THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 38, NO. 1 | JULY 1, 2016
LEAVEN PHOTO BY MARC ANDERSON
Father Henry Wertin, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Grand Junction, Colorado, greets his godmother Bertha Uhlrig (center), of Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish in Topeka, and her daughter Pattie Uhlrig after the first Mass he celebrated at his home parish of St. Joseph Church in Wathena on May 21.
A FATHER TWICE
Husband, father and grandfather ordained to the priesthood By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org
W
ATHENA — Lots of Catholic boys consider the priesthood before meeting the loves of their lives and settling down to a different vocation. Very few get a chance at both. The road that led 63-year-old Henry Wertin, a native son of St. Joseph Church in Wathena, to both marriage and the priesthood was definitely an unusual one. The fact that two of his sons had already been ordained makes the story one for the record books. Father Wertin, who was ordained Feb. 5 to the priesthood for the Diocese of Pueblo, Colorado, sat down with The Leaven to tell that story when he returned to his home parish May 21 to celebrate Mass for the first time since his ordination.
“He’s the man” Growing up, young Henry Wertin’s life revolved around his parish — but even more so, its patron, St. Joseph. Born Jan. 18, 1953, at St. Joseph Hospital, Wertin was baptized at St. Joseph Parish and attended St. Joseph Grade School — located on St. Joseph Street. While at Mass, the boy often gazed at the stained-glass window depicting the death of St. Joseph. “He’s the man,” said Father Wertin. The parish was the focus of his family’s life. “I remember when my grandmother would baby-sit me while my mother (Agnes Wertin, still a member of the parish) was in the hospital delivering another sibling. This was before I was old enough to go to school. “My grandmother and I, hand in hand, would walk up the hill to the church to attend daily Mass,” he said.
“I also have precious memories of families from the church getting together with us on Sunday at each other’s houses for the whole day,” he added. Wertin, taught by Benedictine Sisters at St. Joseph Grade School, was already considering a vocation to the priesthood in eighth grade, and, after graduation, headed off to Savior of the World Seminary in Kansas City, Kansas. It was only after his graduation from there in 1971 that his life took an unexpected turn. While at Benedictine College in Atchison, a place he chose for the opportunity to pursue monastic life at nearby St. Benedict’s Abbey, he met a young woman named Mary Beth Cavanagh. The two married in 1973. In 1976, Wertin graduated from Cleveland Chiropractic College and established an office in Lamar, Colorado, where his wife had grown up. Wertin’s marriage was every bit the vocation his later priesthood would be. “God has always been a part of my life,” he said. “And prayer and the church have kept my relationship with him alive.” His son Mark saw plenty evidence of that growing up. “Dad’s always been a man of prayer,” he said. Whether it’s been as a member of the Knights of Columbus or his attendance at daily Mass, his
St. Joseph often played a part in Father Henry Wertin’s life. While attending Mass as a boy, he would often gaze at this window depicting the death of St. Joseph. dad never failed to serve. Sunday Mass, according to Mark, was an absolute priority. He and his brother Henry, along with their sister Colleen Auchenbach, shared that prayer was an integral part of their faith formation. >> See CALL on page 10