The seven men ordained were: Father Jonathon Bokuniewicz of Saint Augustine parish in Howell; Father Brett Ivey of Saint Mary parish in Williamston; Father Jack Jobst, Father Daniel LaCroix, Father Christian Salata, all of Christ the King parish in Ann Arbor;
Father Randy Koenigsknecht and Father Joshua Luttig, both of Most Holy Trinity parish in Fowler.

During his homily, Bishop Boyea’s message to the ordinands was direct and challenging: Grow in holiness by remaining in friendship with Jesus, such that you can pour yourselves out, and hold nothing back, in the service of Christ’s beloved bride, His Holy Church.

“This friendship, says the Lord, will only be real when we love one another, when we love the very people we are called to serve,” said Bishop Boyea. “A love which means we are willing to lay down our lives, or the interruptions in our nights, or the constant demands on our time, or the missing of that last episode of our favorite TV show, or the stretching of our alms-giving as the tenth person seeks our help.”

“Holiness will lead us to lay down our lives in these and many other day-to-day demands which nibble at us without surcease.” All seven priests were educated at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. They will now serve as parochial vicars in parishes across the Diocese of Lansing. You can read where on the following pages. Please do keep them in your prayers in the weeks and months to come.

“Today, my sons, you will be conformed by God’s grace, to his beloved Son, the truly holy one,” said Bishop Boyea in his concluding remarks during his homily.

“May that holiness be effective both in your own lives and in the lives for whom you pour out your own life. Love, both the love which God has as he configures you to his Son and the love you bestow generously upon the people whom God places in your care, this love is who you are to become. Yes, pour yourselves out and hold nothing back.”

Our Lady, Queen of the Clergy, pray for them!

Meet the new priests

Father Bretty Ivey

Parochial Vicar, Saint Joseph, Howell

Helping families come to know the newness of life that Jesus offers through the sacramental communion of the Church is what I look forward to most in the ministry before me. Even though there were many formation opportunities, classes, and professors that have helped me discover the richness of our faith over these last years, one of the most impactful was an elective on the Theology of the Body taught by Dr. Oana Gotia. She helped form in me a concrete vision for God’s plan for family, and instilled hope in me that this is possible to attain by grace.

Father Daniel Lacroix

Parochial Vicar, Saint John Vianney, Flint

My love for the saints and devotion to them has grown while in seminary. Reading their biographies captures my attention in a way that other books often don’t. I find recent saints, and American saints particularly, edifying. Venerable Emil Kapaun, a Korean War chaplain who died in a POW camp, beautifully exemplifies a priest’s selfless service to me. St. Philippine Duchesne’s example of pursuing holiness and zeal for souls amid the ordinary struggles of life inspires me to do the same. The saints are not dead and gone but are alive in heaven, interceding for us here on earth in a special spiritual friendship.

Father Randy Koenigsknecht

Parochial Vicar of St. John, Jackson

As I begin my priestly ministry, I am most looking forward to celebrating the Mass and hearing confessions. These sacraments formed the foundation for my faith and growth, and I am excited to provide them to the people God gives me. I would tell any man considering seminary to not be afraid of what it might cost you. The devil tries to focus us on all the things we might need to give up, but God is not outdone in generosity. As I have learned during my years of study, be faithful and trust in the slow work of God.

Father Christian Salata

Parochial Vicar of St. Robert, Flushing, and Good Shepherd, Montrose

I look forward to walking with people on their faith journey toward God. In seminary, we spend a lot of time praying, studying, reading, and learning about God, and right now I am eager to share with others the love that I have experienced from God.

To someone who is discerning: Do not wait for a crystal clear response from our Lord about what you are called to do with your life. God speaks to us in our thoughts, feelings, and desires. If someone is feeling or has a desire to try out religious life, they should move in that direction. Do not let fear prohibit you from moving towards your desires of giving your life to God.

What I have learned from the seminary: God is able to work with my own weaknesses. I do not have to be perfect to proclaim God’s message of love. This may seem basic, but there is a difference between understanding this message intellectually and experiencing it personally. My time as a transitional deacon has prepared me for this, when writing homilies and offering words of advice to people I have encountered. God can do such marvelous things with those who respond with a yes to his invitation.

Father Jonathon Bokuniewicz

Parochial Vicar of St. Gerard, Lansing

Praise God! I am deeply blessed and delighted to be ordained a priest of Jesus Christ. I am greatly looking forward to being in a parish and being able to serve and walk with the people of God in a new way. I am looking forward to celebrating Mass and hearing confessions, and I am also looking forward to simply being able to be present and available for people in whatever way they need. Many people in my life have helped to foster my vocation and form me into the man I am today. For all of them, I am immensely grateful. I know the Lord will be with me in this new journey because it is precisely he who has called me to this, and it is he whom I bring to the people I serve. To anyone discerning a call to the priesthood or religious life, I simply encourage them to trust fully in God and his providence. He will bring about in their lives whatever he has planned for them.

Father Jack Jobst

Parochial Vicar of St. John the Baptist, Ypsilanti

As I begin my priestly ministry I am very much looking forward to giving people the sacraments. From the beginning of my discernment about 10 years ago, the Eucharist and confession have been an incredible gift to me that I hope I can make available to others. For those who are discerning the priesthood (or marriage or religious life for that matter), I would simply recommend this: Learn how to talk to God like a person, not just thinking about God and your life, or treating him like a vending machine for grace. It was only after I learned to really talk (and listen) to each person of the Trinity that my heart was prepared to receive my vocation, and it took me a year and a half of seminary to learn how to do this.

Father Joshua Luttig

Parochial Vicar of St. Andrew, Saline

What would I recommend to someone discerning a vocation to the priesthood? One thing God taught me during my discernment in seminary was to trust the desires he placed on my heart. I found desires for the priesthood within myself, but I was being overly analytic about my discernment. The Lord responded to the doubts I had by saying, “If I am calling you to something else, I will change your heart, not your mind.” That brought a lot of peace. I learned I could trust the desire for priesthood I found in my heart. So pay attention to the desires in your heart, and discern whether those desires are from God. Then follow him.