Fr. Nathan Krawetzke, SJ
Entered the Society of Jesus: 2015
As a Jesuit: Father Krawetzke worked as a teacher and coach at Mahvpíya Lúta | Red Cloud Schools in South Dakota and as a parish youth minister.
Assignment Following Ordination: Father Krawetzke will serve at St. Mary Student Parish in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Expression of Gratitude and Inspiration: As I think of all those people to thank, I am filled with an abundance of gratitude. I am thankful that God has called me into this world and to serve as a priest in His Church, despite my early misgivings and fears. God is full of such wonderful surprises. You know us more than we know ourselves.
I want to thank my parents, siblings and extended family for creating such a nurturing environment for me to grow up in—one where I could make mistakes and grow, and never doubt for a second that I belonged. I am also thankful for my friends that cross the country: my dear old crew of St. Mary Catholic Central friends and family, my merry band of fellow Dayton Flyers, my adventurous friends from Anchorage and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, all my beloved Jesuit companions, and all the good people of Mackinac Island, Detroit, Chicago, Pine Ridge, Nairobi and the Bay Area, where I have been blessed to be. It is not easy moving around so much, but all of you have provided stability for me as I continue on my Jesuit journey. I thank, as well, all the benefactors of the Society of Jesus, without whose support I couldn’t live this life. My deep, heartfelt thanks to you all.
My vocation to the Society of Jesus surprises me. I ran from the idea of priesthood for many years and didn’t really meet many Jesuits in person before I started my application. Instead, I got to know the Jesuits through books and scholarship. I read about Frs. Matteo Ricci and Jacques Marquette, great explorers of China and North America, respectively. I read about Ignatian spirituality from Frs. Karl Rahner and James Martin. So, my first Jesuit companions were all writers from across the last few centuries. I am grateful to them for their commitment to the Gospel and their unique ways of laboring under the banner of Christ.
