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Year for Priests: Reflecting on vocation, ministry

Name: Father Paul D. Bormann

Birth date: Jan. 16, 1959

Hometown: LuVerne, Iowa

Education: B.A. History, Briar Cliff University, 1981; Master of Divinity, St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., 1985

Ordination date: June 1, 1985

Current assignment: Pastor of St. John the Baptist Church, Bancroft and Sacred Heart Church, Ledyard

Hobbies/interests: Being with my family when I can, cooking, gardening, fishing and most of all riding my collection of motor scooters on warm, sunny days.

Describe your call to priesthood. I first started thinking that maybe I was being called to the priesthood my junior year at Garrigan High School. The priests that were on the faculty at the time, Fathers Arts, Feirfeil and Friedman, were always supportive, as was my pastor, Father McAlpin.

Did anyone or anything provide you with inspiration? My main inspiration came from my parents and the importance they always placed on prayer and attending Mass, as well as providing all their children with a solid Catholic education.

Was it a difficult decision to make? The decision to become a priest came slowly over my years in college and seminary. Once I began my studies at St. Paul Seminary, I really became convinced that I was indeed being called to serve Christ as a priest.

What do you enjoy most about being a priest? I most enjoy the privilege of serving Christ’s people as a priest when I am celebrating with them the sacraments of the church in both difficult and happy times.

Are there any devotions or prayers that are dear to your heart? Celebrating the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours

Why do you find the priesthood to be a worthy vocation? I don’t know if I like the term “worthy.” I wouldn’t say the priesthood is so much a “worthy” vocation as it is an “important” vocation. In this day and age we need to be reminded of the importance of spreading the gospel message ever more loudly in our “secular” society.

What would you say to a young man considering a vocation to the priesthood? Be a person of prayer. Be open to the possibility that Christ may be calling you to serve him. Know too, that if you are called to serve Christ as a priest, you must respond to that call for it will change your life forever.