Dominican priests begin at St. Paul

Three very different paths converged at St. Paul Catholic Center July 1 when Father Bob Keller, Father Stan Drongowski and Father Rich Litzau took over for Father Dan Atkins. \nThe three men are Dominican priests, meaning they belong to the Catholic order called the Order of Friars Preachers. Atkins was a Diocesan, or secular priest, and did not belong to a religious order. The Dominicans, therefore, have exposed the parish to a new type of leader.\n"We're the kind (of priests) that make the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and we live a community life -- that's part of the reason there's three of us here," Keller said. "We pray together, take meals together and do a lot of things together. Diocesan priests are more individualized."\nWhile the Dominicans work together and share many of the same daily activities, each of the new pastors has a unique \nbackground.\nKeller, who was appointed pastor, has had 12 years of campus ministry experience. He worked at Emory University in Atlanta for two years and has spent the last 10 years at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. \nDrongowski and Litzau, who were appointed associate pastors, have not worked in a campus parish before.\nDrongowski joined the Order when he was 22 and has worked in parish and formation ministry, but most recently worked at the Friends of God Dominican Ashram in Kenosha, Wis.\n"(An ashram) is a house of prayer, so coming into campus ministry is going to be quite a drastic change from a more contemplative life to a much more active life," Drongowski said.\nLitzau was just ordained in May and St. Paul is his first \nappointment. \n"It's unusual for a first assignment to be at a new house that has just been created for the Dominicans," he said. "It's also unusual for it to be in a small house with just three of us. I'm excited and I'm honored."\nBefore becoming a priest, Litzau worked as a probation officer, a corrections counselor and a hospital chaplain, but he always knew he would end up where he is today.\n"When I was out of high school I went to seminary for one year but knew that I wasn't ready to do that yet. I was too young and too naïve," he said. "I knew all along I would be here I just didn't know what it would look like in the process."\nThe three new priests are still deciding on the specifics of what they would like to do for the parish, but they know that they want to continue to emphasize education and involvement and develop a stronger bond with the University.\n"I think we're looking for ways we can be visibly present on campus, and maybe differently than others who are going to carry their sign and make their protest and all that," Keller said. "I think we want to be present on campus to see how we can engage in conversations that are essential for thinking through what we're about as an institute of higher education in the United States in the 21st century."\nThey would like people to feel comfortable using St. Paul as a "resource" for both educational and worship purposes, according to Keller; and they want people to know that St. Paul welcomes people of all religions and \nbackgrounds.\n"For anybody who walks in here and wants to talk, I think we're available, Catholic or non-Catholic," Keller said.\nOne of the most exciting aspects of their new positions is working with the students, they say. \nDrongowski is eagerly anticipating the beginning of the school year because he will be the football team's new chaplain, a job that also belonged to Atkins.\nHe also wants to share with the students some of the knowledge about centering and focusing that he gained at the Ashram.\n"I see that there are so many stresses and pressures, not only on kids but everyone in our society, that to be able to center, to focus on what's important, to just stop sometimes, even if it's just for two minutes, it's just huge and it can be lifesaving in some circumstances," he said.\nAlong with diverse experiences and knowledge, the three men will bring more worship opportunities to the parish as well.\n"Because they are an order, one of the things they do together, and invite everyone from the parish to participate in, is the morning and evening prayers," Jill Switzer Wolf, director of music ministry at St. Paul, said. "It's a different way of praying, other than the mass, and it's a wonderful opportunity for everyone to come together starting out their day in the morning or after the work day."\nSince there are three priests instead of just one, they will also be able to offer daily mass, according to Wolf.\nThe parishioners are already impressed with their new leaders and look forward to learning more about them.\n"They're really making an effort to remember people's names and do a lot of things that are very hard to do when you first meet a group of like 1,000 people," Rebecca Russo, a parishioner since she was a child, said.\nAlthough Atkins will be missed, Russo thinks the transition will be an easy one.\n"We were all saying what a tough act to follow (Atkins is) because he's probably the most incredible priest I've met in my entire life," Russo said. "But it's not a changed atmosphere, it's a continuation of what Father Dan was doing but in a different way with (the Dominicans') own style"