New to the community is Father John Miller. Having recently moved here, he considers Iola another section of heaven.
Miller, who moved to Iola in June, is the new priest at St. John’s Catholic Church, 301 S. Jefferson Ave.
His bishop assigned him St. John’s but before his move to Iola he was living in the Kansas country for 25 years, he said.
Originally born and raised in Peoria, Ill., Miller grew up attending Catholic grade school and high school.
Fresh out of school, Miller, then 19, joined the Navy and became the hospital corpsman.
He served in the Navy from 1968 to 1972 and was sent to Vietnam.
In 1974 he enrolled in seminary.
Miller attainted his education from St. Pius X in Edgewood, Ky., Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, TX. and his graduate degree in theology at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md.
“I left home and I was on my way to California. I never made it, instead I ended up in the seminary,” he said.
Miller never intended to be a priest, but it happened “on a fly,” he said.
After eight years in seminary Miller was ordained in 1982.
Something that started off as “just something to have fun at” turned into his life’s career. Now, he doesn’t look back.
He has been a priest for 30 years and is “having more fun than should be allowed,” he said.
Miller is happy with the way St. John’s is working and has no intention of making changes.
“I just want to encourage people to keep going to Mass and sacraments,” Miller said. “I would like to build a little children’s choir, I guess that might be a change, but it is really more of a development.”
Miller is familiar with music, he writes his own music and plays different instruments on his keyboard.
