Cory Rude-Propaedeutic Stage

St. Ludmila, Cedar Rapids/Vianney House

Introduction/Tell things about you, your family, your Catholic journey
My name is Cory Rude, and I was born on January 18th ,1993 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. My
mother’s name is Ann and my father’s name is Brian. I attended Grant Elementary School,
Wilson Elementary/Middle School, and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 2011.
After a very interesting college, working world, and young adult experience I graduated from
Kirkwood Community College. Subsequently I graduated from the University of Iowa with a
degree in Physics, in the fall of 2019. I have worn a great deal of hats in my time before
becoming a seminarian and am happy to report that I finally feel that I am where I am supposed
to be! A fun fact is that I had a bit of a “late start” to Catholicism. I was actually baptized in
middle school by Father Tom McDermott!

I was blessed with a mother who is a life long catholic as well as a father who was welcomed to
the Catholic Church on Easter Morning of 2024. I was blessed to come of age at St. Ludmila,
where I baked (and indeed ate) many, many kolaches! I was never “forced” to attend Mass but
when I showed an interest in deepening my faith I was greeted with enthusiasm. In my post-
baptismal zeal I actually had a chance to sit on a youth council with Archbishop Hanus while I
was in high school! God also blessed me with two sets of grandparents who were never shy
about their faith. All in all, I would say that I had a very beautiful and blessed childhood. God is
so very Good!

Where/when did your sense of call develop?
I feel that I first felt hints of a call when I was an Altar Boy in Middle/High School. To be
completely honest I spent about 14 years of my life actively avoiding going to seminary. I tried
everything I could think of to do anything but turn over my will to God. A few years before I
began seminary formation, I went on a mission trip with Bob Gardner and the crew from St.
Ludmila and I had an experience where I heard the Call, “Sheperd my Flock, Serve my People”. I then was graced with a strong conversion experience on The Feast Day of St. Andrew 2023. It was at this point that I truly turned my life over to the Lord. I immediately experienced a peace that I had never felt before and it has been an amazing journey ever since!

Were you invited by others to enter seminary?
Yes, yes I was. At first it greatly bothered me. Many of my fellow parishioners asked me if I
had considered the priesthood and said things to the effect that they thought I would make a good priest. At that time, I was pretty set on my own will of “living the dream” and getting married and having a family of my own someday. I remember attending a discernment dinner with Fr. Tom McDermott and Archbishop Hanus, and after the dinner Father Tom telling me something to the effect of, “Don’t worry Cory, if this is truly a call from God, it won’t go away.” It ended up taking quite some time for me to turn it over to God and open myself to the possibility. But once I did it was so very beautiful. I would encourage anyone who thinks that the Lord may be calling them to truly listen for His voice and if you think He may be calling you, to reach out to a priest and talk about it.

What was your main motivation in pursuing your call?
To be honest it was a combination of things and the unfolding of a series of events that led to me pursuing God’s call. I think that for a time I was very lost and I found solace in The Church. I
have always loved attending Mass and singing when able, but this was originally confined to
Sundays and the occasional Saturday. But then over time something began to change, I noticed how at peace I was during Mass and at church/church events. At first it was a gradual process where I started to attend Mass more and more frequently, eventually reaching the point where I was attending daily Mass… daily! I had also started to pray the Most Holy Rosary each and every day.

It was around this time that I had my “conversion experience” on the Feast Day of St.
Andrew 2023. When I finally turned my life over to God it was so very beautiful. I experienced
a peace that I had never known, and I knew that I had to pursue God wherever He leads me. I
have also been so very blessed to be supported in my decision to pursue God’s calling by all of
my friends and family. I have heard stories of some people not being so fortunate, so I praise
God that He has blessed me with such an amazing support system!

Who were/are your biggest influences?
Gosh that is a hard question! I would say that I have always looked up to the Faith of my
Family. Specifically, I have always really looked up to the faith of my Grandma and Grandpa
Votroubek. My Mom and Dad have also been big influences as well.

If I had to pick just one priest who has had the biggest influence in my life, which is so
very hard as we are blessed with so many good priests, I would have to choose Father Tom
McDermott. I must reiterate the difficulty of this question, even as I write this, my mind is
inundated with memories of so many priests and laypeople alike who have touched my life and
inspired me with their faith.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention one of my personal heroes, the late Pope Saint
John Paul II. I could of course write a litany of the saints who have inspired me and helped me
in my journey. On that note I feel that I must mention our Holy Mother Mary. Once I started
praying the Most Holy Rosary on a daily basis my life really did begin to change!

What advice would you give other men who are discerning their call?
First and foremost, that it is not “my call” or “your call”, rather it is “God’s call”. As Catholics
we are called to a deep and intimate relationship with God. Take the time to get involved in
parish life and make the time to go to Eucharistic Adoration. God does not speak in the fire, in
the earthquakes, or in the lightnings… God speaks in the silence as a whisper. To summarize
make the time to spend time with God, tell Him what is on your heart, and most importantly take the time to listen for His response.

If all of that sounded a bit confusing that is okay too! Perhaps the best thing to do is to
contact the Vocations Director and if you are not quite ready for that step, find a priest whom
you trust and talk to him about it. I ran from God’s Call for over a decade, but now that I have
truly opened my self up to God’s Will I feel a peace I have never known. I hope that someday
you too will feel that peace, that only comes from following the will of the Lord. Be open to
what God has in store for you, whatever that may be, no conditions, and you will be amazed at
where He leads you!