Fathers Isaac Essel, David Paintsil, Charles Fladung, Francis Mensah and Dominic Nguyen spend time at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, earlier this month.
By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
Iowa’s “Super Bull” at the Iowa State Fair amazed Father Dominic Nguyen, born and raised in Vietnam. Witnessing the birth of a calf in the fair’s Animal Learning Center was a thrilling experience for Father David Paintsil of Ghana, Africa. Watching a fair participant shear a sheep was among the many things Father Isaac Essel of Ghana saw for the first time in his life. Father Charles Fladung, the host of his brother priests’ day at the state fair earlier this month, smiled at their reaction to this cherished Iowa tradition.
Father Fladung, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Solon, began hosting the state fair visit in 2023 after listening to a priest from Ghana share the challenges of adapting to a new country. The Ghanaian priest described, for example, being baffled when a parishioner suggested he make a sandwich. What is a sandwich, he wondered.
“How do we help these brother priests learn about Iowa,” Father Fladung asked himself. “How do we help them understand the culture?” The state fair, happening later that summer, came to mind. “The Iowa State Fair is like Iowa all in one place – agriculture, industry, entertainment and competition,” Father Fladung said. “It’s the best of everything ‘Iowa.’”
The first carload of priests Father Fladung took to the fair “talked about it nonstop coming home.” Father Khoa Le of Vietnam was in that first group. “I was so grateful to Father Charles,” said Father Le, parochial vicar of Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace Parish-Clinton. “I was totally amazed by what I saw. Things and animals were huge: huge onions, huge watermelons, huge tomatoes, huge tires, huge cows, horses, which I had never seen before.”
Father Le marveled at the beautiful things people made from cornhusks, such as dolls and toys, and was impressed by the youths’ 4-H projects — blankets, fixed and polished tables, cakes and nature photos. “It was an amazing way for people to encourage their children to work and create,” he said.
Wondrous witness
Mary Hanna, a parishioner of St. Anthony Parish in Knoxville, where Father Fladung served in the mid-1990s, is a fair judge and agreed to be the priests’ guide, a role she repeated this year. The priests “ask good questions and are interested in the history of the exhibits,” she said, and this year’s group was “pretty astounded” when they saw the 3,100-pound “Super Bull.”
Father Paintsil, pastor of St. Joseph Parish-Hills, St. Mary Parish-Lone Tree and St. Mary Parish-Nichols, said he had to turn down his invitation last year. “Honestly, I didn’t really know what the Iowa State Fair was like, so I didn’t feel I was missing something big — at least not then. But Father Charles didn’t give up … and this time I assured him I would be glad to join him.”
“The Iowa State Fair turned out to be a vibrant, colorful, and joy-filled event — much more than I had imagined,” Father Paintsil said. “It was a fascinating mix of agriculture, culture, art, food, music, and community spirit all rolled into one. I was struck by the variety of exhibits, from livestock shows to handmade crafts and the sheer energy of the crowds.”
The fairground’s setup — including shuttle bus transportation, fascinated Father Essel. He enjoyed seeing exhibit entries that some of his own parishioners had entered. His impression of Iowa, in general is heavenly. “I tell my parishes that Iowa is a paradise with its natural environment. You see creation everywhere,” Father Essel said.
Rewarding experience
“I was able to see the Super Bull and the biggest pig and the biggest goat,” Father Nguyen said, remembering this year’s fair experience with fresh enthusiasm. Father Nguyen, who serves as parochial administrator of St. Mary Parish-Grinnell and St. Patrick Parish-Brooklyn, also ran into a couple of parishioners from his previous assignment in Des Moines County.
“When we were visiting the goats, Father Fladung came across some of his former parishioners and we had a nice talk with them.” In the Animal Research Center, the priests saw baby animals, including a newborn calf, Father Nguyen said.
The youths’ 4-H exhibits impressed Father Nguyen and he was fascinated listening to a teenager explain his chicken-breeding research. Other highlights were the barn quilt tiles, the iconic Butter Cow —“I can’t imagine people can do that from butter” — and a storyboard of the characters from Toy Story.
Father Nguyen appreciated Hanna serving as the priests’ fair guide and Father Fladung relating some of his personal experiences at the exhibits they visited. Learning about Iowa culture at the fair was a great experience, Father Nguyen said, “and it was wonderful to see many, many young families as well.”
For Father Fladung, going to the state fair with his brother priests is “more rewarding than anything.”
“One of the most memorable moments for me was witnessing a cow give birth to a calf weighing about 60 pounds. Seeing the newborn take its first breaths and movements was truly thrilling — a beautiful reminder of the wonder of life and the agricultural roots that sustain so many families in Iowa. The fair was not only a celebration of farming heritage but also a gathering that brought people of all walks of life together. I left with a deeper appreciation for Iowa’s traditions and a sense of gratitude for Father Charles’ persistence — because without it, I might have missed this remarkable and heartwarming experience.”
Father Essel, pastor of St. Patrick Parish-Georgetown, St. Peter Parish-Lovilia and St. Mary Parish-Albia, said he saw many things for the first time in his life at this year’s fair. “The size of the swine was very huge” and the shearing of the sheep was impressive. He thought the 4-H exhibits the youths created were amazing and he enjoyed eating a corn dog and nitro ice cream.
