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Year for Priests: Reflecting on vocation, ministry

Name: Timothy Alan Friedrichsen

Birth date including year: March 13, 1957

Hometown: Danbury; Parish: St. Mary Church, Mapleton

Education:
• Schleswig-Ricketts Community Schools
• B.S. in Mathematics, Divine Word College, Epworth, IA
• St. Meinrad School of Theology (1st year of Theology)
• The American College//The Catholic University of Louvain (Leuven), Belgium: 1980-82, Bachelor in Sacred Theology; 1982-84, Licentiate in Sacred Theology; 1988-92, Ph.D. in Religious Studies/Doctorate in Sacred Theology.

Ordination date: July 21, 1984

Current assignment: Associate Vicar, St. Rose of Lima Church, Denison and St. Ann Church, Vail (since summer, 2008)

Hobbies/interests: Golf, Bridge, Reading, and Puzzles: Crossword, Sudoku, Scrambled Words.

Describe your call to priesthood: I began to feel drawn to be a priest from a very young age. I admired our pastor, Father Anton “Tony” Ocken, who was a constant priestly presence in my family and parish family at St. Mary Church, Mapleton. No lightening bolts or angelic messages, but a growing sense that I had been given the gifts and desire for priestly ministry, which developed more profoundly throughout high school, college and major seminary formation.

Did anyone or anything provide you with inspiration to follow the call to priesthood? Besides Father Ocken, my parents were and are loving, life-giving examples of faith. They encouraged me throughout my discernment in ways that did not pressured me in any way - which I believe they did for all my siblings in their vocations as well. In addition, there were wonderful extended family members, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles (esp. Godparents) who were very supportive.

Was it a difficult decision to make? For me, this decision is not only a “was” but also a daily “is”. Rather than use the word difficult, I would say the decision was challenging - and remains a challenging recommitment each day. I believe this is similar to any lifelong commitment; there “was” a decision to step out in faith and now there “is” daily growth and progress in deepening that original commitment.

What do you enjoy most about being a priest? I experience great joy when celebrating the sacraments with parishioners, most especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation. Preaching and teaching are also wonderful parts of my priesthood.

Are there any particular devotions or prayers that are dear to your heart? I love praying with Sacred Scriptures in whatever ways the Holy Spirit inspires my reflection on a particular passage. Besides the great prayers of our tradition, I also love Thomas Merton’s prayer from Thoughts in Solitude and Reinhold Niebuhr’s Prayer for Solitude.

Why do you find priesthood to be a worthy vocation? I am not sure how to answer this question, except in a somewhat Zen-like fashion: Priesthood as is any authentic response to God’s call “a worthy vocation” because I am not worthy - in the sense of have not earned - God’s great grace and love shown in God’s call and on-going presence in my priesthood, especially when I most needed God’s grace.

What would you say to a young man considering a vocation to the priesthood? Be open, be teachable, listen to what loved ones and faith models say to you, and bring that all to prayer, especially the Eucharist and the Scriptures, to see what you hear the Lord saying. Also, remember that entering seminary is not a decision to be a priest, but a decision to discern with the help of the guidance of seminary personnel as well as our diocese’s vocation director and bishop.