Silver Lake native ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of New Ulm

New Ulm - Fr. Jeremy Gerald Kucera of Silver Lake was ordained to the priesthood by the Most Reverend John C. Nienstedt, bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm, on June 12, 2004, at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, New Ulm, MN. Many priests, pastoral administrators, and parishioners of the Diocese were present, as well as Bishop Campbell, rector of the St. Paul Seminary, other representatives of the Seminary and dignitaries, and personal friends and family.

In his homily, Bishop Nienstedt exhorted Fr. Kucera to be a source of unity for the Church and to work to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life, a task that he shares with all priests.

Fr. Kucera is the son of Gerald and Luanne Kucera of Silver Lake, graduating in 1995 from Holy Trinity High School, Winsted. He completed his studies at the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity of the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN. He graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a B.A degree in 1999 with a Catholic Studies major. During the course of his preparations for priesthood, Fr. Kucera was a seminarian-intern and spent five months in Guatemala and seven months at St. Catherine’s in Redwood Falls, and his final year of studies at St. Philip’s in Litchfield and Our Lady in Manannah. During his undergraduate studies, he spent a semester in Rome studying at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. In addition, he completed a course of Clinical Pastoral Education and a number of summer parish assignments.

After the ordination Mass, a reception/fiesta was held in Leifeld Hall at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. Representatives from the Diocesan Mission in San Lucas Toliman served traditional Guatemalan festival foods.

Fr. Kucera celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving Sunday, June 13 (the Feast of Corpus Christi) in his home parish of Holy Family, Silver Lake, MN, followed by a reception.

He has been appointed by Bishop Nienstedt to serve as parochial vicar of Holy Redeemer, Marshall, MN.