The Chapel Lab

Take a Lutheran college, add a vicar who is a Gustavus alumnus, attended Yale Divinity School, experienced interfaith conferences, and brings a variety of new ideas and experiences to campus, and what do you get? An intern named Peter Bauck.

Gustavus has a long history as a teaching site for the Church and this semester is no exception. Bauck has returned to Christ Chapel to complete a year-long internship based on experiencing ministry in an institutionalized setting.

Originally from Owatonna, Minn., Bauck graduated from Gustavus in 2004 with majors in religion and classics. He was a member of the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra and the Gustavus Youth Outreach program and was also active in Christ Chapel. A pivotal moment occurred in the fall of his junior year at Gustavus when he realized his call to ministry. “After all of my pre-seminary experiences, I felt called to a ministry of service by embodying God’s love for and with others. For me, that call lead to pursuing ordination in the ELCA.” Bauck has been following that call ever since.

Bauck describes his inspiration as a “slow and gradual” process, aided by his involvement in his church and Sunday school program in Owatonna, encouragement from leaders in his life, and through a desire to serve others on their spiritual journey. Two people who motivated him to pursue a career in the ministry were his hometown pastor, the Rev. John Weisenberger, and former Gustavus religion professor Andy Vaughn.

Following his education at Gustavus, Bauck attended Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Conn. Apart from attending classes, he was involved with a social service agency, Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers. While doing “friendly visits” in homes in New Haven, Bauck discovered that outreach was his strength and a specialty he decided to pursue.

During his last year in seminary, Bauck worked at Gloria Dei Episcopal Church in Philadelphia and immediately following seminary he worked as a hospital chaplain at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul. One notable experience Bauck had through this volunteer experience was the opportunity to work with Muslim staff members at Bethesda Hospital and learn how they understand care and service for others.

Bauck’s varied experiences bring a new point of view to a place he knows well—the Gustavus campus. The Gustavus Office of the Chaplains is enthusiastic about having Bauck here. “He knows Gustavus, yet he has experience from other ministry settings,” said Chaplain Brian Johnson. Bauck is joyful about his return to campus to see the operation of Christ Chapel and faith at Gustavus from the perspective of those who are organizing and planning.

“It has been motivating to see how much the Chaplains’ office is in communication with the other departments and areas, and how much faith dialogue is a part of campus,” Bauck said. He hopes to use his interfaith experiences to contribute to the campus dialogue surrounding faith and interfaith issues.

Bauck will be ordained after this year and is currently planning on pursuing a career with ministry in an institutionalized setting. Bauck may not know where he will be in a few years, but he and his wife, Marissa, also a Gustavus graduate, are taking things one step at a time.

Bauck is enthusiastic about participating in this internship and is ready to get to know Gustavus students and work with his internship committee, which includes campus community members ranging from faculty and administrators to past and current students.

Anyone interested in learning more about Vicar Bauck’s experiences or wanting to meet him may find him at daily chapel services, by calling x7277, or by e-mailing pbauck@gustavus.edu.