Mark Steck is the middle child in a family of five, including an older sister and brother and two younger sisters. His parents homeschooled their children, raising them in the Catholic faith, as well as attending (and serving) daily Mass and frequently participating in adoration.
When asked about his calling, Mark shared that, “growing up I didn't really like the idea of me becoming a priest, which I think was
mainly due to the fact that I didn't know that much about seminary and the priesthood. When I was sixteen years old, my mom encouraged me to go on a seminary visit hosted by the diocese. Visiting the seminary made me more open to the possibility of becoming a priest. I went on another seminary visit soon after, and as a result, started to take my vocation more seriously and began to pray about it more. For my religion class in my senior year of high school, I read and participated in the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. I realized then that doing God's will was the only thing that mattered in my life. I already had the feeling that God was calling me to seminary, so I made the decision to contact the vocations director and apply to seminary.
Mark has drawn inspiration from my cousin (and fellow seminarian for the Diocese of Gaylord), Jake Belanger, and his pastor at Holy Rosary in Cedar.
In his spare time, Mark enjoys cooking, playing piano, and spending time with friends and family.
He is attending St. John Vianney Seminary at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul Minnesota.
