Boylan Grads Walk Toward Priesthood Together
Three to be ordained as priests, one as transitional deacon for the Rockford Diocese on June 1
May 23, 2019
ROCKFORD—On June 1, three young men will be ordained as priests for the Rockford Diocese and one as a transitional deacon, taking another step toward the priesthood.
While the ordinations are not unusual, the fact that all four are graduates of Boylan Central Catholic High School in Rockford is.
Transitional deacons — who can also be addressed as Rev. Mr. — Robert Blood, John Kladar and Charles Warren are to take their vows as priests. Seminarian Jack Reichardt will become a transitional deacon. (Each is pictured with a more recent picture and a school picture from his Boylan years.)
The three who will build the ranks of diocesan priests have submitted some information about their lives and vocations.
Rev. Mr. Robert Blood
Rev. Mr. Blood was born and raised in Loves Park as a parishioner at St. Bridget. He has two older siblings, and they and his parents still live in the greater Rockford area.
He attended St. Bridget School and then Boylan Central Catholic High School, graduating in 2011.
He began seminary studies at St. Gregory the Great College Seminary in Nebraska. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, he moved to the St. Paul Seminary at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota where he is graduating with a master’s degree in divinity.
His hobbies include writing, watching sports and enjoying a bonfire. His favorite saints are Padre Pio, Lucy and Gemma Galgani.
Encountering Christ in the Eucharist, he says, opened his heart to discern and consider the priesthood.
“Each year of formation has been pure gift,” Rev. Mr. Blood says. “I’ve learned more about myself, and more importantly more about the Lord. His love has inspired me to continue to delve deeper.
A few weeks before his ordination to the priesthood, he said, “My days are marked by gratitude. The Lord continues to outdo Himself in generosity day in and day out. June 1, I begin a new step toward the ultimate goal of heaven, and I hope to bring as many people as possible with me. It’s all for love. Each day has been an opportunity for me to learn more of His love in each little yes.
“It’s all worth it.”
Rev. Mr. Daniel Kladar
Rev. Mr. Daniel Kladar’s home parish is St. Peter Parish in South Beloit.
His hobbies include several sports (golf, soccer, baseball, football), as well as hunting, live music, movies, and reading religious books.
His favorite saints are Therese of Lisieux, Gregory the Great, Catherine of Siena and Jerome, and his favorite devotions are the Mass and Eucharist, the Divine Mercy chaplet, the practice of Lectio Divina and the rosary.
Reflecting on his vocation, Rev. Mr. Kladar says, “I was the first of four kids born into a devout Catholic family. As a homeschooler my parents had the freedom of being able to incorporate Catholic influence into most of my subjects. I grew to love being an altar server at St. Peter.
“Looking back I remember someone asking me why I liked to serve so often and my response was that I get the best seat in the church to watch the priest say Mass and observe the consecration.
“I would say during this time I definitely considered being a priest, and the many positive examples of priests, not only at my parish, but also throughout the diocese, played a major role in this. I looked up to them and wanted to be like them and serve the Church with the same strength, holiness, and masculinity that they did.
“During high school at Boylan Catholic, though I was still very involved in my faith, my mind started to focus on sports, academics and what I was going to do with my life. I decided I enjoyed my science classes, and that I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field.
“After high school I ended up staying in Rockford studying at Rock Valley College. I feel God had a lot to do with that. When I look back on high school and the first year of college I really see where God formed me into who I am today through the good and the bad.
“As I said earlier, my faith was always very important to me but at points I had trouble prioritizing whether I wanted to first focus on my faith life or be successful according to the world’s standards.
“During this time, though, I always said I was open to the idea of being a priest, whenever the thought entered my head I tried to brush it aside, and I much preferred the idea of working in the medical field and having a big Catholic family.
“During my sophomore year of college, I felt I was not challenging my faith life. There was a spiritual hole that was driving me crazy, I knew I needed to step it up.
“I started frequenting confession on a regular basis and started going to the chapel after work. After a few months I started thinking about the priesthood. I was spending a lot more time in the adoration chapel(s) at St. Peter (and) at Holy Family (in Rockford).
“It was in front of the Blessed Sacrament that I finally stopped brushing away that question that I had been running from for many years. I finally put aside my own plans for myself and asked God what His plans were for me. It then became very clear that I supposed to be a Catholic priest.
“This was the greatest decision I have made in life and since then have enjoyed the peace and joy that comes with pursuing the will of God in my life.
“I became a seminarian in 2011. I spent three years studying philosophy at St. Gregory the Great seminary in Nebraska. I then spent three years studying theology at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
“Bishop David Malloy ordained me a (transitional) deacon on June 2 last year. I am currently finishing my fourth year of theology at Mundelein Seminary, and God willing will be ordained a priest in June of 2019.”
Rev. Mr. Charles Warren
Deacon Warren’s home parish is St. Rita in Rockford. He attended St. Mary of the Lake Seminary at Mundelein.
His hobbies include film production, playing sports and board games. His favorite saints are Therese of Lisieux and Francis of Assisi, and his favorite devotions include adoration and Our Lady of Divine Providence.
His vocation, Rev. Mr. Warren says, is all about “very simply … love. This word has become my vocation story because in the same way I grew in my understanding of this word, I grew in my understanding of how I am to live my vocation.
“For most of my life ‘love’ was a word that my classmates tried to live but couldn’t. I saw short-lived relationships that ended because one or both persons could not grasp the fullness of love. I started thinking that love couldn’t happen for someone my age and that it was something to be pursued later in life.
“College was a culture shock, not for a lack of love, because I met people who were getting engaged, I met faculty who actually cared about the problems their students were going through, and I met men who loved the Church.
“All these examples of genuine love made me reconsider my former paradigms on love and by their witnesses I felt moved to figure out for myself how I was meant to love others with my whole life.
“My closest friends in college were each pursuing this same goal in a variety of ways and pushed me to grow where I was weak or lacking in my relationship with Christ.
“It ultimately came down to my understanding of that relationship with Christ that would draw me to the priesthood. I was a teacher for the diocese’s Totus Tuus catechetical program and there I lived a priestly sort of lifestyle. It was one where I lived all hours of the day for others: the kids, the teens, the families, the volunteers, and most importantly Christ. Our day was focused around Mass and prayer.
“I understood love better in the three summers I served on Totus Tuus then most of my life. I knew I couldn’t ignore these experiences — my life had a great potential now.
“Love drew me to the priesthood ... and I know my time in seminary helped me grow even more in love.”