other like-minded folks and gives me strength.
And, as the vaccine has become available it has allowed me to reconnect, visit and enjoy my family once again. I am so grateful for this-even though it did not happen on my timeline!
Sr. Loraine Bischof, OSB - Previously in Taiwan
Sr. Loraine is a Benedictine Sister of St. Joseph, MN. She previously served in Taiwan from 1961-1968
Sr. Loretta Denfeld, OSF - Previously in Venezuela + Mexico
Sr. Loretta is Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, MN. She previously served in Venezuela from 1984-1986, and Mexico from 2010-2011.
Marty Roers, MKLM - Previously in South Sudan + Kenya
Marty seen in back, photo from Maryknoll.
Sr. Mary Hroscikoski, OSF - Previously in Mexico
Sr. Mary is Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, MN. She previously served in Mexico from 2014-2016.
Sr. Mary Kenneth Zirbes, OSF - Previously in Peru
Sr. Mary is Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, MN. She previously served in Peru from 1962-1966.
Mary Lauer, MKLM - Previously in Tanzania
Sr. Mary Schumer, OSB - Previously in Brazil
Sr. Mary is a Benedictine Sister of St. Joseph, MN. She previously served in Brazil from 1989-1997
Sr. Maurita Bernet, OSF - Previously in Venezuela + Mexico
Sr. Maurita is Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, MN. She previously served in Venezuela from 1975-1984, and Mexico from 2010-2011.
Sr. Michelle L'Allier, OSF - Previously in Africa + Nicaragua
Sr. Michelle is Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, MN. She previously served in Nicaragua from 1993-1997, and Africa in 2012.
Sr. Noreen Bentfield, OSF - Previously in Africa
Sr. Noreen is Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, MN. She previously served in Africa from 1986-1994, 1996-1998.
Sr. Patricia Forster OSF Venezuela/ Mexico 1975~2016
Patricia Moulsoff Vietnam 1968~69
Sr. Rose Mae Rausch OSF Venezuela/ Mexico 76~2008
Ruth Grelson Venezuela 1987~90
Sr. Ruth Lentner OSF Nicaragua 1992~94
Sr. Shirley Mueller OSF Africa 1991~94
Therese Karnowski Peru 1969~70
Tom Howard ~
Maracay Venezuela
Virginia Ann Bieg (MO) Peru
Roxanne & John Close MKLM (Wadena) Tanzania
Beth Rademacher & Tony Aspholm MKLM (St. Cloud) Brazil
Diane & Tobias Spanier & Family
MKLM (Spring Hill) Venezuela
Diane Mistelske MKLM (Sartell) Tanzania
Teri Krowka-Ansberry MKLM (Cold Spring) Venezuela
Father Timothy Kilkelly MMFB (Big Lake) Hong Kong & China
Molly Minnerath Maryknoll Affiliate (Alexandria) Bolivia
(Fr.) Joesph Bastien MMFB (St. Cloud) Chile & Peru
Sr. Mary Lou Rajdl MM (Villard) China & Taiwan
Fr. William Skudlarek OSB (Maryknoll Assoc.) (Avon)
Brazil & Japan
Meghan Marinnan MKLM (Twin Cities) Tanzania
(Br.) Mark Grundhoefer OSC (St. Cloud)
Papua New Guinea 1970 ~1982
Fr. Glen Lewandowski OSC (Foley)
Papua New Guinea 1981 ~ 2003
Fr. John Fleischacker OSC (St. Martin)
Papua New Guinea 1962~1981
Fr. Tom Enneking OSC (Spring Hill) Brazil 2005 ~ 2006
Fr. Bob Rossi OSC (Onamia) Congo Republica
Br. Jim Scher OSC (ILL) Papua New Guinea
Sr. Monica Spates T.O.R (St. Cloud) Venezuela
Br. Nicholas Thielman CSC (Avon) Bangladesh
Fr. Myron Effing CJD (IN) Russia
Peter Kimeu (Kitui) Kenya
Fr. David Trujillo ~ Maracay Venezuela
Fr. Jose Bracamonte ~ Maracay Venezuela
Fr. Freddimir Villavicencio ~ Maracay Venezuela
Fr. Gregory Ombok ~ Homa Bay Kenya
Fr. John Philip Odero ~ Homa Bay Kenya
Jane Salzl (St. Mary's Melrose) Maracay Venezuela
Rita Lenzing Franciscan Associate (Greenwald) Tanzania
Dr. Joseph & Mary Wenner ( Cold Spring) Malawi
