By: Ryan Duey

Two Clay Center Community High School seniors were special guests at the Lions Club weekly meeting on November 26th. Alexa Leitzel and Kaylyn Johnson spoke about their high school activities and their plans after graduation.

Father Mike Leiker, Pastor of the SS Peter and Paul Church, was the guest speaker. Fr. Leiker spoke of his time before priesthood, which included receiving his Doctorate Degree and time as a college professor at Pitt State University.  

Fr. Leiker said he started going to church regularly while at Pitt State, when a co-worker asked him about attending church with him. In 2014 he left Pitt State and started his seminary schooling, which he said was tough at first.

“The first year was really tough being a college professor and having to sit in the classroom and not judge how the other instructors were teaching. You know, their teaching methods, that was tough. I had some little squabbles with the academic Dean because they would change the curriculum on us without consulting students, so that was always a big no-no.”

After the tough first year he settled into his schooling and became ordained.

“When it came time for me to be ordained a Deacon, we were in between Bishops. So, the Bishop that was in Wichita, came up to ordain me. So, in a way, it was kind of a full circle type thing, which I think is pretty neat, that the one that I was trying to start out with was able to ordain me a Deacon.”

In 2019 he became very ill and needed a liver transplant. He was able to find a living donor through his Diocese, who happened to be a surgeon at his local hospital.

“In January I put a letter out in our Diocese paper. About the middle of February, it was actually Ash Wednesday,  I got a call from somebody that I had seen. I didn’t know the name, but I had seen this person several times at the hospital. She said I read your story; would you like my liver? I was like, you know I need to ask some questions. I asked her if she had a family. She said yes and they talked about it.  She had three kids who were seven, five, and three at the time. And I was like, this is a big risk.”   

“She said we prayed about it and in my heart, I have to do this. And so, she didn’t give me any choice really. She got tested, she matched, and we did it.”

With the Holidays here, Fr. Leiker said he thanks God for the donor and the gift of life. He reminded all to be thankful and show gratitude for the blessings you have.