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Father Douglas Langner, Chaplain of Bishop LeBlond High School

For those who were at Mass during the 21st Week in Ordinary Time, they heard me tell a little bit about my background and how I arrived at St. Mary’s as Pastor.  I have always considered myself a “city kid."  I have always loved hustle and bustle, the seemingly ordered chaos that happens there, and the many various people who somehow live in relative if all too distant harmony.  I was born and raised in Kansas City.  I have one sister who is married, works in Kansas City and has two beautiful baby girls, my nieces whom I like to spoil as much as I can.

I did not grow up Catholic and went to a large Evangelical Church.  I received a very good foundation in that Church which is rooted in Christ.  When I got older my practice of faith really became less important to me and at one point I kind of felt ambivalent or a slight aversion to people of faith.  When I was in college I had a summer where I lived in my favorite city, Chicago.  It was there I had a summer that was pivotal to me.  In my free time I was able to see and feel God in his creation and felt the love of God for the first time in a long time.  It was not that He was not right next to me, I just wasn’t paying attention.  Eventually, by God’s grace I read some items, mainly St. Augustine’s "Confessions" and I was on the path to finding God in a Faith that was reasonable. 

Eventually, I became Catholic, graduated from the University of Central Missouri, then moved to Chicago where I worked for three years and lived in the heart of the city.  It was there I really became involved in parish life.  It was a wonderful parish, diverse in so many ways, yet united in their faith and love of Christ’s Church at the Eucharistic table.  Then I started to hear God’s call to the priesthood, an idea I thought was crazy at first, as I felt I was kind of “wild” for a good portion of my life.  However, I realized later God calls us all to His love no matter what we might have done, been, or the roads we have been down.  I also felt I could not be called, because I felt I wanted to eventually get married and have kids yet, I found that every vocation from God is one that is “life giving." 

I gave up my fight with God, looked closely at seminary, and now here I am a Priest of Jesus Christ in his Church.  I was ordained for this diocese just over one year ago, served a year at St. Gabriel’s Church as Associate Pastor and chaplain to St. Pius X High School.  As of July 1st, I am in the humble position of being St. Mary's, St. Joseph shepherd hopefully, for many years to come.  Let us ask Mary to guide us all into the love of her son and let us bring the gifts we bring to place at the Altar of God and see them transformed into something extraordinary.  In this "Year of the Priest," I am honored to serve you and this diocese at this time and place as a Priest.

Having not grown up Catholic, I did not go to Catholic schools, until I went into seminary.  I have been the Chaplain at two High Schools in our Diocese.  Each and every day I see how important it can be to receive a Catholic education, from faith being brought into the schools, to academic excellence; it is a true gift for all who can attend.  It combines two important areas of our Church: “Faith” and “Reason."
 
Please pray for me as we pray for each other.  God Bless!