Mark Foley and Simon Tipps will be ordained to the transitional diaconate on Friday, May 13.
The Ordination Mass, celebrated by Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison, will take place at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 5101 Schofield St., Monona, at 7 p.m.
About Mark Foley
Foley, son of Maurade and Alan Foley, is from St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Jefferson. He’s attending St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee.
Ahead of his ordination, he recalled a crisis in his faith during his second year in seminary.
“One night, I went into the chapel and I just prayed a very simple and honest prayer. I said, ‘Jesus, if you are real and if you really do love me then I need to know it. I need to know you in a way that is personal and real.’
“Although I did not receive an answer that night, it did drastically change the direction of my seminary formation. I began to really seek Jesus in a more real and deeper way and over time he began to answer my prayer.”
About Simon Tipps
Tipps, son of Karen and Steven Tipps, is from St. Cecilia Parish in Wisconsin Dells. He’s attending St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee.
Nearing his ordination, he said, “I am deeply grateful to Our Lord for the gift of so great a call and to Our Blessed Mother for her constant care and patience in drawing me closer to her Son.
“The ordination to the diaconate is an ordination which will consecrate my soul solely to God. My soul will receive an eternal mark which denotes that I belong to God for the purpose of carrying out his will.
“I will also receive the Holy Spirit in a more powerful way and the grace to more effectively resist the temptations of the devil. This permanent mark on my soul means that I will have a serious responsibility to conform my life to Christ’s life, to take up the armor of holiness, and to preach Christ and him crucified.”