Interview with New Seminarian: Luke Zehr

Luke Zehr is from Wagoner, Oklahoma and is a parishioner at Holy Cross Catholic Church. He just graduated from Wagoner High School in May, and he will be starting at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in August. 

About Me
I am the oldest child of my parents, Kory and Brenda Zehr. I was born in Tulsa but have lived in Wagoner for the last fourteen years of my life. My parents will celebrate twenty years of marriage in July of 2021. They were married at St. Benedict's Catholic Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. I was also baptized there in 2002 by Rev. Msgr. Patrick Gaalaas. I have attended school in Wagoner for my entire life and just recently graduated from Wagoner High School. My mother is a preschool teacher in Wagoner and my father is a mechanical engineer in downtown Tulsa. I have two younger siblings; Cooper, who is thirteen, and Emma, who is seven. We also have a young Maltese puppy named Charlie. 

Favorite Catholic Writers
Some of my favorite Catholic writers include G.K. Chesterton, Flannery O'Connor, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Michael O'Brien. I am currently reading O'Brien's book Eclipse of the Sun. It has proven itself to be one of the best books I've ever read, and, though it was written over twenty years ago, it feels extremely relevant to the times we currently live in. 

Favorite Saint
Although there are many saints who I love, Saint Benedict of Nursia is probably my favorite. Saint Benedict was born to a noble family during the decline of the Roman Empire. As a young man, he left a comfortable life of wealth to become a hermit. He would go on to found around a dozen monasteries. His rejection of worldly things to do the will of God inspires me often.

Benedictine spirituality and tradition is something that interests me greatly. I am known to attend Mass at the Benedictine monastery of Clear Creek Abbey several times each month. I wear a blessed St. Benedict medal and pray the same breviary the monks of Clear Creek do, although I pray most of it in English rather than the Latin the monks use.  

Call to the Priesthood
I began to feel a calling to the priesthood after being confirmed in May of 2019. After being confirmed, I began to invest more effort into my faith life. I began to pray the rosary often, hear Mass daily, and go to confession more frequently. Later that summer, I was tasked to put together a slideshow for the 25th ordination anniversary of my parish priest, Fr. Leo Ahanotu. While compiling this slideshow I was sent various pictures depicting Fr. Leo's life, his journey to the priesthood, and his life as a priest tending the needs of the faithful. This task (putting together this slideshow) was instrumental in bringing the priesthood to the forefront of my mind. I went from merely thinking about the priesthood to discerning it in prayer at the drop of a hat.

Favorite Hobbies
Some of my favorite hobbies include photography (especially film photography), birdwatching, shortwave radio, and reading. For my fourteenth birthday, my parents bought me an old Pentax K-1000 35mm film camera. Through a process of trial and error, I taught myself to use this camera and even managed to learn how to develop the film. Though I enjoy taking photos of nature, I love taking pictures of my family more.

Favorite time of day to pray and favorite prayer
My favorite time of the day to pray is just before the sun comes up each morning. At this point during the day, there are no chores or other duties to be done yet. Everything is quiet outside, which makes it easier (at least for me) to lift up my prayers to the Lord. Although I have several devotions that I love, such as the rosary and the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, my favorite individual prayer is the "Anima Christi" or "Soul of Christ" which I recite after receiving Holy Communion. 

Admirable characteristics about the priesthood
When it comes to the priesthood, what I admire most is their devotion to the sacraments and the faithful. When a young man expresses a desire to become a priest, they may inevitably hear someone tell them: "Why not become a social worker or a doctor? They help people too!" While those occupations are admirable and definitely help people, especially during our earthly pilgrimage, the priesthood helps us in ways no other occupation could. This is because the priesthood is not merely another occupation, but a sacred institution bestowed upon men by God. Priests administer the holy sacraments to the faithful. They bring Christ himself, truly present in the Holy Eucharist, to people all across the world. While a doctor is a physician for the body, a priest is a physician for the soul. The priest's operating room is the confessional, where he operates on the souls of sinners. Priests are dedicated to their flock. They minister to all walks of life and to those of every age. They see to it that the young are baptized and that the old receive last rites.  

What I love about Wagoner
What I love the most about Wagoner is how much of my family, on both sides, live here. On my mother's side of the family, I am the sixth generation to live in Wagoner. Wagoner will always be home to me.

My Favorite Restaurant in Tulsa
In the Tulsa area, my favorite restaurant to go to is White River Fish Market. The fresh fish they serve there is, in my opinion, the best around. 

What I am looking forward to in seminary
I am most looking forward to being able to discern my vocation further, especially in a community of other men who are also discerning their own vocation. The fraternity and c amaraderie among the seminarians is very appealing to me. Having grown up in a small town and attending a small church, there were very few young Catholics, let alone Catholic men thinking about the priesthood, to relate to. In seminary, this would definitely not be a problem.