By Shelby Siefgried
for the Register
Bishop James Conley will ordain five new priests for the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln Saturday, May 25. The ordination Mass for Deacons Jonah Brox, Santiago Izquierdo, Augustine Reimers, Mitchell Schleis, and Ranil Weerackoon will be celebrated at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ, 3500 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, at 11 a.m.
On Friday, May 24, at 7 p.m., Bishop Conley will ordain David Tines and Isaac Wahlmeier as deacons at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ.
All are invited to attend a holy hour for the ordinandi at the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center, 320 N. 16th St., Lincoln, at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 23.
Deacon Jonah Brox
Deacon Jonah Brox is the son of Timothy and Melissa Brox and is the eldest of seven children. Born and raised in Lincoln, his family played a key role in fostering his faith. He attended St. Teresa School and Pius X High School, followed by a year at a community college in Lincoln. In August 2017, he entered the seminary, studying at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, and later at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa.
“I was blessed and so grateful that the Catholic faith has always been at the center of my family and home life,” Brox said. His path to the priesthood was influenced by the example of priests he encountered and his experiences at Leadership Camp at Camp Kateri. “It was through Leadership Camp that I first heard and felt the Lord’s call to the priesthood,” Brox recalled. A pivotal moment came during Eucharistic Adoration, where he felt a deep tug toward the priesthood and experienced lasting peace.
Brox is devoted to the Rosary and the Surrender Novena, and he frequently seeks the intercession of saints like St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. John Paul II, and St. Edmund Campion. As he prepared to serve as a priest in the Diocese of Lincoln, he said he looks forward to “regularly celebrating the gift of the Mass, celebrating the sacraments, especially Reconciliation, and helping bring people to the love and mercy of the Father.”
Brox is committed to being an alter Christus, “bringing His light and helping the souls I encounter to know that they are beloved sons and daughters of the Father.”
Brox will celebrate his first Mass of thanksgiving Sunday, May 26, at 2:30 p.m. in St. Teresa Church, 735 S 36th St., Lincoln.
Deacon Santiago Izquierdo
Deacon Santiago Izquierdo (pronounced “Is-Ski-air-doe”) was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and immigrated to the United States in 2002 with his family. They eventually settled in Lincoln, where he attended St. Peter School and Pius X High School.
“Going to Mass and receiving the Holy Eucharist daily was a tremendous blessing in my life,” he recalled, noting the impact of Catholic education on his vocation journey. “I always enjoyed being an altar server, and helping the priest during Mass helped form a deeper appreciation of the priesthood.”
Izquierdo’s journey to the priesthood was significantly influenced by his brother’s time in the seminary.
“During those visits, I was able to see what the seminary was like, and I truly felt that one day this could be a place where I could be and feel comfortable,” he shared.
Although his brother ultimately discerned that God was not calling him to be a priest, Izquierdo learned valuable lessons. “His experience taught me that if I ever entered the seminary, the time in formation would be valuable to my growth and maturity.”
After high school, Izquierdo attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) for two years as a chemistry major. During his sophomore year, he felt God’s call to actively discern the priesthood and applied to enter the seminary in the summer of 2016.
Izquierdo looked back on his eight years in the seminary as a time of profound formation. “These past eight years have not always been easy, but through the grace of God, seminary was the place for me to be formed, grow, and find healing,” he said.
Izquierdo looks forward to serving in the Diocese of Lincoln.
“Administering the sacraments will be one of the sources of strength that will help me to persevere,” he said, expressing his commitment to bringing the sacraments and the love of Christ to the people. “I look forward with great anticipation to being back in my home diocese and serving the lay faithful in a wide variety of ways – the most important of which is being the instrument that Christ uses to bring the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, Penance, and Baptism, to the people.”
Izquierdo will celebrate his first Mass of thanksgiving Sunday, May 26, at 2 p.m. in St. Peter Church, 4500 Duxhall Dr., Lincoln.
Deacon Augustine Reimers
Deacon Augustine Reimers grew up in Seward, the third of five children, born to Jeff and Trish Reimers. He attended St. Mary Elementary in David City for fifth grade and graduated from Aquinas Catholic High School.
Reimers spoke highly of his family, saying, “My family has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. My parents are the ones who first formed me in the faith, and they, along with my siblings, have been incredibly supportive of my vocation from the moment that I told them that I was thinking about entering the seminary.”
Reflecting on his vocation journey, Reimers shared, “My sense of my vocation definitely began when I was growing up. My parents made sure that my siblings and I knew that faith was the most important part of our lives, and they always encouraged us to be open to whatever God was calling us to.”
He enjoyed serving at Mass and was inspired by the priests he encountered during his Catholic education. Though his desire to be a priest faded as he got older, it rekindled at the end of his junior year of high school.
“I ended up entering the seminary after my senior year of high school, and that was already eight years ago!” Reimers recalled.
