We invite readers to send short stories about the ways in which their lives have been personally blessed by the life and work of priests and religious in our diocese.

By Karina Fabian

You might think Father Jeffrey Benusa was a natural for the priesthood – a Polish heritage steeped in Catholic tradition, Catholic schooling in the elementary school years – but his calling came after nearly two decades of searching and discernment. However, this has given him an even greater appreciation for his vocation.

Father Benusa grew up in Little Falls, Minn., but his family moved to Manhattan, Mont., when he was 16. He attended Resurrection Parish in Bozeman. He said he believes the parish tried to get youth interested in vocations, but at the time his mind was on exploring the world.

He attended college in Bozeman, with some time off for work and travel, and graduated with a business degree in 1985. However, a poor job market and a lack of a clear direction for his life got him wondering about his purpose.

“Things weren’t falling into place with different aspects of my life,” he said. “So I started asking the big questions. What are my gifts? What do I like to do? How do I see my life unfolding? Although I was a casual Catholic, the questions started pointing to God.”

While considering these questions, he joined the Air Force and was stationed at Lowry AFB, Colo. He spent his off-duty time learning more about God: reading books, talking with people, exploring different churches and different faiths yet still keeping in touch with his Catholic roots. “This was when I found Christ or He found me. I really came back to Christian beliefs as one of the answers to life: We are created by God, the Fall, the Redemption, the New Earth. I embraced it as my world view,” he said.

He still had not decided how to act upon this renewed commitment, though he had some inkling toward missionary work. When his enlistment was up, he returned to Montana and his parents. His father was moving his store to Three Forks, so he took the opportunity to help him while continuing his quest for his life’s purpose. As he went around “kicking the tires” of different churches, his parents invited him to Mass and his mother gave him materials explaining Catholic beliefs. “I went through a long process, but I came to believe that this was a special Church, a Church founded by Christ. It had a fullness,” he said.

Then, he added wryly, since he was single, male and Catholic, people naturally asked if he was considering the priesthood. He said he hadn’t thought of it as his calling at first. “However, as I began to understand more about the Church, the beauty of the faith and the excitement of the Eucharist, I saw that this was where God was leading me.”

Five years after leaving the military, he enrolled in Carroll College and began a new discernment: where to live out his priesthood. While he researched many dioceses and orders, the Diocese of Helena stood before him like an open door. “It was one thing to look at stuff in books or the Internet, but here were the people I could talk to,” he said. He was ordained in June 2003.

He served as parochial vicar in Anaconda Catholic Community and in 2005 took the pastor’s position in St. Joseph Parish in Harlowton with missions in Judith Gap and Shawmut, and the parish of St. Bartholomew in White Sulphur Springs.

Father Benusa compared accepting his vocation to completing a puzzle. “Sometimes we have to look for the pieces in the puzzle – in our own life, our family, the world – and to learn how God fits those pieces together. Being a priest is a big undertaking; even now, I still feel it’s beyond me. This is a high calling, a privilege to work with people in a way no one else can. But it’s not about me. It’s about Christ and his Church and his people.”


Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 24, No. 6, June 20, 2008.