ALLOUEZ — Mark Mleziva has experienced some special moments in Rome. He was present at the canonizations of both St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Calcutta (or Kolkata). He has served at Mass for Pope Francis, which required him to shave his goatee, but “it was well worth it,” he said. “He greeted us all before, and I was star struck to say the least.”
Mleziva added another special moment on Sept. 29 when he was ordained a deacon by Cardinal Sean O’Malley at St. Peter’s Basilica. He was one of 30 American seminarians of Vatican City’s Pontifical North American College ordained at the Mass with a congregation of well over 1,000 people.
Deacon Adam Bradley, who was ordained a deacon in May, vested Deacon Mleziva. Both are scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood, along with Deacons Matthew Rappl, Jon Thorsen and Zach Weber, in June of 2017.
“I asked (Deacon Bradley) first and foremost because he is a good friend, and as a sign of solidarity with the rest of the class from the diocese,” explained Deacon Mleziva.
Other supporters who made the trip included his parents, Rod and Karen; older brother Matthew and his wife, Amanda; younger brother Mitchell; younger sister Mariah; as well as aunts, uncles and other family friends. Fr. Daniel Schuster, vocation director, and Fr. Scott Valentyn, parochial vicar at St. John the Baptist Parish, Howard, also attended the ordination.
The newly ordained deacon offered his gratitude to “those who have encouraged me on my journey, to my family, friends and relatives … to all my past teachers, formators, priests and those who have been such a shining example to me of what it means to be a faith-filled, holy and joyful Catholic.”
Deacon Mleziva hails from Luxemburg. His home parishes are Immaculate Conception (St. Mary) in Luxemburg and St. Therese in Pilsen.
He entered seminary after earning a degree in secondary education-social studies from UW-Madison in 2011. He studied two years at St. Francis de Sales Seminary near Milwaukee and for the last three years at Pontifical North American College, while taking classes at Pontifical Gregorian University.
Ministry experience for Deacon Mleziva includes visiting the elderly and leading a Bible study for inmates in Milwaukee. In Rome he has been involved in the Legion of Mary, an international association that focuses on evangelization.
“Every week, we would go down to St. Peter’s Square for two hours and visit with English-speaking pilgrims,” he explained. “We would talk about everything from the faith to the pope to the Packers, and we would usually give them a Miraculous Medal blessed by Pope Francis.”
Deacon Mleziva was recently assigned to serve as chaplain at Christendom College’s study abroad campus in Rome. He will minister to college students, preach at weekly Masses and present a conference at a men’s retreat.
On Sept. 30, the day following ordination, Deacon Mleziva served as deacon at Mass for the first time at the Basilica of St. Clement. The location bears special significance and honors inspirations in his life.
“Clement is both my middle name and confirmation name. I chose it as a confirmation name initially as a nod to my Grandpa Kafka, whose name is Clement, and who has been an outstanding example to me of someone of deep faith, despite encountering many trials and difficulties throughout life,” he explained. “Furthermore, St. Clement is buried there. He was one of the first popes and was martyred for speaking the faith.”
The Basilica of St. Clement also contains the relics of St. Cyril, who with his brother, St. Methodius, were the Apostles to the Slavs. Deacon Mleziva, who is 75 percent Bohemian and Polish, shares a kinship with the two saints.
“Without their efforts, I don’t know if I would be a seminarian today, much less a Catholic,” he said.
“I would like to thank everyone back home who has assured me of their prayers in preparation for my ordination,” added Deacon Mleziva. “I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the prayers of so many people, both those I do know and those I don’t.”
