On Saturday, April 25, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki will ordain two men to the transitional diaconate during 10 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield. Paul Bonk and Braden Maher are both completing their third year of theology training and will be vested that day.

Paul Bonk

Paul Bonk, who is studying to be a priest at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wis., says it has been over 45 years since he first felt a call from God — yet it took decades of life experiences to lead him where God now wants him. At age 59, when many are nearing retirement, he is starting a whole new path in life.

Bonk is the son of Edward and Clara Bonk, who now live in Maryville. He grew up in Madison with four brothers (one who has passed away) and one sister. He is now a parishioner at St. Mary and St. Mark Parish in Madison.

"I went to St. Mary's Grade School and Assumption High School in East St. Louis," he says. "In grade school I was an altar server, a reader and we began every school day with morning Mass. In seventh grade during the Lenten season, I had a spiritual experience while at eucharistic adoration; I felt a call from God, but I didn't understand how to follow that call."

Bonk graduated from high school and worked as a self-employed carpenter. He married in his early 20s but was divorced less than two years later. "I then chose to enlist for five years in the Navy and worked as a carpenter with the Seabees. After my enlistment I returned to the carpentry business. Within a few years I sought reconciliation with the church and received an annulment."

Later Bonk married a second time. "My wife Johanna was Baptist and we were married in the Catholic Church. Johanna converted to the Catholic faith just three years before she was killed in an automobile accident in 2005," he explains. "Shortly after my wife died I decided to quit my job so I could stay home with my two youngest children until they graduated from high school."

Four years later, after those children finished high school, Bonk was at a crossroad in his life. "I could slip into early retirement single or consider marriage again after having been a widower for several years," he says, explaining that he had returned to the parish of his youth and was attending daily Mass and had been involved in many different parish ministries.

"It was during eucharistic adoration that I fell in love with Jesus," he says. "From there the windows of opportunity began to open up for me; first being accepted into the permanent deacon formation program, then being given permission to attend seminary." The seminary at Hales Corners is specifically geared for older students with more life experience.

Bonk has four children: Jeremy Bonk, Crystal Robinson, Brian Bonk and Tiffany Bonk. He also has five grandchildren. He looks forward to having his parents, siblings and children all at Cathedral for his ordination, where he will be vested by his pastor, Father Jeff Holtman.

Bonk says he now feels at peace with all the experiences — both good and bad — that life has handed him. "The trials and tribulations in my life will help me better understand the trials and tribulations others endure in their lives. As a pastor I will be able to relate to the pains and hardships people endure every day. The process of healing in my life gives me the tools to help others heal in their own lives.

"The seeds God has sown are bearing much fruit now, as I cooperate with God's grace," he concludes. "This spiritual experience today is just as powerful as what I remember from seventh grade and has led me to discern the priesthood."

Braden Maher

Even though he is just 25 years old, Braden Maher says he decided to enter the seminary 10 years ago. He is now studying at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinard, Ind.

Maher, who calls St. Anthony of Padua in Effingham his home parish, grew up with his parents, Joseph and Gladys Maher, and three older sisters. "By sophomore year of high school I had made the decision to enter the seminary," he says. "Before that, for the longest time I wanted to be a history professor."

As many young men in the seminary look for mentors, so has Maher. "Father Leo Enlow of our diocese was the first priest to demonstrate to me what a good and faithful pastor should be," he says. "I have a number of priests here at the seminary that I would call mentors. These priests, who are monks of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, are teaching me what it means to be a priest and how to most effectively be an imitator of Christ."

Maher has asked his current pastor, Father Chris Brey, to vest him as a deacon. "I think it is fitting for a man's pastor to vest him at least once," he says. "Father Chris has been primary among my supporters since becoming my pastor and this is a way to show my gratitude."

During his years in the seminary, Maher has spent his summers serving in a variety of areas. "This past summer I was in a hospital as a chaplain. I also spent a summer assigned to Ss. James and Patrick Parish in Decatur. The previous summers I did many other kinds of summer work as a student," he says.

"My first summer was spent in internship with the Office for Social Concerns at the Pastoral Center. The most memorable and rewarding work I did those summers was spent at Staab Funeral Home in Springfield," he says. "The Staabs taught me a lot about how Catholicism can inform your work among the public."

As far as reaching out to other young men who might become priests, Maher believes religious vocations are something to take very seriously. "Don't just think about it, do something about it," he says. "I would tell them that priesthood is something every Catholic man should seriously consider. I would encourage them not only to pray about it, but ask their pastor and contact the vocation director in the diocese. If the Lord prompts us, we need to respond."