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Year for Priests: Reflecting on vocation, ministry

Name: Father Mark J. Stoll

Birth date including year: May 8, 1966

Hometown: Hospers, Iowa

Education: Spalding Catholic School, Hospers/Alton/Granville; Loras College (BS in Mass Communications), Dubuque, Iowa; Saint Meinrad School of Theology (M.CT, M.Div), Saint Meinrad, Ind.; Catholic University of America (JCL), Washington, D.C.

Ordination date: June 13, 1992

Current assignment: Pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, Moville, Iowa, and St. Michael Parish, Kingsley, Iowa; Vice-Chancellor, Diocese of Sioux City

Hobbies/interests: In the little spare time I have, I enjoy astronomy, biking, gardening, mechanics, model railroading, music [guitar and keyboard (especially pipe organ)], pen collecting, reading, stamp collecting, and woodworking.

Describe your call to priesthood. On July 20, 1974, I attended the priesthood ordination at St. Anthony of a young man named Dennis Schnurr, currently Coadjutor Archbishop of Cincinnati. Bishop Frank Greteman was the ordaining bishop. I found the ceremony to be very inspiring. I also met many great priests and religious sisters at my home parish, in school, and in college who inspired me to discern a call to priesthood.

Did anyone or anything provide you with inspiration to follow the call to priesthood? Besides the ordination in Hospers in 1974, my great-uncle, Father Peter Stoll, was ordained in 1928 for the Divine Word Missionaries, served them faithfully, and died in 1967. In grade school, as part of a vocations week event, I began and continue to maintain correspondence with a Divine Word Missionary priest currently teaching in Rome. And of course my family (including my grandparents, baptismal godparents, and confirmation sponsor) provided a great deal of encouragement and support including Mass every Sunday and Holy Day, frequent Reconciliation, and prayer in the home including before/after all meals, rosary, morning and night prayers.

Was it a difficult decision to make? It was not a difficult decision to make other than keeping my thoughts quiet from classmates and others who might discourage me. But I felt called and I had the support of my family. The seminary programs at Loras College and Saint Meinrad School of Theology helped a great deal to support, shape and form me into the priest I am. My four years at Saint Meinrad were academically and spiritually challenging but they are the best four years of my life due to the spirituality of the Benedictine community and the professors and classmates I met there.

What do you enjoy most about being a priest? I enjoy the opportunity to celebrate the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, to meet one on one with parishioners as they prepare to celebrate a Sacrament or for pastoral care, and the opportunities to watch the people of the parish grow in their faith through faith formation opportunities.

Are there any particular devotions or prayers that are dear to your heart? I am very faithful to the Liturgy of the Hours each day (Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer). The Lord’s Prayer, Act of Contrition, and Hail Mary are a regular part of my day; as is time spent in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. And every First Friday of the month I enjoy presiding at Adoration and Benediction. It is truly inspiring to spend some silent and communal prayer in the presence of Christ with members of the parishes.

Why do you find priesthood to be a worthy vocation? The priesthood offers many great opportunities to meet people at all aspects of life, from birth to death; to share Jesus’ message, and to help parishioners experience God in their daily lives. One side effect of priesthood is the opportunity to be inspired by parishioners and to also grow in love for God.

What would you say to a young man considering a vocation to the priesthood? As with any vocation or career in life, there are sacrifices to be made, even as a husband or a single man. However, the sacrifices made for Jesus as we answer his call to “Follow Me” is worth more than anything in the world. The priesthood gives us opportunities no other vocation or profession offers. The priesthood gives us the opportunity to be Christ for others in the Sacramental moments of people’s lives. The priesthood offers us a unique opportunity to help build God’s kingdom.