Editor’s Note: The Register invited the five men who were ordained transitional deacons last year to write columns for the Register, to introduce themselves to the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln.
Deacon Jonah Brox is from St. Teresa Parish in Lincoln. He was ordained a deacon in May 2023 and served at St. Mary Parish in David City last summer. He is now in Theology 4 at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa.
Ordinations will be May 24 (new deacons) and 25 (new priests) in the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln.
By Deacon Jonah Brox
I am blessed and so grateful that the Catholic faith has always been at the center of my family and home life.
Growing up, I was blessed to be immersed in the Catholic faith. My father, Timothy, is the owner of Gloria Deo book store, and my mother, Melissa, is a former elementary school teacher, having taught at St. Peter School in Lincoln before I was born. Both of my parents take their faith seriously. The example that they set truly helped plant the seeds of faith and of my vocation.
I was born and raised in Lincoln, and I am the oldest of seven children; I have four brothers and two sisters. My home parish is St. Teresa. I attended St. Teresa School and Pius X High School. After completing one year of community college in Lincoln, I entered the seminary in August 2017. After graduating from St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, I was sent to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa., where I am finishing my last semester of seminary studies.
From a young age, I was drawn to the priesthood, in large part because of the example set by the priests I encountered throughout my life. The first priest who greatly influenced me was one I interacted with on a regular basis while growing up—my pastor, Msgr. Joseph Nemec.
What inspired me most was his love for the Lord and the joy that he shared. It was a joy that was contagious, a joy that I remember always noticing. I thought to myself: “I want that joy.”
Having priests as teachers throughout high school was also very influential. Having their presence and example in the school and encountering it regularly was such a blessing.
Another major influence in my life and my vocation was Leadership Camp, held each summer at Camp Kateri Tekakwitha in McCool Junction. The focus of Leadership Camp is to form boys into leaders, emphasizing the importance of the Mass and helping them to develop a personal relationship with Christ. I began attending the camp when I was in the sixth grade, and it changed everything for me. It was through this camp that I truly felt I had a personal relationship with Jesus. It was through this experience that the seeds of the faith, planted by my parents, and the seeds of my vocation were nourished.
It was through Leadership Camp that I first heard and felt the Lord’s call to the priesthood. A pivotal moment for me was when I was a senior counselor, right before my final year of high school. It was a Friday night at Eucharistic adoration, which was held outdoors. During the silence and stillness of Eucharistic adoration, I felt a deep tug on my heart toward the priesthood, and I heard the Lord call me to be His servant and priest.
In that moment, I felt the overwhelming presence of God’s mercy and love. And when I heard those words and felt them in my heart, I felt immense peace – not a peace that was short-lived, but a peace that was lasting. From that moment, I truly believed that I was not only loved by God, but that I was being called to be His priest.
There are so many things that I am looking forward to as a priest of the Diocese of Lincoln – regularly celebrating the gift of the Mass for the people of God, celebrating the sacraments, especially Reconciliation, and helping bring people to the love and mercy of the Father.
I am looking forward to being an alter Christus in the world, bringing His light, and helping the souls that I encounter to know that they are beloved sons and daughters of the Father.
Please pray for me that I may be a holy priest of Jesus Christ and that I may be the instrument that He is calling me to be!
Read the other deacons' columns:
