By DAWN PROSSER
Director of Communications
 
The newly-appointed assistant director of the Vocations Office identified a hurdle that potential seminarians may encounter and is turning to the diocesan faithful for help.
 
Father Zach Jones, parochial vicar for Divine Mercy Parish of Kossuth County and West Bend, was talking to other priests regarding there were many diocesan young men that were “open to a call to a priestly vocation.”
 
“But they are on the fence. How do we get them off the fence? How do we get them to make a decision to be open to it and have the conviction and the excitement to say, ‘I’m going to try the seminary for a year?’” he asked. “How do we spiritually push them in the right direction?”
 
He took the issue to prayer, then looked to an old tradition in the Catholic faith that he personally embraced and is encouraging the laity to make a weekly sacrifice for the sake of priestly vocations as well as prayer.
 
“I want to offer a new opportunity for us to pray for vocations for our diocese and bring back a more ancient practice that we still see during Lent but extend it to the rest of the year and that’s abstinence from meat on Fridays,” Father Jones said.

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By RENEE WEBB
Content and Design Coordinator

Those who work with marriage preparation for Hispanic couples are well aware that sometimes unique situations arise that require additional information and more planning time. With that in mind, the Office of Faith Formation hosted a marriage ministry dinner Oct. 22 in Marcus for those who help accompany Hispanic couples on their journey to matrimony. 

The gathering featured a presentation by Father David Esquiliano, diocesan canon lawyer, who addressed a wide variety of topics ranging from cultural norms, practical tips, necessary paperwork and more.

As the judicial vicar for the Diocese of Sioux City, he explained to the group that the bulk of his work relates to nullity cases and marriage. He also serves as pastor of Cathedral Parish in Sioux City, which has a strong majority of Hispanic parishioners.

“I’ve been ordained for 13 years and throughout most of my ministry I’ve worked with Hispanics and myself being Hispanic, I do speak from experience,” said Father Esquiliano. 

For starters, he suggested not to presume the couple’s primary language because some Latin American countries do not speak Spanish.

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