Making it Personal with Bishop William Joensen

Freer Men: Duncan Kyhl and Parker Corwin on Silence, Sacrifice, and Saying Yes to the Call – 08/22/2026

Episode Summary

Seminarians Duncan Kyhl and Parker Corwin join Bishop William Joensen and Jean Thill fresh off their first year of priestly formation, the Propaedeutic Year, to talk about trading careers, relationships, and even their phones for a deeper life of prayer. From a six-day tech fast and silent retreats to poverty immersion experiences at Phoenix's Andre House of Hospitality and Des Moines' Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the two men share how disconnecting from the world helped them discover real freedom in Christ. The conversation also touches on the final weekend of the Iowa State Fair, the feast of the Queenship of Mary, and upcoming milestones for the Diocese of Des Moines. Two Des Moines-area seminarians recap their Propaedeutic Year at the Saint Paul Seminary A six-day "tech fast," silent retreats, and a Latin house motto shape daily seminary life Poverty immersion takes the seminarians to Phoenix's Andre House and Des Moines' Society of St. Vincent de Paul Bishop Joensen previews the feast of the Queenship of Mary and upcoming diocesan events Reflections on leaving careers in accounting, sales, and consulting to answer a priestly call

Episode Notes

Segment 1: Iowa State Fair send-off, diocesan roundup, and welcoming the guests

• Bishop Joensen and Jean Thill send off the final weekend of the 2026 Iowa State Fair (Aug. 13–23), highlighting the Iowa Catholic Radio booth and the availability of confession from priests and deacons on-site.
• A look at the week's saints leading into this Aug. 22 broadcast: St. John Eudes (Aug. 19), St. Bernard of Clairvaux (Aug. 20), and St. Pius X (Aug. 21), followed by today's feast of the Queenship of Mary — secondary patroness of the Diocese of Des Moines.
• Bishop Joensen previews the formal installation of Father Rodrigo Mayorga Landeros as pastor of Christ the King Parish this Sunday, Aug. 23, plus confirmations at Sacred Heart Parish in West Des Moines, and next week's Bishop's Celebration of Catholic Schools, which will honor Father Ross Caniglia of the Diocese of Sioux City — a Council Bluffs native — as speaker.
• Duncan Kyhl and Parker Corwin join the show having just finished the Propaedeutic Year. Parker opens with his story: growing up in Des Moines, K–8 at St. Francis of Assisi, Dowling Catholic High School, and a period away from the faith at the University of Iowa before landing at St. Theresa Parish as an adult.

Segment 2: Two paths to the seminary

• Duncan shares his roots: St. Pius X Parish in Urbandale, Dowling Catholic High School (where he ran cross country with Parker), a degree in accounting and computer science from Creighton University, and several years working in downtown Chicago before entering seminary.
• Both men discuss discerning their vocations out of serious relationships and the difficult, grace-filled process of letting go to answer God's call.
• Parker recounts four and a half years as a sales consultant at Wells Fargo in Des Moines, and how conversations with coworkers planted early seeds of his vocation.
• Duncan opens up about his family's faith, his three brothers, and his brother John, who works at the Hy-Vee in Urbandale and has been a joyful witness to him.
• The two describe the Propaedeutic Year itself: human formation, group therapy and counseling, a six-day "tech fast" cycle, and the house motto agere sequitur esse — do what you're doing. Bishop Joensen connects the theme of digital disconnection to Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, on preserving human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence.
• Wednesday morning silence and four- to five-day silent retreats round out a rule of life aimed at deeper prayer and fraternity.

Segment 3: Serving the poor, in Phoenix and in Des Moines

• Duncan spent January and the first half of the summer at the Andre House of Hospitality in Phoenix, a ministry of the Congregation of Holy Cross named for St. André Bessette, serving hundreds of meals a night to people experiencing homelessness. Learn more at AndreHouse.org.
• Parker completed a summer internship with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Des Moines, working alongside CEO Steve Havemann and visiting parish "conferences" that provide direct home-visit assistance across the metro. Learn more at SVdPDSM.org.
• Duncan reflects on a 30-day retreat and the decision to begin with a new spiritual director as he moves into major theology studies at the University of St. Thomas.
• Bishop Joensen closes with a blessing over both seminarians as they continue toward the priesthood for the Diocese of Des Moines. Learn more at dmdiocese.org/vocations.

#MakingItPersonal #BishopJoensen #JeanThill #DioceseOfDesMoines #IowaCatholicRadio #CatholicPriesthood #Seminarian #PropaedeuticYear #CatholicVocations #DiscernmentStory #SaintPaulSeminary #CatholicPodcast #QueenshipOfMary #IowaStateFair #FaithJourney

Episode Contributors

• Host: Bishop William Joensen, Jeanne  Thill, Duncan Kyhl, Parker Corwin