“Grandpa Carl” Kozak, far right, is pictured with two daughters and some of his grandchildren who participated at Extreme Faith Camp in June. From left in front, sisters Sarah Halberg and Meredith Oman, Maria Halberg and Allison Oman. In back, Luke Halberg, Dcn. Carl Oman, and cousins Natalie and Everett Schick. The Schicks regularly attend from their home state of Texas; their mother, Gretchen, was a camp chaperone before passing from cancer in March 2025. (Submitted photo)
Jenny Snarski
Catholic Herald staff
As uncommon as it is to have a child called by God to a priestly vocation, it is even less common to have more than one priest in a family. But when faith is lived as a vibrant part of daily life, what is ordinary becomes extraordinary.
Carl and Sylvia Kozak, married 59 years this summer, are longtime residents of Hayward, where Carl taught for more than 30 years. The couple had six children – Ben, Meredith, Jessica, Sarah, Gretchen and Peter. Two of the Kozaks’ grandsons – sons of Meredith Oman and Sarah Halberg – are now seminarians for the Diocese of Superior.
Dcn. Carl Oman will be ordained to the priesthood in 2027, and Matthew Halberg is in his propaedeutic year. Both young men earned college degrees before discerning entrance into the seminary.
Dcn. Carl studied mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Matthew earned a bachelor’s degree in data science and mathematics and then a graduate degree in statistics at South Dakota State University.
Dcn. Carl is the oldest of Meredith and Mark Oman’s three children. They have been members of St. Joseph Parish in Amery for 30 years. Their daughter, Allison, graduated earlier this year from UW-Madison with a nutritional science degree and is working as a certified nutritional therapy practitioner and fertility education instructor after interning for the Diocese of Superior this summer. The youngest, Jacob, works with his dad in the family landscaping business.
Matthew is the third of five children Sarah Halberg and her husband, Aaron Halberg, have raised in Hayward. Oldest daughter Rachel is married to Mark Nauertz, older brother of seminarian James Nauertz, from Spooner, and a mom of three young girls. John is a mechanical engineer in Kansas. Maria is a freshman at the University of Mary in Bismark, North Dakota, and Luke, the youngest, is a junior at Hayward High School.
Interview
Sarah and Meredith, sisters and moms of seminarians, were asked to respond to the following questions:
Have you had any particular moments of challenge and/or blessing in your son’s process of discovering his call to seminary and possibly the priesthood?
Meredith: We have been overwhelmed with kindness and prayers from so many throughout the diocese. It means so much when others tell us they are praying for our son the seminarian!
Sarah: We want all of our children to do God’s will for their lives. We want them to hear God’s voice and follow the path that he leads them. When Matthew told us that he was discerning a call to seminary, we felt blessed that he was listening for God’s voice and trying to do his will. That is an incredible blessing.
How has your extended family reacted to your son’s decision to enter seminary?
Meredith: His Catholic grandparents are in awe and so thrilled. They feel blessed to be here to witness his journey. It’s pretty neat that our son Carl is actually named after my dad, Carl, his grandfather.
Sarah: All the family is very excited for Matthew’s acceptance into seminary and the discernment he will continue to go through.
What has been helpful in calming fears and answering questions that might have come up in regard to your son’s discernment?
Meredith: We simply respond sharing that Carl was called and is responding to the call. We are so proud of our children when they pursue their passion and use their God-given talents to do so.
Sarah: I do like to let people know that Matthew was called to go to seminary and that each year he will continue to discern. I try to say, “one year at a time,” because that is what it is. For us, it is reassuring to have met many of the other seminarians and priests involved with the formation at St. Francis de Sales Seminary. These are incredible men that you would want to be involved in the formation process. These men are fun, smart, holy, athletic, musical, strong leaders—amazing men.
Have there been any recurring themes questioning your son’s path in seminary?
Meredith: Initially the response was, “A ‘Catholic’ priest, aren’t they the ones who can never get married and have children?” But, after two years in seminary, that question kind of dissipated.
Sarah: I don’t think anyone has voiced any of those.
There seems to have been a shift from entrance to seminary equaling a commitment to ordination to the understanding that seminarians are in a continual process of discernment. How has the discernment process been explained to you as parents?
Meredith: Bishop Powers and the priests in charge of the seminary process have been so great! The St. Andrew Dinner each year is so educational and supportive for all discerning. “Called North” does such a great job promoting and supporting these men.
Sarah: We’ve been going to the St. Andrew Dinners for many years. The St. Andrew dinner is a gathering where young men in middle and high school gather with parents, current priests and seminarians, and Bishop Powers. Over the years, we were able to ask questions and get more familiar with the process of seminary.
For example, Matthew, having already earned a college degree, could enter (graduate) seminary at St. Francis de Sales, whereas someone entering seminary right out of high school or without a college degree would first start at Sacred Heart Seminary in Winona, Minnesota. It is explained as “one year at a time.” Each man will discern each year whether he is called to remain in seminary and continue to pursue the priesthood or not.
I highly recommend all parents take their boys to at least one St. Andrew Dinner. It’s a non-threatening way to introduce your boys to the idea of becoming a priest and get together with great priests, seminarians and other guys who might be open to the priesthood. The gathering also allows parents to talk with other parents of priests and seminarians to address real questions and concerns that parents might have. The Diocese of Superior Vocations team usually hosts a St. Andrew Dinner in May and August each year.
It has been reassuring to know that remarkable men discern out, and remarkable men continue to discern “in” and become ordained priests.
Are there books or other resources that have been helpful in encouraging your son’s discernment?
Meredith: I really haven’t used any specific books. I have simply leaned into the community of parents of seminarians and priests and have built a bond that is so amazing.
Sarah: Yes. “To Save a Thousand Souls” [by Fr. Brett Brannen]. We (Aaron and I) have not read it, but one of our sons said it is a great book for discerning.
The Diocesan Prayer for Vocations that we pray every week at Mass has helped us as parents to be able to let go of any preconceived ideas of what our kids should be or do; as parents, we have meant what we pray, “choose from our homes those needed for your work”…. that has helped us to be ready to support any of our sons. The website called callednorth.org is a good resource with some questions to start to reflect on.
Our diocese supports youth programming including Totus Tuus, High School Discipleship Weekend, and Extreme Faith Camp. All of those have been extremely helpful in helping our kids grow in friendship with the Lord and helping in prayer life and discernment.
What advice would you give other parents who either have a child who’s expressed interest in a consecrated vocation or a child who might have the qualities?
Meredith: Support them, love them, encourage them to pursue this calling.
Sarah: Talk about it with them. Have them get in touch with one of the priests on the vocations team, or even their parish priest just to have a conversation. Take them to a St. Andrew Dinner. Encourage them in daily prayer, especially in Eucharistic Adoration when possible.
Matthew started talking to Fr. David quite a while ago, before he actually was sure he was called to apply to seminary. These conversations can be ongoing. At some point, encouraging them to get a spiritual director might help.
Even if your child hasn’t expressed interest in the priesthood, bringing them to a priestly ordination so they can witness the beauty of the sacrament of Holy Orders cultivates a deeper appreciation for the gift of the priesthood.
