Meet the Rest of Our New Seminarians!

Last month, The Courier printed introductions submitted by three of five new seminarians in formation for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester: Philips John Paul, Isaiah Lippert and Timothy Zappa. This month, we complete the set by introducing STEPHEN FERRAZZANO and MICHAEL RAHM. Once again, I ask you to please pray for these men!

Stephen Ferrazzano

Hello everyone! My name is Stephen Ferrazzano, and I am from St. James, Minnesota. I am an only child and grew up in a Protestant family. I grew up in a small town called Tracy, Minnesota, in the Diocese of New Ulm, where I went to elementary school and high school. There I was on the speech team and concert band (I never was much of an athlete). I decided I wanted to be a pastor when I was about to graduate high school, so I went to the University of Sioux Falls for a degree in theology. There, I converted when I was a sophomore, having a conversion experience while studying Church history and the Church Fathers, and also, during my studies, I started to learn more about the Catholic Church and fell in love with it right away and came to realize it was the true Church started by Christ, and took St. Thomas Aquinas as my patron saint. And, by God’s good grace, my parents came to the Catholic Faith a year after me. I am 24 now, and have been a Catholic for a little over five years. During my conversion, I had a pull to consider the priesthood. I talked with various priests on the matter and discerned the religious life for a while as well. Since I was a new convert, I had to wait a couple years to consider applying to seminary. So, after college, I worked in retail and in a tax office, and had a brief career as an emergency dispatcher.

I am currently in my propadeutic year at Mater Redemptoris in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Whatever our Lord has planned for my life, I take solace in the fact that Christ is by my side through it all. May God bless you all! You’ll be in my prayers and please keep us in yours.

Michael Rahm

My family and I moved to Luverne when I was around three years old. That's where I grew up and lived all the way through high school. I remember I really enjoyed hearing the Bible stories as a kid, but never felt my faith was super strong. In middle school, I went through a period of seriously questioning and doubting the faith. By the grace of God, and through the example of some holy men at St. Catherine's, I started going to Mass in high school.

In 2018, I graduated from Luverne and went to study chemisty at the University of Minnesota. I got involved with the Catholic student group on campus and really started to grow in my faith. I joined a men's group. I started to pray every day. And I went on retreats where I encountered God as a real person. It was during my time as a student that I started taking God's plan for my life seriously.

I graduated with my degree in 2021, and, in praying for God's plan for me after college, I felt called to step into college ministry. I worked for Saint Paul's Outreach for two years at Northeastern University in Boston. That city is a whole other world from southern Minnesota, but I loved my time there. It was in Boston that I experienced a call to the priesthood. I'm so excited to be back in Minnesota, and to be closer to my home in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.

Some quick things about me: I love to read, run, and play guitar. One of my favorite things in the whole world is backpacking in the mountains. And I'm so grateful for all the support I've received these last few months, from everyone at St. Catherine's and throughout our diocese. Thanks be to God for His great love and the wonderful plan He has for each of us.

Stephen Ferrazzano

Stephen Ferrazzano

Stephen Ferrazzano