Rev. Brian Konkol ’01 | Gustavus Adolphus College

When he’s working, the Rev. Brian Konkol can be found just about anywhere—the chapel, the classroom, the college board room, the Minnesota State Capitol building, or even on the basketball court or at the local coffee shop.

That’s just all part of the job as chaplain at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn.

“My role as chaplain includes a wide variety of activities, but through it all one of the things I find most rewarding about serving at Gustavus Adolphus is that I’m not merely an employee at an institution, but I’m a member of a mission much larger than myself that matters more than myself,” said Rev. Konkol, a Lutheran minister, who is extremely proficient in the use of Facebook and other social media in his ministry. “I try to serve faithfully in my role and make the rest of the world a bit better.”

Rev. Konkol brings a world of experience to his career, pun intended. Many Viterbo alumni are familiar with his fascinating story—he enrolled at Viterbo as a criminal justice major with the goal of becoming an attorney. Four years later, he was entering Luther Seminary. He would serve for four years with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Guyana, South America, and four years in South Africa as the ELCA’s Country Coordinator of the Young Adults in Global Mission program.

“Looking back, if I were a senior in high school and had it to do over again, I would enroll at Viterbo and enter the criminal justice program to study under Marlene Fisher,” said Rev. Konkol, who also serves on Viterbo’s Board of Advisors. “To this day, the lessons I learned from her and many others at Viterbo continue to apply. Viterbo was, is, and will continue to be a gift that keeps on giving, and I look forward to supporting the university in any way I can as long as I possibly can.”