Fr. Michael Voithofer

Pentecost Today USA Council Member

Springfield, NE

My name is Fr. Michael Voithofer, and I am a Catholic priest joyfully serving in the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska. I am the founder and spiritual director of Ablaze House of Prayer—a ministry born from the fire of Jesus’ own words in Luke 12:49: “I came to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already blazing!” At Ablaze, our mission is to awaken hearts to their new identity in Christ and to ignite believers to live lives of continual worship. We are a priestly people, called to minister to God and carry His Presence into the world. Our vision is to cultivate a culture of 24/7 worship, where the love of Jesus consumes hearts and releases heaven’s glory on earth.

I was raised in the small town of Carmichaels, Pennsylvania. My earliest experiences of God’s Presence were formed in the simple and sincere faith of my parents, who prayed daily before a small altar in their bedroom. Their devotion left a deep impartation in my soul, stirring within me a lifelong awareness of God’s nearness and goodness. I remember attending Mass on the weekends and returning home with a gentle, tangible sense of the Father’s tender love embracing me.

A pivotal moment in my faith journey came during high school, when a serious knee injury left me hospitalized. It was there, in that place of physical weakness and stillness, that I encountered the tender, motherly love of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her presence quieted my heart and opened me to the healing and intimate nearness of the Holy Spirit. In that moment, I knew with certainty: God is real, and He is near.

After high school, I enrolled at Penn State University to study Architectural Engineering. But while there, the Holy Spirit had plans to rebuild more than buildings—He was rebuilding my heart. I attended a Life in the Spirit seminar and was baptized in the Holy Spirit. That encounter marked a profound turning point in my life. I was filled with a burning desire to make the goodness of God known. As I grew in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the call to the priesthood began to stir more deeply within me.

That call led me to Rome, where I studied theology for two years as a seminarian for the Diocese of Pittsburgh. I later returned to the United States to further discern the Lord’s will for my life, eventually joining the Archdiocese of Omaha, where I completed my seminary formation. On June 5, 2010, I was ordained to the sacred priesthood. Glory to God!

Since then, I have lived with a deep passion to see the Church awakened to her radiant identity in Christ. Through Ablaze House of Prayer, I continue to pursue the vision of unceasing worship, unity in the Body of Christ, and the release of God’s Kingdom through surrendered lives. I believe every believer is called to be a resting place for God’s Presence and a living altar of worship. My heart burns to see sons and daughters rise into their priestly calling—to love Jesus extravagantly, minister to Him faithfully, and bring His Presence wherever they go.

May our lives become the incense, and our hearts the flame. May the fire Jesus came to cast on the earth blaze ever more brightly through us.

Updated in 2025