George F. Gieselman (Morris) Guatemala
Dave Huebsch (St. Lawrence, Rush Lake) Guatemala
Connie Conzemius (Breckenridge) Central Africa
Sr. Mary (Little Sister) Roberta Revering L. S. J. (Urbank)
Bill Baldus ~ Maracay Venezuela
Martha Primus ~ Maracay Venezuela
Ted Rielly ~ Maracay Venezuela
Mary Theisen ~ Maracay Venezuela
Rafael & Emily Harrington (Collegeville) Honduras & Peru
Krista Popp (Becker) Honduras
Kristel Pesta (Long Prairie) Guatemala & Honduras
Bruse Weller ~ Maracay Venezuela
Sr. Guadalupe Bonfil (MX) Maracay Venezuela
Melaine Molitor (Rockville)
Rachel Lauer (Sauk Centre)
Lisa Sullivan (Arden Hills) Latin America / Venezuela
Eileen Niehaus (Sauk Centre) Nicaragua
Roseanne Fischer (Mayhew Lake) Nicaragua
Tracy Skluzacek de Martin (Cold Spring)
Nicaragua & Argentina
Megan Behrens (Brooten) Mexico
Allison Swoboda (Belle Prairie) Mexico
Lindsey Chmielewski ( St. Anthony) Guatemala
Carrie Muntifering (Sartell / St. Francis) Cameroon
Cathryn Keeting (St. Cloud) Tanzania
Jessica Witt ~ Guatemala
Tyler Andres ~ Bolivia
Julie Lensing (Holdingford)
Karen Schreifels (Melrose) Tanzania
Christine Reano (WI) Tanzania & Uganda
Tim Spanier (Belgrade) South Africa
Patty Santos (St. Paul) Venezuela
Jane Leyden (St. Paul) Venezuela
Rita Eltgroth (West Union)~ Venezuela
Sr. Anna Mary Jegielski MMS ( St. Cloud) Rome, & Venezuela
(Fr.) James Collignon MM (St. Cloud)
South Africa & East Africa
(Sr.) Avila Lipitzky SSND(Clements) Guatemala
Jessica Murphy ~ Nicaragua
Anna Vangsness ~ Nicaragua
Ryan Kadow ~ Tanzania & Belize
Cody Zilverberg VMM (SD) Guatemala
Kenna Caughey Dooley (Perham) Botswana
Eileen Torberg McCormick (Richmond) Africa
Darrell Bohlsen (Rice) Mexico
Rita Godlewski Gordon ~ Peru
Cecilia Blonigen Bentler (St. Martin) Mexico
MaryAnn Kulzer Samuelson (Greenwald) India
Barb Bechtold JVC (Rockville) Africa
Fr. Robert Feeney (ND) Maracay Venezuela 1967~1968
(Fr.) Robert Schmainda (St. Anna)
Maracay Venezuela 1971~1975
Fr. Anthony Kroll (Royalton) Maracay Venezuela 1972~1985
(Fr) Joe Krause (Archdiocese of Minneapolis/St. Paul) Maracay Venezuela
Fr. Tom Becker (Browerville) Maracay Venezuela 1985~1987
Fr. Larry Weiseler (Crookston)
Maracay Venezuela 1981~89 & 1995~2000
Fr. David Maciej (Bowlus) Maracay Venezuela 1989~1990
Fr. Todd Schneider (Austin) Maracay Venezuela 1989~1995
Fr. James Statz (St. Cloud) Maracay Venezuela 1991~1995
Sr. Theresa Padilla OSF
Fr. Eric Buermann OSB (Richmond) Puerto Rico
Fr. Edmund Hall OSB (St. Cloud) Bahamas & Puerto Rico
Fr. Cyprian Weaver OSB (Wichita KS) Tiawan
Br. Felix Neussendorfer OSB (Collegeville)
Bahamas & Puerto Rico
Rebecca Calderone (St. Cloud) Bolivia
Fr. Edward Vebelun OSB ~ Japan
Fr. Geoffrey Fecht OSB (WI) Japan
Fr. Julius Beckermann OSB (Sauk Centre) Japan & Red Lake
(Fr.) Kenneth (John) Russell OSB (MI) Puerto Rico
Fr. Virgil Petermeier OSC (St. Rosa) Papua New Guinea 1974~2010
During my first year in theological studies at Fort Wayne, Indiana (1971), I heard God calling me to join my Crosier brothers as a missionary in Papua, Indonesia. I volunteered to do my pastoral internship there. I finally realized God had been calling me to international mission ministry for many years already, and in many ways. During my elementary school years I loved to read the Maryknoll Magazine from cover to cover. Later, at Crosier Seminary, I recall being enthralled by vacationing Crosier missionaries’ from Papua telling their stories to the whole student body. Their Indonesian and Asmat artifacts, displayed in the seminary’s small museum, always deeply interested me.
