From the Associate Pastor’s Desk:
In place of the weekly letter from your Pastor Fr. Lewis, I, Fr. Jesse Hiett, was asked to introduce myself in the bulletin for this week. As many of you may know, I was ordained to the priesthood on May 27, 2022. My journey to the priesthood is a unique one. In 2001, I entered the seminary only to leave shortly before the next school year began in 2002. I figured I would succeed better as a math teacher (I had just earned my BSEd in Mathematics the previous year). Consequently, I left to begin my teaching career, during which time I also earned my MSEd in Mathematics. For the next fifteen years, I taught mathematics at the high school and college level, including two years as Mathematics Curriculum Coordinator for the Springfield R-XII. However, throughout my entire time in education, I felt God pulling me back, insisting I continue with my seminary formation. Over the years, that call only grew stronger. Eventually, in 2017, I decided to sell my house and leave my teaching career (at least for the time being) to discern God's plan for me more carefully. The moment I entered seminary, I thought that I had made a horrible decision, but I offered that all up to Jesus. I'm glad I did because my life has never been the same since the moment I walked through the doors of the seminary. From my summer chaplaincy at Research Medical Center in Kansas City to a study abroad program in Morelia, Mexico, to receiving my liquor license for the state of Indiana (ask me about that one), to being stuck in the 2020 Covid Lockdown during my pastoral internship, to walking 500 miles across Spain on the Camino Frances, to spending three weeks in the Holy Land as a Deacon and preaching at the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fish God’s grace was with me always encouraging and challenging me to go deeper into a relationship with him. Being assigned here at St. Agnes as the associate pastor was surprising - newly ordained priests typically don’t get assigned back to their home parish. I am truly blessed to spend the next couple of months with you. I will return to Mundelein Seminary near the end of August to complete an additional degree. This additional degree, a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL), will take another year to complete. An STL degree prepares one to teach theology in a college, seminary, or university, function as a chaplain for professional groups, and act as a theological resource to the diocese. After completing the degree, I will return to the diocese to begin full-time ministry within the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau. This year of study is funded through the Catholic Extension Society as part of the Seminarian Scholarship I received when I first entered theology. The scholarship is offered to any seminarian attending Mundelein. It covers the cost of tuition, room, and board for the entire duration of their formation at the seminary - including the additional year of study at no expense to the diocese. Many of our recently ordained priests received this scholarship – including Fr. Andrew Williams and Fr. Brian Strauss. Again, I look forward to spending these next several weeks with you at St. Agnes. Feel free to reach out to me anytime – even if it is to grab a cup of coffee and visit. Please be assured of my prayers for each of you - please continue to keep me in yours. Yours In Christ, Fr. Hiett