Saint Anne Catholic Church

Dear Parishioners of St. Anne’s, My name is Isaiah Paul Peter Jilek. I was born on June 30, 2000, in Dickinson ND, to Doug and Deanna Jilek. I am the second of six kids, two girls, and four boys. I was raised Catholic, as a family we went to St. Wenceslaus Parish every Sunday, prayed night prayer together, and went to confession every two-three weeks. I attended Trinity Catholic schools, which was foundational to my faith life and eventually my vocational discernment. In my freshmen and sophomore year, I went through some rocky times which lead me to begin to question the existence of God. However, at the end of my sophomore year, through His providence, God began to introduce himself to me. Then, after a profound encounter with Christ, I began to discern joining the seminary in my junior year. After much prayer, I began my application process in January of my senior year and was accepted in April. I was assigned to live at St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C., where I received my degree in philosophy at The Catholic University of America. During this first stage of seminary, called the discipleship phase, the priests looked to instill a living relationship with Christ and the virtues necessary to be a good Christian man. It was through this formation that I began to see the extraordinary reality of a life of Faith. God became tangible, prayer was no longer a chore to do but a conversation with a person, and, to my mom’s delight, I began making my bed every day. I graduated in May, and, in consultation with my Vocation Director, have decided to take a pastoral year so that I may experience what it is like to live the life of a priest more deeply. If you wish to hear my full vocation story, you can find it on the Diocese of Bismarck Website. Thank you for having me at your parish, and I look forward to spending a year with you. God Bless, Isaiah Jilek