FROM OUR NEW PAROCHIAL VICAR,
FATHER GRANT HUSLIG
Praised be Jesus Christ!
My name is Fr. Grant Huslig, and I am very grateful to be one of the three new priests here at St. Francis of Assisi. I was ordained on May 24, just over a month ago, here in Wichita. Between my ordination and arriving at St. Francis, I was able to visit many of the places that were important to me during my discernment: K-State, where I first received my call to the priesthood; Chicago, where I served as a seminarian and grew into the priest God was calling me to be; and Guatemala, where our Lord opened my heart to the poor and revealed His presence among them as I learned Spanish.
Growing up in Andover, KS, I never would have expected the Lord to lead me down this path. I grew up with two older sisters, Courtney and Sarah, and one younger brother, Logan. We all played sports and piano (though I honestly had more of a heart for the latter). My dad, Aaron, is a dentist, and my mom, Becky, was a nurse for many years. I suspect it was through their example that I was initially drawn to a pre-medical path during my first few years of college, desiring to help heal people with the gifts the Lord had given me.
But between my second and third year of college, I made a consecration to Jesus through Mary, and during that consecration, the Lord surprised me with a different invitation: the path of healing others someday … as a priest? That was not what I had in mind for my life, and I wasn’t quick to accept the invitation. He had to invite me over and over again, reassuring me that I wasn’t crazy and that He would provide for my many inadequacies and weaknesses.
Since my ordination, I have been deeply grateful for how generous the Lord has been to me. The Franciscan saints have always played an important role in my life. St. Anthony of Padua, the “sidekick” of St. Francis, was my Confirmation Saint. St. Francis himself has always inspired me to live more deeply committed to the call of the Gospel. I even made my canonical retreat for ordination to the diaconate in Assisi itself! And so, I imagine the Lord has many more blessings in store for me here at St. Francis of Assisi Parish.
I look forward to meeting you and drawing closer to the Heart of Christ together. Please pray for me, as I will be praying for you.
May He lead us ever deeper into the mystery of His love and truth.
In Christ,
Father Grant Huslig, Parochial Vicar