Page 40 - Catholic Extension Magazine Spring 2020

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Seminarian Profile

Entering the seminary in mid-life

allows priest to bring diverse
life experiences
to his ministry in Idaho

Sharing the most

important story

‘‘ ell His story.” injured while saving his fellow

soldiers in Beirut. Mosier thought,
Well before
“Those are the kind of people I
Father John
want to be with.” He immediately
Mosier, who was
recently ordained,
T ever became
started his six-year service with
a priest, those were the words enlisted and the day he graduated,
the Marines. Eight Marines were
uttered to him by his late wife, killed on Mosier’s first deploy-
Jackie, just before she died of ment in Norway. He credits his ing and reflecting at night. Jackie’s
cancer in 2008. Tell the story of faith with helping him manage the request to “tell His story” kept
Christ, be His witness. To serve as stress of combat and understand bubbling up. “I had a good life,
a constant reminder, her words are the transient nature of life on this I was moving up the ranks, but
now engraved on his chalice. Earth, as one is often reminded of something was missing,” he said.
during war. “I became indifferent to material-
Life before seminary After the military, he pursued ity and started to deeply ponder, ‘Is
Mosier was raised in a Catholic master’s degrees in both engineer- there more to life?’”
family with six children in Findlay, ing and business at Texas A&M. It
Ohio. At age 11, he wrote to his was there he met Jackie. John and A new chapter
bishop inquiring about joining the Jackie Mosier were married 14 very In 2014, Mosier quit his job,
seminary. After being told to wait happy years. John was enjoying a moved to Boise, Idaho, an area
a few years, he explored it again successful career in biotechnol- where he had traveled and loved,
during high school, attending ogy manufacturing when Jackie and applied to become a priest.
a few vocations retreats. But it was diagnosed with terminal At age 49, he started studying at
was not the right time. As a busy cancer. Throughout her illness, Mount Angel Seminary in St. Ben-
student, who played football and they discussed what John’s next edict, Oregon. Catholic Extension
hockey, he opted instead to attend steps would be. He told her of his supported his education.
Marquette University to study interest in becoming a priest. She One of the biggest surprises is
business. told him, “Tell His story.” that he was not the oldest one in
At college in 1983, he was After Jackie died, Mosier was his class. “Many guys there were
inspired by the story of a Marine assigned to work in the Nether- over age 40,” he said. “There were
lands. As a single man living in a retired military and law enforce-
small apartment in a small town ment, doctors, bankers. Many
there, he had lots of time for read- were widowers. Each one had a