Two seminarians reflect on journey and Ignite! Campaign

September 14, 2022

Two seminarians reflect on journey and Ignite! Campaign Kyle Rowan and Luke Mohan recently entered the seminary and are discerning a call to serve the Diocese of Des Moines as priests. Mohan and Rowan are among the men impacted by the Ignite! Campaign’s work to build up the endowed Seminarian Fund.

“We, along with future seminarians, will benefit from the fund for seminarians, which enables us to study for the priesthood without having to try and work simultaneously,” said Mohan.

Rowan’s home parish is Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bedford. He credits his mother, Theresa Rowan, for igniting his love for the Catholic faith. It was she who encouraged him to be an altar server, lector, Eucharistic minister and eventually a counselor at the Catholic Youth Camp in Panora. While at Catholic Youth Camp, Rowan met recently ordained priests, Fathers Alex Kramer and Reed Flood. “After meeting them, the possibility of becoming a priest turned into something tangible and exciting,” Rowan said

Like Rowan, Mohan was also inspired by a priest. He grew up in the St. Francis of Assisi Parish in West Des Moines, attended St. Francis School and graduated from Dowling Catholic High School. Becoming a priest was not on Mohan’s mind when he started at Dowling. But Father Zach Kautzky, the chaplain, pointed out the ways God was active in Mohan’s life.

“It was during that time that God planted the seed of discernment that eventually grew during college,” he said.

The $45 million Ignite! Campaign is a diocesan-wide effort that will impact schools, parishes, priests, seminarians, and every family in southwest Iowa. The average class size of diocesan seminarians over the last 10 years has blossomed to 22, yet current funding, while consistently generous, provides support for only 18. The campaign aims to bolster the current endowed Seminarian Fund with $5 million to keep up with the growth in its average class sizes. The campaign’s signature initiative is a $25 million endowment for tuition assistance.

Proceeds from the endowment will complement yearly funding from the Catholic Tuition Organization, significantly increasing the amount of aid available to families desiring a Catholic education for their children.

“Many of us are extremely grateful for our Catholic primary and secondary education, which gave us strong roots of faith. I think it is important to continue to support the ministry of Catholic schools in the Diocese,” Mohan said.

The campaign has rolled out in waves throughout the year. Preparations for the third and final wave are currently underway. Wave Three, which kicks off in October, is also the largest, including 39 parishes and over half of all registered families in the Diocese.

To date, the campaign has raised over $24 million in gifts and pledges. As the campaign continues to unfold, seminarians like Rowan and Mohan are thankful that families throughout the Diocese are investing in them so they can carefully discern God’s will. “I pray that God continues to call me to the vocation of becoming a priest for this beautiful Diocese,” Rowan said. “I look forward to seeing all of you in the Eucharist.” For more information about the campaign and seminarians, including the videos and frequently asked questions, visit dmdiocese.org/ ignite.