by Dominic Gideon ’14
Alumni Column
There are 290,000 fewer priests today than the million clergymen who served in 1973, showing that most young Catholic men today don’t look at priesthood as a seriously as in the past. But a select few, like Mr. Keith Kozak, SJ ‘97, have answered the call to religious vocation against cultural currents.
Growing up in Brooklyn, a southern suburb of Cleveland, and attending St. Thomas More, Mr. Kozak was involved in his parish ministry early on as an altar server and lector. He became comfortable with and accustomed to the Church, and young Keith Kozak started to ponder the possibility of living the life of a priest.
While at Saint Ignatius, his involvement with the Church intensified as he combined his love for music with his faith, joining the Ignatius choir and learning to play church organs at St. Thomas More. Kozak loved the arts and so also become involved in band and theatre — finding many ways to share and grow his artistic abilities.
During his high school career, his inclination toward the priesthood grew along with his musical talents. “While I was at Ignatius, I thought about it a lot,” Mr. Kozak said. “I felt like I had the calling, and I felt that was what I was called to do.”
Yet although he felt a definitive call to the priesthood, he was nervous to take up God’s plan. “I wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted even though I was positive that’s what God wanted from me,” Mr. Kozak said.
While discerning his priestly vocation he was influenced by his teacher and preacher Fr. Larry Ober. Having Fr. Ober for two classes at Ignatius as well as witnessing him preside at mass, Mr. Kozak was inspired by his doubly impactful example as a great priest and educator.
Mr. Kozak noticed Fr. Ober’s joy in both settings. “That’s where Jesus spoke to me: through [Father’s] teaching both on the altar and in the classroom,” he said.
Although Kozak felt a strong call to the priesthood, he decided to hold the call and pursue his musical vocation. He went on to Catholic University in Washington D.C. and majored in Music Education.
“Education is the key component into that,” Mr. Kozak said. “I always knew I wanted to teach or do something with education,” he said, which made the Jesuits an even more attractive profession for him.
In 2010– after his undergraduate, masters, and five years of working– Mr. Kozak finally stopped holding off God’s call to the priesthood and joined the Jesuits. Since then he has finished his novitiate and is now a Jesuit Scholastic in first studies at St. Louis University.
The next stage is regency, where he does teaching work for a few years; then theology, where he returns to his studies; next is ordination; and finally tertianship, which wraps up the formation process, ending in final vows. This would mean Mr. Kozak (now 33) would finish in his 40’s.
But that doesn’t discourage him at all. “Jesuit formation is a time of grace, prayer, there is lots of joy, and a whole lot of fun,” Mr. Kozak said. “A wise Jesuit once told me that formation is not a means to an end… You must enjoy the process of formation and not look ahead or think of this as something that has to happen to get to the end result of ordination.”
Even though the process takes a while, Mr. Kozak doesn’t regret entering sooner. He thinks of his time before becoming a scholastic as invaluable experience that will help him in his Jesuit mission. He likes that guys come into the Jesuits with previous experiences.
“They bring to the society their own unique views and energy,” Mr. Kozak said.
He has enjoyed formation so far, and lives with 25 other men while keeping himself busy throughout the day. “My normal day has time for prayer, daily Mass, community service, classes, and homework along with dinner and community time with the other Jesuit scholastics that I live with,” Mr. Kozak said.
The one problem with his experience in the order, Mr. Kozak said, is his lack of influence on where he ends up and the distance from home. He would like to be back in Cleveland, but that’s all dependent on where the Superior General wants him. But regardless of the place he’s called to serve, Mr. Kozak will be doing what matters most: serving others for the Greater Glory of God.
