A Message from Seminarian Alex Marquette

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

How great a privilege it is to be with you at Immaculate Conception! I have learned so much from this place, and it has only been one semester! Father James asked me to write up a little something for the parish, and so I said I would be happy to as long as I didn’t have to tell any jokes.

As many of you know, my name is Alex Marquette, and I am a seminarian for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. I originally am from the Maple Lake area, a small town in Wright County. I am in my fifth year of seminary formation, having done four years of undergraduate studies at the St. John Vianney College Seminary on the campus of the University of St. Thomas. Currently, I reside at the St. Paul Seminary (also at St. Thomas), and when I started there this past fall, I was assigned to Immaculate Conception to learn the daily comings and goings of parish life under Fr. James.

That being said, I absolutely love being in this place. My weekly Wednesday visit and my monthly weekend visit are things I eagerly look forward to. Meeting you all in the pews, the parish staff, and the school faculty and staff have all been huge blessings. One question that I get a lot is “Do you enjoy what you do?” I can happily say, “YES! I love what I do!” Each day I love doing it a little more than the previous day. Granted, there are still days when studies or parish life are not easy, as it is with everyone, but I still grow to love this life each day until I am going to be ordained and then the rest of my life as a priest, God willing.

If I haven’t yet had the privilege of meeting you, know that I am looking forward to doing so! May God bless you all and your families abundantly in this Year of the Family, and may Our Lady watch over you continually.

In Christ,
Alex Marquette