Fr. Estevan Wetzel is taking on two very different roles this fall; one he planned for, one he didn’t.
Both involve a core aspect of any priest’s mission: sharing Jesus and the beauty of the Catholic faith, seeing the Lord water those seeds and helping others experience the peace, joy and fullness of a walk with God in this life, amid their joys and struggles.
Neither of his new ministries fall within the traditional church setting.
The contrasting missions just happened to come at the same time. But nothing the Creator of the Universe does is by mere chance.
“I don’t know how the two will interact,” Fr. Wetzel said. “They feel like two different hats, two different passions. I know the Lord will find a way to [work out how] this all integrates.”
Ordained in 2020, Fr. Wetzel began serving with the Diocese of Phoenix’s Office of Prison Ministry in August of this year.
Responsible for bringing the Gospel to inmates in 15 facilities across the nearly 47 thousand-square-mile diocese, the ministry visits state prisons, county jails and juvenile detention centers. Nearly 100 volunteers do much of the interacting, but Fr. Wetzel is the primary source for administering the sacraments, including celebrating Mass, hearing confessions and offering the Eucharist. He is closely assisted by a lay coordinator.
Fr. Wetzel succeeds Kevin Starrs, who retired in August and is establishing a statewide Catholic substance-abuse retreat center.
A door opens
But while Fr. Wetzel was looking toward the prison ministry, another opportunity arose, one whose requirements would allow him to handle both roles.
This new opening was equally appealing.
Sparked by an earlier conversation with an Army National Guardsman who had lost a pair of fellow soldiers to suicide, Fr. Wetzel became curious about ministering to those serving in the military. He spoke to first responders through ride-alongs with Valley police and fire departments, and his heart began to be drawn to the people in uniform.
When he learned the Arizona Army National Guard’s chaplain, (Maj.) Fr. Craig Friedley retired, Fr. Wetzel sensed God’s hand in that area as well.
On April 12, he was sworn in as Army National Guard chaplain – with Fr. Friedley administering the oath. Fr. Wetzel also became 1st Lt. Estevan Wetzel.
“It just seemed the (Holy) Spirit opened the door, and it made sense. I’m grateful and excited,” he said.
Trained in the Army
The chaplain is part-time, confined essentially to a few days every two months, though he will be available on call.
He’ll fill both roles, while remaining parochial administrator at Sacred Heart Parish in central Phoenix.
“I just have to find a balance and set a routine,” he said.
Fr. Wetzel will minister to members of the Arizona Army National Guard Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) unit in the Phoenix area.
EOD works in the U.S. and abroad to detect, identify, evaluate, render-safe and dispose of explosive ordnance “to support federal, state, and local authorities as well as international and nongovernmental partners,” according to the national EOD website.
The work requires “uniquely talented and adaptable individuals who are mentally, physically, and emotionally prepared for the challenge.”
Fr. Wetzel, who will not handle explosives, said he was scheduled to take part in his first drills with EOD soldiers this weekend (Oct. 10-13). He said he already has met a few of them.
In preparation, he spent three months in basic training this past summer at Fort Jackson, S.C.
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The training included Army chaplains mixed with active-duty National Guard Reserve
members.
“There were clergy from a variety of faiths, including Muslim, Jewish and [other] different denominations. There was one [Catholic] seminarian. We spent time studying, exercising, learning together. I was impressed by the dedication of my fellow chaplains and felt utterly confident that the soldiers would be taken care of. It gave me hope,” he said.
A soldier’s life
“We will look after soldiers’ spiritual needs but also be an ethical arm of the Army, advising commander(s) on things related to soldiers. Ever since [U.S. Continental Army Gen.] George Washington [in the late 1700s], this has been a valued asset to ensure the well-rounded needs of our soldiers are met,” Fr. Wetzel explained.
While Fr. Wetzel has no prior military experience, several cousins served in the Marines and a grandfather was a U.S. Army engineer.
Fr. Wetzel said he’s learning the unique aspects of a soldier’s life.
“[That includes] the time, pressure and hard decisions when you’re sent to a combat zone or away from your family,” he said.
While ministering to a soldier involves certain challenges, so, too, does talking to men and women behind bars.
“I come from a background familiar with [having] friends, family in jail,” Fr. Wetzel said, “so, it’s not a foreign culture.
“I know how difficult it can be [ministering to inmates]. But with my language, personality and skills, and knowing how much I long to share Jesus with people who are like some of my family members, this made sense.”
The ministry takes the Gospel to men and women who are incarcerated through the Liturgy of the Word with the Eucharist, scripture study, sacramental preparation, one-to-one interaction, agency referrals, ecumenical aftercare and spousal support. It does much of the same at juvenile facilities.
Fr. Wetzel said many inmates believe they are “too far gone” to receive God’s love, forgiveness and acceptance.
His message is quite the contrary.
“There isn’t some sort of marathon we have to go through to reach our Blessed Lord. [But] our mistakes; our sins can cause us to assume we’ve gone too far. We all can have a sense of shame or unworthiness,” he continued.
“You are worth it as you are, [and] the Lord invites you to respond to [His] love. That makes you enough.”
