Fr. Ronald Wekerle shares what it’s like to minister during a pandemic
By Eric Valentine
When future historians write about the frontline heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s no doubt plenty of ink—and kilobytes—will be used to tell the still-mostly-untold stories of the doctors, nurses, teachers, grocery store staff and other “essential” workers who’ve kept society and life moving. What’s not as easy to predict is how the so-called “para-essential” or—bad choice of words—“non-essential” among us will be described.
Enter Father Ronald Wekerle, more commonly known as Fr. Ron, a Catholic priest who in July 2021 was assigned the pastorship for the Catholic community of the Wood River Valley. Although by sheer number of parishioners that may not be daunting, by daily-grind standards it is formidable.
“Two thousand miles a month, that’s how I gauge it,” says Fr. Ron, referring to the amount of driving the 58-year-old priest does serving three Catholic parishes, one in Sun Valley, one in Hailey and one in Fairfield.
As a Wood River High School graduate (class of ’80), Fr. Ron is beyond familiar with Valley travel and trends. What makes him the right priest for the current pandemic, however, is what seems to be his visceral understanding of what it means to be—for lack of a better term—“a citizen of the world.”
“We’re social beings. We like being together. We all want connection. We find meaning and joy there,” Wekerle says regarding his fellow Catholics who he has tried to minister to during the pandemic.
“What I’ve seen is people are a little more on edge,” Wekerle adds, referring to the impact of last year’s lockdown and this year’s slow rebound back to some level of normality.
That edginess led to creative revelation to some degree at least. In addition to livestreaming masses, Wekerle has also looked for religious and social events that could be held outdoors where COVID policies get more lenient and transmission of the virus gets more limited. From regular quinceañeras to the Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration held last week to the live nativity event slated for this coming weekend, Wekerle has enabled the Catholic community to be COVID-safe while not sheltering their faith.
With many Catholics in the Valley having Latinx roots, Wekerle’s fluency in Spanish is another element to the priest that makes him the right father for this job. One reason Wekerle maintains his Spanish fluency with two lessons per week is because he used to serve as pastor of the rural parish community in Jerome, where Spanish speakers are the majority. There, he spearheaded a multi-million-dollar capital campaign and 21,515-square-foot expansion project that provided seating for more than 1,200 people. And in September 2005, Wekerle helped guide the parish to the completed construction of an 18,437-square-foot parish center that included a large banquet room, parish offices, industrial kitchen, classrooms and additional support spaces for ministries and parish activities.
But Wekerle’s worldliness goes beyond the Gem State. Some examples:
In 2013, Wekerle received permission to do missionary work in the Archdiocese of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico. He was appointed administrator of a new and growing parish where he oversaw the construction of a large parish church, rectory, and classrooms. During his time in Morelia, he worked with several parochial vicars and developed a dynamic parish staff.
In 2018, Fr. Wekerle was granted a sabbatical, furthering his studies in Israel and Rome.
In 2021, Bishop Christensen appointed Fr. Wekerle, pastor of Our Lady of the Snows, Sun Valley, and St. Charles Borromeo, in Hailey, with their mission church, Immaculate Conception, in Fairfield.
In addition to all that, and perhaps the root of all that, Wekerle’s academic accomplishments should be duly noted. In 1999, he graduated magna cum laude from the Gregorian University in Rome. It’s an academic accomplishment that many would wear on their sleeve, but with Wekerle, it’s not even a topic of discussion. Instead, he focuses on the daily job ahead.
“Among the most satisfying experiences of my most recent ministry include ministering to the Spanish-speaking people of our Diocese and helping to be a bridge-builder between the Anglo and Latino members of our Diocese,” Wekerle said.
