2025 Vocations Awareness Supplement
Priest leans on prayer to maintain ‘delicate balance’ in leading three parishes
Father Dustin Boehm and students at St. Gabriel School in Connersville kneel during eucharistic adoration on Oct. 7 in St. Gabriel Church. (Photo by Mary King)
By Julie Young (Special to The Criterion)
Father Dustin Boehm says sometimes the best view of his parish is the one he has in the rearview mirror when he takes his day off.
“It’s not because I can’t wait to get away, but because I love them so much. I know I have to take that time so that I can come back and give more of myself,” he said.
It’s the kind of statement that every parent can relate to, especially those who have to juggle the schedules of multiple children. And it’s that kind of relatability that makes Father Boehm a beloved leader of the parishes that he serves.
Since 2014, Father Boehm has divided his time between St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Connersville and
St. Bridget of Ireland parish in Liberty, both in southeastern Indiana. In 2023, the rhythm of his life was rocked when he was named pastor of St. Mary Parish in Rushville as well.
“That was a difficult transition and one of the toughest years of my life,” he said. “I had to learn to rely on others to get things done and make peace with the fact that I can’t be everywhere at once.”
A ‘delicate balance’
As a self-described control freak, Father Boehm says he spends approximately 25 hours each week organizing his calendar to make sure he is where he needs to be.
On a recent Tuesday, he spent the morning with the students at St. Gabriel School praying the rosary and blessing their new statue of Mary before heading over to Rushville to discuss funeral arrangements with a grieving family.
He stopped by St. Mary School at dismissal to check in with the kids, attended an assortment of meetings, caught up with correspondence and celebrated evening Mass before going home at the end of the day.
Thursdays are his “shift days” when he relocates to his other office and consults the Post-it notes he left for himself the last time he was there. He said it is a delicate balance with each parish having their own subtle nuances that he has to remember through the following Wednesday until it’s time to shift again.
“One thing that keeps me sane in all of this is the Lord’s commitment to me and my commitment to the Lord in prayer,” Father Boehm said.
The other bright points are the school children who offer a welcome reprieve during a long day as well as the parish and school staff who manage the day-to-day operations and get everything done. There are also the dedicated parishioners who readily step up whenever their assistance is required.
Sherry Owen at St. Mary is one such parishioner. She loves the way that Father Boehm encourages the congregation to get involved in existing ministries or to create a new one if they see a need. After conducting a parish survey to connect volunteers with various ministries, she found that there were a handful of ladies who liked to cook, but there was no outlet for their skillset.
“Without missing a beat, Father Dustin said, ‘Let’s start a Hospitality Committee,’ and today, we have 12 ladies who bring meals to the OCIA [Order of Christian Initiation of Adults] breakfasts. They do the youth ministry gatherings, meet-and-greet events, as well as welcome and going away receptions,” she said. “He let us run with it, and it’s really been a great addition to the parish.”
‘He is one of us’
If any of Father Boehm’s parishioners feel neglected, you’d never know it. In fact, they feel that he is not only an engaged presence in their parishes, but available whenever they need him.
St. Bridget parishioner Amanda Hertel said Father Boehm is like a member of her family, and she appreciates the way he includes stories of his own faults, failures and struggles in his homilies. Not only does it help her relate to the readings during Mass, but it also shows that he is no better or worse than anyone else and that he understands what they may be going through.
“He really does a good job of making us feel like he is one of us,” she said. “Caring for three parishes can’t be easy on him, but he handles it all really well. You never see him without a smile on his face, and he is never too busy to greet you. He always takes the time to make you feel that you matter even when he has so many other people to take care of.”
St. Gabriel parishioner Matthew Biehl, a homeschooled high school sophomore, says Father Boehm has been a mentor to him as he discerns a possible vocation to the priesthood. It’s not only what he shares in their personal conversations, but also by being a good example of who a priest is.
Matthew says Father Boehm really expresses what it means for a priest to give his life to the Church and, more specifically, to his parish.
“I learned from him that being a priest really means giving everything that you have to your parish, and through that giving of yourself, you will find a joy that you can’t find anywhere else.”
‘Just him and me’
Father Boehm agrees that the more he gives in his vocation, the more he gets in return. But he said it’s also important to take the time for self-care and to nurture the relationship at the center of it all—his relationship with God.
Like spouses who fail to connect due to the hustle and bustle of their daily lives, priests also have to work on their relationship with the one who called them to their vocation. And during the National Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis in July 2024, Father Boehm rededicated himself to personal prayer and carving out some one-on-one time with God.
“That had been such a tough year, and I suddenly realized that I can’t do this without prayer,” he said. “My vocation does not happen without a relationship with God. It’s easy to lose sight of that when there are 25 things to do and only 24 hours in a day. So, I have reserved my early morning hours for just him and me, and I trust that he will give me the time to get everything else accomplished.”
(Julie Young is a member of St. Michael Parish in Greenfield. To learn more about a vocation to the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, visit HearGodsCall.com.) †
Video discusses new statue of Mary on grounds of St. Gabriel School
The Oct. 24 issue of The Criterion featured photos of Oct. 7 events at
St. Gabriel School in Connersville, including the blessing of a new statue of Mary on the school campus.
Visit
tinyurl.com/St-Gabriel-Mary-Statue to listen to St. Gabriel pastor Father Dustin Boehm and school principal Michelle Struewing discuss how the project came to fruition. †
