Lessons in Catholicism and something to drink, too

Youngest priest answers questions in variety of venues

By Amy Guckeen, Catholic Herald Staff 

ELM GROVE — Call it priestly mystique or an act of God, but when Fr. Nathan Reesman speaks, people listen.

So much so that he has worked his camaraderie with parishioners to their faith advantage.
 
What started as a simple idea — that parishioners of St. Mary Visitation Parish might like to sit down and have an informal chat with their 28-year-old associate pastor — has led to new programs at the parish, including “Catechism & Cocktails” and “Catholicism 101.”
 
“I’ve always loved to go into a classroom and just answer questions, to be with people,” Fr. Reesman, said. “It feeds me.”
 
A self-described “non-creative” person, Fr. Reesman got the idea from programs already in existence, such as Theology on Tap, and Eat, Drink and Be Catholic, “molding them to fit his persona,” Kathy Smith, director of adult and family formation at St. Mary, said.
 
The initial “Catechism & Cocktails” sessions during the summer at O’Donaghue’s Irish Pub allowed Fr. Reesman to just show up and see where the Spirit took him and the attendees.
 
An overwhelming crowd turned up at the first event in June, forcing Fr. Reesman to turn people away before the night even started lest fire codes would be broken.

Whether it was the event’s billing — a night where parishioners could ask Fr. Reesman anything they’d ever wanted to ask a priest, the hand of God, or the fact that it was held in a bar that attracted so many people of all ages — Fr. Reesman is not sure. It is a question for which those charged with adult faith formation are seeking an answer.
 
“People are very busy,” Fr. Reesman said. “We compete with soccer, ‘American Idol.’ We’re (the Catholic Church) not nearly as exciting, let’s face it.”
 
What is exciting and mystifying to people, Fr. Reesman said, is just exactly who their parish priest really is. The opportunity to find out in “Catechism & Cocktails,” for many people, was irresistible.
 
“People really want to love their priest,” Fr. Reesman said. “They’re curious about us. They want to know us.
 
“Who undertakes a life like this in this day and age? The perception is you’re sort of risking it all. Being a priest is taking a leap of faith off into the black night. You don’t know where you’re going to fall or where you’re going to land. It’s fascinating and stupid at the same time. You go without a family. You’re supposed to be their father. You’re supposed to be around.”
 
When asked whether or not his role has played a part in the success of the events, Fr. Reesman is quick to point out that it’s “not about me. I hope it’s because of something of God.”
 
As the youngest priest in the archdiocese, however, it’s hard not to give Fr. Reesman even a little credit.
 
“He is a young priest,” Smith said. “Parishioners are delighted to see him and hear him outside of the sacramental realm. We are delighted at the youth, energy and enthusiasm that Fr. Nathan has brought to the programs he presented.”
 
From “Catechism & Cocktails,” Fr. Reesman has moved on to “Catholicism 101: Five Things You Thought You Already Knew,” held at St. Mary grade school cafeteria during the religious education program for grades K-8. The sessions, held monthly, cover topics such as the Bible, Mass, prayer, salvation and the Ten Commandments. Each session consists of an hour-long presentation by Fr. Reesman, followed by 30 minutes of questions and answers. Small group discussions held two weeks after each presentation have been implemented so that there are two offerings a month, Smith said. A program for high school students, “Catechism & Cocoa,” will be offered in December.
 
Approximately 100 people attended Fr. Reesman’s Nov. 14 talk on the Mass, in which he reminded attendees why Catholics do the things they do. Telling the group that Mass is not there to entertain a person and sometimes may “be flat out boring,” Fr. Reesman described the Nicene Creed as a “love note back to God,” the weekly offertory, “as a part of yourself — your blood, sweat and tears going into that basket,” and Communion as “not like handing out Oreos.” While there were laughs throughout the evening, for many, that was not the reason they were there.
 
“We are cradle Catholics,” said Margaret Livingston of New Berlin, a parishioner at Immaculate Heart of Mary, West Allis, who comes to “Catholicism 101” for her own enrichment. “You get this young, hip guy with a traditional approach. He’s such a draw — one of a kind.”
 
The fact that Fr. Reesman places an emphasis on the things that are important to Annie Ruka — reconciliation, being pro-life, prayer, the Mass, things that make a person Catholic — motivates her to travel from her home in Pewaukee to St. Mary on a regular basis for Mass, adoration and Fr. Reesman’s sessions.
 
“He tries to keep you on the right track,” Ruka, a parishioner at St. Dominic, Brookfield, said. “He prays for what’s important and he’s so cute to the kids. If they’re not hearing it at home, you know they’re hearing it from him.”
 
Humble in his vocation, Fr. Reesman speaks openly about going to confession himself on a regular basis and offering Mass every Monday for his own priesthood, a fact that Ruka and Livingston admire.
 
“You can tell he believes in what he’s doing,” Livingston said. “We need somebody like him. He reminds us why we’re here, why we’re Catholic. A lot of people don’t know what they’re supposed to believe.”

This article first appeared in the Nov. 22 edition of the Catholic Herald. Click on this link to subscribe to the Catholic Herald.