New vocations director takes the helm as Fr. Hughes takes parish assignment

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
July 26, 2006

A new director of vocations has been appointed for the Diocese of Sioux City.

Father Brad Pelzel, formerly a team priest for Holy Trinity Parish in Webster County, assumed the position on July 2.

He was ordained on Aug. 10, 2002 and his first year after ordination he completed his studies for a licentiate degree in church dogma at Gregorian University in Rome. His first assignment was at Holy Trinity in Webster County for four years.

"It is exciting and intimidating," said Father Pelzel about his new assignment. "I feel completely out of my comfort zone, but that is okay. The Lord is always challenging us to move out of our comfort zones. This will be a growing period for me and hopefully for all the people that I am associated with as well."

As vocations director, his goal is to have an adequate number of young men studying for the priesthood and young women discerning vocations to religious life.

"Frankly, I would like to see a minimum of 40 guys studying for the diocese," said Father Pelzel. "One of the things is that you lose just through the natural process of discernment - men realize they are not called the priesthood or they are called to monastic life - about 10 percent a year."

The priest would like to have two to three men ordained to the priesthood each year.

"That would be a sustainable objective for our diocese," said Father Pelzel. "If we could do that, we would be fine."

He would like to encourage all the people of the diocese to get involved in the process by praying.

"In Luke 10:1 and 3 and Matthew 9:36-38, both of those places it says, 'Jesus looked at the people and had pity on them because they are like sheep without a shepherd,'" said Father Pelzel. "Then he gives us the answer to our vocations problem. He says, 'The harvest is abundant, the workers are few, pray to the master of the harvest to send workers.'"

He also suggested the parents and grandparents talk to their children about considering a vocation.

The former director of vocations, Father Brian Hughes, has been a priest for 26 and spent the last 13 in this position. That assignment began on July 17.

"The whole experience was wonderful," said Father Hughes. "Getting to know young people all over the diocese was a great grace."

He added that he enjoyed getting to know "the young men who have decided that they want to enter the seminary and meeting their families in many instances. Getting to know them, sharing their lives with them and sharing their struggle to discover what it is the Lord wants in their lives was a huge grace for me."

He is now the pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Estherville and St. Mary Parish in Armstrong.

"I can hardly wait," said Father Hughes about getting back into parish ministry. "I have been looking for this for a long time. Very few vocation directors stay in the job as long as I've stayed in the job. I am probably one of longest running vocations directors in the country. It is nice to be able to go back to parish life. I am grateful to be able to go to a parish."

The priest added that he looks forward to serving in this community.