MTSM Welcomes Father Jacob Willig Back as Director of the Propaedeutic Stage

The story below was originally published in The Athenaeum, MTSM’s bi-annual magazine. The Athenaeum is published twice a year for alumni, patrons and friends of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology. To be added to the mailing list, contact: Heidi Walsh at 513.233.6159 or hwalsh@athenaeum.edu.

With Rev. Daniel Hess’ departure to the USCCB, Archbishop Robert G. Casey has assigned Rev. Jacob Willig, a 2018 graduate of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology, to be the new Director of the Propaedeutic Stage in addition to serving as a member of the Formation Team. Father Willig will begin this new assignment in July.

“I am very excited to come back,” Father Willig said. “My time in seminary was very formative and a great time of prayer, fraternity and preparation for the priesthood. I am honored that I was asked and am excited to support the guys, walk with them and help them grow.”

Father Willig spent the last five years serving as Chaplain of the Newman Center at Miami University in Oxford. Following his ordination to the priesthood in May 2018, Father Willig’s first assignment was at the Eastside Pastoral Region, which at the time included St. Cecilia Parish in Oakley and St. Margaret–St. John Parish (what is now the Oratory of St. John Vianney).

“I learned so much in my past experiences at St. Cecilia’s and Miami,” Father Willig said. “As a priest, you spend a lot of time learning where people are and how to walk with them over time, and that is something I have grown into over time. When working with young men and young adults, there is a great deal of spiritual direction and learning how to help people grow in virtue, and that will continue.”

Father Willig has also maintained strong connections to connections with seminary formation. Over the years, he has frequently joined The Rome Experience (a six-week summer program in Rome for seminarians from around the country, including the Archdiocese of Cincinnati) as a Spiritual Director.

“It has been great to enter into the formation of seminarians in that exploratory time outside the classroom, especially as many of them encountering the Universal Church for the first time,” Father Willig mentioned. “You walk with them and learn about the areas they are trying to grow in.”

One of the individuals Father Jacob Willig will be working with more frequently as Director of the Propaedeutic Stage is his brother Father Michael Willig, Vocations Director for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and a 2022 graduate of MTSM.

“Since I received the appointment, he and I have been praying and focusing on the hand-in-hand work we will be doing together,” Father Jacob Willig noted. “He will be out there inviting men to consider the priesthood and I’ll help form them. The spiritual dimension of this work is very exciting, we are both deeply committed to this work for the Church.”

While Father Willig is excited for the opportunity to contribute to the formation of seminarians when the next Propaedeutic Stage seminarians arrive in August, he also knows that this is setting up for a long-term mission.

“The Propaedeutic Stage is a smaller group, allowing more of a chance to focus on personal growth ahead of the next stages of formation,” Father Willig said. “Often times we seek the short-term fruit, but forming these men right for the long-term can be very impactful for both them and the Church.”