A priest of the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, will bring his experience ministering in the oil-boom northwestern part of that state to pastoral formation at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul.

Father Brian Gross told “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley that he will take the post of director of pastoral formation, a position currently held by retiring Father Michael Skluzacek, who has ministered for 44 years in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

“If you’ve heard of the oil field or the oil boom or any of those sorts of things in northwestern North Dakota, my parish (Epiphany) in Watford City is smack dab in the middle of all of that,” Father Gross told Conley.

The city has seen significant change, growing over the last 16 years from a farm and ranch community of 1,700 people to a town with enough people to place 2,500 students in the local school system, Father Gross said.

About half of Epiphany is made up of a relatively new community of Spanish-speaking people, a quarter are additional newcomers to the parish and a quarter are long-time parishioners, he said.

And some are in difficult places in their lives, Father Gross said. Northwestern North Dakota is probably not the first place that people consider for work, so “that’s something that you choose, maybe in part because, gosh, that’s all I’ve got,” he said. “To be able to help them come into the parish and really receive that nourishment from God that they need has really been a great blessing.”

That part of North Dakota is not alone in having people who might be in challenging circumstances, Father Gross said. Many people face hardships across the country, and it is important to form priests who can navigate those difficulties — and who can form laity to help bring people to the Church and support them, he said.

“We need people who are in our parishes who are deeply formed by God to be disciples and recognize that requires a sacrifice,” Father Gross said. “There’s a fruit that comes (to) the individual who recognizes that’s how they should live. Then to reach out to people in their own workplaces and their friends … and invite them in, maybe to have a conversation — ultimately with the pastor — or invite them to a small group.”

To hear more about Father Gross’s experience in ministry and how he looks forward to coming to The St. Paul Seminary, listen to this episode of the “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. April 19 and repeats at 1 p.m. April 20 and 2 p.m. April 21 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the program also includes Father Skluzacek talking about his years at the seminary and in the priesthood, and Deacons Brent Bowman and Sean Mulcare as they prepare to be ordained with 11 other priestly ordinands May 25 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.

Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.