Epiphany – April 10, 2021
and he said to them ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation’ Mk 16:15
Fr. Craig Giera and Fr. David Pellican expound on their vocations podcast ‘Men of the Hearts’. Dr. Ken Howell breaks open his book ‘Mystery of the Altar: Meditations on the Eucharist’. Dave Struppa gives an update about Saint Paul Street Evangelization and talks about Bonfire Men’s Group. Shawn Ayar talks about his podcast ‘The Rite to Be Catholic’.
Fr. Craig Giera
Director, Office of Priestly Vocations
Before becoming a priest, I lived my life as an artist. I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Wayne State University with a double concentration in painting and sculpture. After working for a number of years in an art gallery, while also exhibiting and selling my artwork, I retreated into the silence of my apartment turned studio. There I focused on a new body of work in order to apply to graduate school. In the paint and solitude, I heard God call me to a new way of life.
I studied at Sacred Heart Major Seminary and received my Bachelor of Philosophy and Master of Divinity, while also acquiring the S.T.B. Pontifical Degree. I was ordained a Catholic Priest on May 22nd, 2010, very fittingly on the feast day of St. Rita, patron saint of hopeless causes. I served as parochial vicar at Guardian Angels Parish in Clawson, St. Fabian and St. Coleman Parishes in Farmington Hills, and as Pastor at St. Ephrem Parish in Sterling Heights. While at St. Ephrem I received my Doctor of Ministry in Leadership from Duke University. I am now Director of Priestly Vocations for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
I love being a priest and I especially love preaching, praying Mass, hearing Confessions, and helping men discern a call to the priesthood. I still make art and hope that others will be drawn to God the same way I was through creativity and beauty. I also play many stringed instruments and jam out with a priest friend in one of our rectories.
Fr. David Pellican
Associate Pastor, Church of the Divine Child, Dearborn
Fr. Pellican was homeschooled through the Seton Home Study School and studied at Sacred Heart Major Seminary earning his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Masters in Divinity, Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology. He was ordained at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2020. His home parish is Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Grotto) Parish, Detroit and his first assignment is at Divine Child Parish, Dearborn. His hobbies are woodworking, camping/fishing/outdoor activities, mountain biking, and reading
Dr. Ken Howell
Kenneth J. Howell, Director of Academic Research of the Eucharist Project and President of the Pontifical Studies Foundation
A Presbyterian minister for eighteen years and a theological professor for seven years in a Protestant seminary, Dr. Howell was confirmed and received into the Catholic Church in 1996. He and his wife, Sharon, have three children. They live in Champaign, Illinois.
David Struppa
Director of Business Development, St. Paul Street Evangelization Institute in Warren, Michigan and President of Bonfire Men’s Group
He believes that connecting Jesus to a conversation is a Development Directors first priority. David is inspired daily by his wife Melissa of 29 years, their 6 children, son-in-law and grandson. He has one grandchild on the way and three of his six children are also in ministry. In his spare time, David enjoys being president of Bonfire Catholic Men’s Group, praying with Melissa in the St. Patrick’s chapel, cooking for family and friends and DJ’g Christian music.
https://streetevangelization.com/
https://evangelizationschool.com/
Shawn Ayar
