Father Michael Skluzacek said he grew up in a family that “loved priests” and often invited them to their home, including the parish priest and his two uncles. When the parish priest came for dinner, the adults often followed that by playing poker. And the priest would smoke cigars.  

“I just thought that was so great,” Father Skluzacek said. “I … grew up seeing priests as real people who could have fun, but I also saw them as great spiritual leaders and fathers.” 

Father Skluzacek, director of pastoral formation at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul and sacramental minister at St. Wenceslaus in New Prague, believes the seed of vocations is planted in the family, “and that’s why family ministry is so important in the parish, because that’s where vocations come from,” he said. There are exceptions, Father Skluzacek said, noting that some seminarians he has worked with did not grow up in such a formative family, “because God calls vocations from many different fields in the Church. But the family is such a fertile ground for fostering vocations.” 

Meisha Johnson recently interviewed Father Skluzacek about his role as a spiritual father for an episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show debuting 9 p.m. Nov. 11 on Relevant Radio 1330AM. Johnson, filling in for the show’s host, Patrick Conley, is a convert to Catholicism and works as the director of pastoral care and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults at St. Joseph of the Lakes in Lino Lakes.  

Father Skluzacek described “spiritual fatherhood” as leading people to recognize that they are children of God, and that God is their Father. “The priest is their father, but really, his role as spiritual father is to lead them to that recognition that they are a beloved child of God,” he said.  

Recalling the story of Joseph worrying when he and Mary could not find Jesus, so also do spiritual fathers, priests, worry “when our parishioners get lost,” Father Skluzacek said. “And that’s why I just love hearing confessions, because it’s the father who welcomes back the child who is lost, like the prodigal son and the forgiving father.” 

That’s the experience of the priest in his role as spiritual father, he said. “He is so happy,” Father Skluzacek said. “His heart is just full of joy when he sees his children being found. And they’re found when they come to know Jesus.” 

To learn more about spiritual fatherhood and to hear the full interview, tune in to “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats on Relevant Radio at 1 p.m. Nov. 12 and 2 p.m. Nov. 13. Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Natasha Sager and Jane Lynch, who describe their experience as members of secular institutes; and Father Tom Margevicius, director of worship for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who describes the concluding rite for his latest “Mass Class.” 

Listen to interviews after they have aired at?PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show.