As he looked forward to his priesthood, Reimers was excited about celebrating the sacraments. “It is incredibly humbling that God has called me to dispense his grace and mercy in such powerful ways,” he said.
He was also eager to be part of a parish and build relationships with parishioners, as well as join the presbyterate of the Diocese of Lincoln.
“The joyful witness of holy priests was a big part of what attracted me to the priesthood, and to be part of such an incredible presbyterate will certainly be a blessing.”
In his free time, Reimers enjoys watching and playing sports, working out, and is a big fan of the Denver Broncos and St. Louis Cardinals. He has a deep love for the saints, especially St. Philip Neri and the North American Martyrs.
“I love St. Philip Neri because his heart was literally on fire with love for God and he communicated that love to everyone he encountered through his joy,” he explained. Reimers also admires the North American Martyrs for their courageous spread of the Gospel despite immense suffering. One of his favorite prayers is the Suscipe of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
“I love this prayer because it makes oneself a complete offering to God, recognizing that all one has and all one is comes from God and that God is all that we need,” he shared.
Reimers will celebrate his first Mass of thanksgiving Sunday, May 26, at 4 p.m. in St. Vincent de Paul Church, 152 Pinewood Ave, Seward.
Deacon Mitchell Schleis
Deacon Mitchell Schleis (pronounced “Shlice”) first considered the priesthood in the second grade, when a School Sister of Christ the King suggested he pray about it during summer CCD.
“As a second-grader, though, I didn’t really understand what that meant,” he recalled. It wasn’t until fifth grade, after moving next to the church in Shelby, that he seriously thought about becoming a priest.
A pivotal moment came during a parish mission led by a Redemptorist priest from the Bronx. The priest encouraged him to pray a Hail Mary daily for his vocation, a practice Schleis continues to this day.
“Now, I pray the Hail Mary, asking God to sustain me in my vocation throughout my life,” he said.
Despite his early interest, Schleis struggled with the idea of the priesthood during high school, participating in various sports and activities while pushing away the desire to become a priest.
“Though I was set on avoiding ever becoming a priest, I still prayed the Hail Mary each night for my vocation,” he admitted.
After high school, Schleis attended Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa, studying elementary education and running track and cross country.
“Being a member of the track team was an incredible blessing,” he said, but despite his successes, he felt unfulfilled. “No goal I achieved ever seemed to quite fill me.”
After college, Schleis taught sixth grade and coached high school cross country at St. Francis Catholic School in Humphrey. However, the thought of the seminary persisted.
“Finally, in the fall of 2018, I decided to leave teaching and enter seminary,” he said. The decision was challenging and surprising to some, but he knew it was God’s plan for him.
Throughout his seminary formation, God confirmed Schleis’s calling to the priesthood.
“Little by little, throughout my time in seminary, God confirmed that He is calling me to be a priest,” he said. He was grateful for the support of his formators, spiritual directors, family, and friends. “I’m especially grateful to my mom and dad for introducing me to Jesus, for giving me the gift of the Catholic faith, and for the love they’ve given to me,” he expressed.
Above all, Schleis was thankful to God for creating and calling him to be His priest.
Schleis will celebrate his first Mass of thanksgiving Sunday, May 26, at 11 a.m. in Sacred Heart Church, 210 S Walnut St., Shelby.
Deacon Ranil Weerackoon
Deacon Ranil Weerackoon (pronounced We-ruh-cone) is the son of Richard and Rosanne Weerackoon. He grew up in Cypress, Calif., with two younger sisters. He graduated from California State University, Long Beach, majoring in math, and then moved to Lincoln to attend UNL, where he earned a master’s in sports statistics while working with the Huskers football and basketball teams.
During his time at UNL, Weerackoon’s faith deepened through daily Mass and holy hours. He entered St. Gregory the Great Seminary in the fall of 2018 and began his theological studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in the fall of 2020. He has enjoyed his seminary experience, particularly how it has helped him grow in evangelizing and teaching the faith.
“I have greatly enjoyed participating in multiple evangelization trips, sharing the faith with college students and challenging them to grow deeper in the faith,” he said.
In his free time, Weerackoon enjoys playing sports, especially ultimate frisbee, tennis, and ping pong. His favorite devotions include Eucharistic adoration, the Rosary, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. He is especially devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Faustina, and his confirmation saint, St. Dominic Savio.
While excited about celebrating Mass and administering the sacraments, Weerackoon is also passionate about teaching.
“My time in the seminary has transformed me, with regard to my desire to spread the faith,” he explained. Weerackoon chose the Diocese of Lincoln for its strong emphasis on Catholic education. “We need to form people in the faith so they come to know and love the God who made, redeemed, and ardently desires each of us,” he said. He hopes to inspire others to fulfill their vocations through Adoration and praying the Rosary, leading them toward holiness and sainthood.
Weerackoon will celebrate his first Mass of thanksgiving Sunday, May 26, at 5 p.m. in the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center, 320 N 16th St, Lincoln.
