Milwaukee Catholic Herald – Vocations

ROOTED IN FAITH — Jesuit Fr. Peter Etzel and Sister of Divine Savior Marion Etzel, pictured in the Queen of Apostles Chapel at the Divine Savior motherhouse, credit their parents, Ray and Vera Etzel, with teaching them the importance of faith and serving others. Today Fr. Etzel is pastor of Gesu Parish in Milwaukee and Sr. Etzel is president of her religious community. (Catholic Herald photo by Sam Lucero)

MILWAUKEE — To their family, Peter and Marion Etzel are brother and sister. To others, they’re father and sister.

As a Sister of the Divine Savior and the president and provincial leader of her religious community, based in the residence on the Divine Savior Holy Angels High School campus, Sr. Marion, 61, answered the call to her vocation when her brother Peter was only 3.

Fr. Peter, 50, answered his own call to the Jesuit priesthood at age 25, and was ordained five years later. He now is the pastor of Gesu Parish in downtown Milwaukee.

Although a rarity that a single family would have not one but two members enter religious life, a closer look at the Etzels revealed a family deeply rooted in faith, so perhaps the scenario was not as surprising.

“Faith was important,” recalled Sr. Marion. “My dad used to do lots and lots of things to help out in the parish, so did my mom. They both held leadership roles in the parish, the church was very important to them.”

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