From 1974 to 2010 I fell in love with the rainforest people and my Crosier community in the Diocese of Agats, Papua, Indonesia. I served several parishes as a pastor. Then the Crosiers asked me to help train new Indonesian Crosiers. Bishop Alphonse Sowada, OSC also asked me to coordinate diocesan pastoral planning and finally help him as his Vicar General. Thereafter, my Crosier brothers [confreres] elected me as their community leader, a ministry I fulfilled until I returned permanently to the U.S. in 2010.
From 2010 until 2020 I contributed to the life of the Crosier community at Onamia, MN while also developing and directing the Crosier Associates, a group of lay people who felt called to live Crosier spirituality in their own lives. God also called me through my long experience of living in the world’s largest Muslim country, Indonesia, to participate in the St. Cloud Christian-Muslim Interfaith Dialogue Group. My former Indonesian experience prompted me to write a book, Encountering God in a Rainforest: Crosier Missionaries in Papua, Indonesia. It was published in early October 2021.
Since late February 2020, I have been living and serving with my Crosier community in Phoenix, AZ. While continuing interfaith dialogue, I also serve as a spiritual director. Ministries with Veterans and the Hispanic community surrounding Crosier Village here are parts of my present mission too.
Fr. Virgil is pictured here wearing a traditional Indonesian headdress.
(Br) Anselm (Thomas) Bawek OSB Puerto Rico
Fr. James Reichert OSB (MO) Puerto Rico
(Fr.) James (Geoffrey) Wilde OSB Puerto Rico
(Fr.) Robert (Ralph) Wieber OSB Puerto Rico
(Fr.) Jose Gutierrez OSB (MX) Puerto Rico
Fr. Roman Paur OSB (SD) Japan
Br. Dennis Beach OSB ~ Guatemala & El Salvador
Br. Joseph Schneeweis OSB (Melrose) Mexico, Zimbabwe, Guatemala & Swaziland
Br. David Richard Manahan OSB (Chatfield, MN) Bahamas
(Sr.) Ruth Boedigheimer OSB (Perham) Mexico
Sr. Lois Wedl OSB (Cold Spring) Puerto Rico
Sr. Lydia Erkens OSB (Roscoe) Puerto Rico
(Sr.) Rita Tobin OSB (New Prague) Laos
Sr. Geraldine (Hugh) Luke ~ Brazil
Sr. Dorothy Manuel OSB (Kimball) Bahamas
Sr. Ann Marie Biermaier OSB (Browerville) Bahamas
Sr. Carleen Schomer OSB (Lastrup) Puerto Rico
Sr. Eunice Antony OSB (St. Leo, MN) Bahamas
Sr. Lauren Keppers OSB (Avon) Bahamas
Sr. Aloysius Weber OSB (St. Martin) Bahamas
Sr. Marlene Schwinghammer OSB (Albany) Bahamas
Sr. Mara Faulkner OSB (ND) Bahamas
Sr. Stefanie Weisgram OSB (Mankato) Bahamas
Paula Deckmann ~San Felix, Venezuela 1962~1987
Diana Edwards ~San Felix, Venezuela 1962~1987
Gina Dwyer (Swanville) ~San Felix, Venezuela 1962~1987
Barbara Kuhl- Seivert (Worthington) ~San Felix, Venezuela 1962~1987
Tessa Floersch - Johnson (Minneapolis) ~San Felix, Venezuela 1962~1987
Dorothea Hansmeyer (Long Prairie) ~Ecuador 1962~1987
Debra Dering- Kolles (Little Falls) Ecuador
Fr. Michael Shields Russia
Fr. Michael Shields was born and raised in Talkeetna, Alaska. After his ordination to the priesthood, he served throughout the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska for fifteen years. At a forty-day Jesuit Retreat in 1990, Fr. Michael received a call: “Go and pray in the camps.” The camps were Joseph Stalin’s gulag in Magadan, Russia. The call was as clear and demanding as his call to the priesthood, and he knew he had to go and offer his life freely for those who were sent there to die. Two years after this call, Fr. Michael’s bishop allowed him to serve as a missionary priest in Far East Siberia. A prayer rose up in his heart at the prospect of spending his life there: “Lord, you fill me with such joy, how can I repay you? Forgive me my many sins. And give me one home at the foot of the Cross with my Mother and Queen to teach me one thing: that is to love.” After his arrival in Magadan, a little parish grew up around that prayer. During the twenty-six years that Fr. Michael lived and loved among his community, he promoted pro-life ministries, Alcoholic Anonymous support groups, outreach to the elderly, and other works of mercy. He especially cherished his relationships with the repressed (survivors of Stalin’s gulag in Magadan).
Fr. Michael is currently serving as Pastor of St. Michael Catholic Church in Palmer, Alaska in the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alsaka where his priestly vocation first began.
Fr. Michael lives under private vows from his bishop in order to live out the spirituality of Blessed Charles De Foucauld called Brother of the Heart of Jesus.