Inspirational Feature by J1 Reporter
Kayla Constantino

Priesthood is something that today is often looked at as daunting and old fashioned, but there is something truly inspiring about young priests who embody all that it means to live a life like Christ and still be with modern culture.

One example of this kind of priest is Father Jeff Mollner.

Fr. Mollner never seriously considered priesthood until after he graduated from Rockhurst, with a degree in biology. “I was working down at Creighton University, but what happened during that time was I got involved in a young adult Bible study. Truth is, I joined it because I was bored and I wanted something to do…I started praying more, going to daily Mass.”

He spent about two years discerning whether or not to become a priest. During this time, he did not tell one that he was considering priesthood. But, there came a time when he knew he had to start making some decisions in his life. “At one point, I was very seriously considering becoming a dentist. I never wanted to be a dentist, but they make good money. But, I was also looking at the seminary and got to know some of the younger priests in Omaha and thought ‘well they seem like normal guys, I could do that.’”

Some interesting facts about Mollner are that he has two relatives that currently attend Marian, Natalie Kemler ’17 and Lauren Weis ’17, who are both his first cousins. Mollner grew up in Omaha with his two brothers and two sisters, him being the second oldest of the five.

Mollner has been working at Skutt Catholic High School for five years. Prior to working there, he was an associate pastor at Saint Margaret Mary, a local Catholic grade school, for three years. While at Saint Margaret Mary, Mollner would come down and teach the grade school children about the Catholic religion and scripture. “That was my very favorite part of being at SMM was coming and spending time in the grade school. I loved being around [the students] when [they] were young. To me, that was why I became a priest. I wanted to teach and talk about the things I love to talk about.”

While at SMM, it was not all preaching and ministering that Mollner did. There was one time where the parishioners of SMM signed Mollner up to be a part of the annual Dancing with the Stars event. “Someone enrolled me and I had to take dance lessons. It was so much fun…I think I was terrible, but it was still a whole lot of fun.” He did not win the competition that year, but he still looks back on it with great fondness.

Working at a Catholic high school, it is hard for Mollner to pick just one favorite memory. “I really like getting involved in the sports teams and the atmosphere…But one memory above all would be the very first year I was here and it was on senior retreat, because it was the first retreat I had ever led with these kids. I was scared to death and was kinda sure that no one liked me, but as the day went on it was the first time that I got to know some of the kids.”

One of the biggest differences between high school and grade school, according to Mollner is, “Grade school kids will love you no matter what you do. High school kids make you work for it a little bit more.”

Although Mollner is not in the grade school setting anymore, he still has the opportunity to share his religious knowledge with the students at Skutt Catholic. “I teach a couple of classes… Death and Dying, Theology, Literature and Philosophy. But, here I am also with them all day through campus ministry, retreats, pro-life, service trips…And I just try to bug the kids in the hallway, too.”

Even those who are so inspirational for others have inspirational figures themselves. Moller said, “I guess being a priest, the first inspiration I have comes from God… Not only that, but you should be inspired by the people you serve. You should enjoy the people you work with.”

As a priest, Mollner is expected to embody the Father figure and to guide his followers to God, and to do that he looks to his own father for motivation. “They call you Father so you have to learn how to do that and I think you learn that from your own dad. Just from the way he loved my mom and loved his children, he took care of everything that needed to be taken care of.”

Mollner is always looking for ways to deepen his own faith. “First and foremost, my family. We grew up together. I went to Catholic grade school, Catholic high school, but then in college I think everyone’s faith is challenged. It is so easy to get wrapped up in yourself and in your career.” He goes on to say that he was lucky to have found a couple of good priests down at Rockhurst. These priests were the same men that inspired him to become a priest himself.

Mollner has so much wisdom and knowledge to share with young people today, but there is one special piece of advice he wishes to share with them. “I think very often we get so wrapped up in what everyone else is doing, especially now with our phones… But, I think sometimes we don’t see what is around us and we don’t appreciate the one-on-one conversations with the people we are with because we are concerned with what other people are doing. So be with the people you are with and cherish your time together.”