The Rev. Michael Churchill didn’t come to Viterbo to make history. He came to study nursing, which he did, graduating with his nursing degree in 2015. Last year, though, he made history when he became the first Viterbo alumnus to become an ordained Catholic priest.

“It’s been such a beautiful, beautiful blessing to be ordained,” said Fr. Churchill, who serves as the parochial vicar of Pax Christi Parish in Rochester, Minn., and Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Mazeppa, Minn. “I have always wanted to bring a calming and peaceful presence to those who were struggling and suffering. Besides just being a good and holy priest, a shepherd after the Heart of Jesus, I desire to be a priest who is particularly attentive to people who are struggling and hurting and to bring the healing presence of Jesus Christ.”

Growing up the ninth of 10 children in his family in Dexter, a small town west of Rochester, Fr. Churchill had strong aspirations to become a “father,” but not the kind that requires seminary.

“I really wanted to emulate my parents growing up. I always dreamt of having a big Catholic family and having all these kids,” he said. “I wrestled a lot with having to give up marriage and family, because that was my dream for such a long time. It was a long process of wrestling with that and coming to peace that the Lord wanted to give me an even greater gift.”

While he served as an altar boy at St. Finbarr Catholic Church in Grand Meadow, Minn., Fr. Churchill didn’t give much thought to becoming a priest, even when his own priest told him he should think about it. Perhaps it was a sign of things to come that the saint he chose for confirmation was St. Anthony of Padua, a Franciscan priest known as a gifted preacher and scholar, appointed by St. Francis of Assisi to teach theology to young Franciscan friars pursuing the priesthood.

Contemplating college and career in high school, Fr. Churchill didn’t have a clear path in mind. “I just knew I wanted to help people in some way. Nursing seemed like the most obvious answer to me at the time,” he said.

The obvious choice for college was Viterbo, not only because of the quality of the nursing program. “It offered me a chance to live out my Catholic faith,” Fr. Churchill said.

He got involved in campus ministry right away and a spiritual retreat in the winter of his first year at Viterbo proved to be a turning point. At breakfast one day, Fr. Churchill got into a conversation with a priest who urged him to consider going to seminary and becoming a priest.

“That talk was the main thing that really got me to pray about becoming a priest,” he said. “After that it was a slow, slow process of falling in love with Jesus, with the Church, with the priesthood.”

Even as he grew more and more drawn to the priesthood, Fr. Churchill remained committed to his nursing studies. “I really did love nursing. I figured if I was going to be led to the seminary the Lord would direct that, but if not, nursing was a beautiful career.”

Going into his senior year at Viterbo, he was pretty convinced the priesthood was his calling, but he wasn’t ready to commit and was thinking he would try working as a nurse for a couple years before deciding.

During a concert at a Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) event, Fr. Churchill had a moment of clarity. He suddenly felt alone in this concert hall with 10,000 other people, including many good friends. “The words that came into my heart were ‘I can do this,’” he said.

He started his priesthood preparation with two years of seminary in Winona, Minn., before moving on to four years of training at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit. He was ordained at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Winona on June 24, 2022, the same day as the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Fr. Churchill has a soft spot for the Sacraments of Healing (the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, also known as “confession”).

“Confession is a beautiful sacrament. It’s a bridge between nursing and priesthood,” Fr. Churchill said. “It’s humbling. And it’s a great opportunity to be one on one with someone and help them, give them back life. Mortal sin cuts us off from divine life, and it is so healing to hear those words, ‘I absolve you of your sins.’”

Although he only took a couple theology classes while at Viterbo, Fr. Churchill said his time here played a big role in his journey to the priesthood and was a beautiful time in his life. “Viterbo is a great place of growth, and I made great friends there,” he said. “I’m very grateful for all Viterbo did for me.”