I am Bob Wagner. How best to describe who I am? I was born in Chicago. I moved quite a bit as a kid, my dad, a mechanical engineer, was transferred between Chicago, IL and St. Paul, MN several times. At the beginning of my junior year, we finally settled in St. Paul. I went to St. Bernard’s High School on Rice Street and the most significant thing that happened to me on that first day of school was meeting Ruth Ahmann. As I sat next to her in band that day, she smiled at me and welcomed me. She has a most extraordinarily beautiful smile. From that first brief encounter began a relationship that would later grow to dating, becoming engaged, and being married now close to 41 years.
I went on to major in music, piano my major instrument, voice my minor instrument earning my music degree from the University (then, College) of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN. I taught vocal/general music in schools from 1975 to 1988. During that time, I also was the director of liturgical music in two Catholic parishes, St. Wenceslaus, New Prague and St. Hubert, Chanhassen. Ruth’s studies led her to a degree as a Registered Nurse. She has been a nurse in a big metropolitan hospital, a small rural hospital, and since the birth of our youngest child, Beth, has worked as a nursing home nurse, the past 15 years at the Minnesota State Veterans Home in Minneapolis.
I am in my 39th year of church ministry. Along with teaching music in Catholic Schools, and being a director of liturgy and music, I have also worked as a director of pastoral ministry and pastoral administration. I earned a Master Degree in Pastoral Studies from the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, University of St. Thomas in 1989. I was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on September 24, 1994 by Archbishop John Roach. I have ministered as a deacon in large suburban parishes, urban parishes, small town parishes and rural parishes. I go to where the Archbishop assigns me.
My first intent in majoring in music was to be a composer of music. Of course, composing music is an invitation to destitution and starvation. However, I have a body of piano compositions I have entitled “Psalm Offerings,” and a rather large body of vocal/choral/instrumental music.
I have a large collection of poems, mostly about the relationship I have had with Ruth, entitled, “The Book of Ruth.” It has grown from about 25 poems to over 175 poems. Is it good poetry? Probably not, but the poems are reflections in many ways of how I have experienced the presence of God in my relationship with Ruth all these years. As such, the poems are a measurement of my relationship with God through Ruth.
I am a certified spiritual director, doing my studies through the Franciscan Spirituality Center in Lacrosse, WI.
Lastly, the greatest legacy I will leave on this earth are my children: Andy, Luke, Meg and Beth.
