Chicagoland

Archdiocesan priests celebrate jubilee milestones

By Chicago Catholic staff
Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Every year, Chicago Catholic honors the archdiocesan priests celebrating jubilees, who have dedicated themselves to serving the Lord through the Catholic Church. They often wear many hats, such as pastor, administrator, maintenance man, cook, accountant, friend. They have served mostly as parish priests, and some have also served as teachers, chaplains and counselors. Chicago Catholic congratulates and thanks them.

75 years

Father Al Adamich, 101, was born in Joliet and attended St. Joseph School. He studied at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1948.

He was assistant or associate pastor of Mother of God, Waukegan (1948-1966); St. Hubert Parish, Hoffman Estates (1966-1970); St. Symphorosa (1970-1971); and Most Holy Redeemer, Evergreen Park (1991-1992). He was pastor of Mother of God (1971-1991) and was named pastor emeritus there after his retirement. He resides at Most Holy Redeemer.

He also served as Vicariate I moderator of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women.

65 years

Archbishop James Patrick Keleher, 91, was born in Chicago and attended St. Felicitas and Mount Carmel High School for one year before entering the archdiocesan seminary system. He was ordained in 1958.

He remained at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary doing post-graduate work until 1961. He was assistant pastor of St. Henry (1961-1963), and he continued to reside there while he taught at Quigley North (1963-1969). He taught at Niles College of Loyola University (1969-1972) and USML/Mundelein Seminary (1972-1975). He was rector of Quigley South (1975-1978) and USML/Mundelein Seminary (1978-1984).

He was named bishop of Belleville in 1984, and archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas, in 1993. He retired in 2005.

50 years

Father Thaddeus Bojczuk, 75, attended St. Fidelis School, Quigley North, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He served as a deacon at St. Bernadette Parish, Evergreen Park (1972), and associate pastor at St. William (1973-1978); St. Joseph, Summit (1978-1983); St. Turibius (1983-1989); St. Frances of Rome, Cicero (1989-1993) and St. Priscilla (1993). He was also administrator of St. Turibius (1986).

He was pastor of St. Joseph, Summit (1994-2007), and St. Symphorosa (2007-2013). He was also dean of Deanery V-B.

He will celebrate his anniversary June 10 at 2:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Parish, Summit.

Father Michael J. Cronin, 76, was born in Chicago and attended St. Monica School, Quigley North, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. In addition to his master’s degree in divinity, he has a master’s degree in applied spirituality from the University of San Francisco.

He served as deacon at St. Martha, Morton Grove (1972-1973); and as associate pastor of St. Cyprian, River Grove (1973-1978); St. James, Sauk Village (1978-1980); and St. Ferdinand (1980-1985). He was administrator of St. Alphonsus, Lemont (2003), and Our Lady of the Snows, and pastor of St. Patrick, Lemont (2004-2010), and St. Edward (2010-2018). He now residents at Queen of All Saints Basilica.

He also was a faculty member at Quigley North (1985-1990), Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary (1991-1992), Niles College Seminary (1992-1994) and St. Joseph College Seminary (1994-1998), and he was executive director of the National Organization for the Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy (1998-2003).

He celebrated his anniversary at Queen of All Saints.

Father Peter Cyscon, 75, was born in Chicago and attended St. Joseph School (48th Street), Quigley South, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was deacon at St. Justin Martyr Parish (1972-1973) and associate pastor of St. Christina (1973-1975); St. Genevieve (1975-1981); St. John Vianney, Northlake (1981-1986); St. Gerard Majella, Markham (1986-1988); and St. Patricia, Hickory Hills (1988-1991). He was pastor of St. Odilo, Berwyn (1991-2005), and St. Fabian, Bridgeview (2005-2018). Since 2018, he has resided at Our Lady of the Ridge, now part of Our Lady of the Ridge-St. Linus, in Chicago Ridge, where he celebrated his anniversary.

Father Dominic Grassi was born in Chicago and attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel School (Belmont Avenue); Quigley North; Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He earned a bachelor’s degree in literature and a master’s in divinity.

Grassi served as associate pastor of St. John de la Salle Parish (1973-1974); as pastor of St. Josaphat Parish (1987-2005) and as pastor of St. Gertrude Parish (2006-2017). He is pastor emeritus of St. Josaphat.

From 1974-1987, he taught at Quigley South. He is the author of “Do You Love Me: Ministry in Today’s Church” (1991); “Bumping into God: 35 Stories of Finding Grace in Unexpected Places” (1999); “Bumping into God Again: 35 More Stories of Finding Grace in Unexpected Places”; “Bumping into God in the Kitchen: Savory Stories of Food, Family and Faith”; “Still Called by Name: Why I Love Being a Priest” (2003); co-author with Joe Paprocki “Living the Mass: How One Hour a Week Can Change Your Life”; and “Death in Chicago: Winter.”

Cardinal Wilton Gregory, 75, attended St. Carthage School, Quigley South, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. In addition to his master’s degree in divinity, he earned a doctorate in sacred liturgy at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome.

He ministered at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview and Mary, Seat of Wisdom in Park Ridge, and he served as a master of ceremonies for Cardinal John Cody and Cardinal Joseph Bernardin.

In 1983, he was appointed as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago, and in 1993, he was appointed the bishop of Belleville. While there, he served as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (2001-2004).

He was appointed archbishop of Atlanta at the end of 2004, and in 2019, he was appointed archbishop of Washington, D.C. He became a cardinal the following year.

Father Dan Jankowksi, 75, attended St. Joseph School, Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. In addition to his master’s degree in divinity, he has a doctorate in psychology from the Chicago School.

He was assigned to St. Catherine of Alexandria, Oak Lawn, before becoming a military chaplain. He served with the 82nd Airborne Divion at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea; Airborne Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia; the 3rd Infantry Division in Wurzburg, Germany; and with NATO in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After returning to Chicago, he ministered at Catholic Charities and at Our Lady of Lourdes.

Father James W. Joslyn, 75, was born in Evergreen Park and attended St. Thomas More School, Quigley South, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. In addition to his master’s degree in divinity, he has a master’s degree in modern European history from the University of Notre Dame.

He was associate pastor of Maternity BVM before serving as a history teacher at Quigley North (1975-1988). During his time at Quigley, he resided at St. Thecla (1975-1976), St. Mary of the Lake (1976-1978), Our Lady of Mercy (1978-1983) and St. Margaret Mary (1983-1988).

He then served as a U.S. Navy chaplain (1988-2020). After retiring from the navy, he served as coordinator of civilian clergy for the Archdiocese for Military Services (2011-2012).

Since retiring in 2012, he has provided sacramental support at St. Mary of the Woods (2012-2021); St. John Brebeuf, Niles (2012-2018); and Our Lady of Hope, Rosemont (2014-present). He will celebrate his anniversary at Our Lady of Hope May 21 at 10:30 a.m.

Msgr. James T. Kaczorowski, 75, was born in Chicago and attended St. Mary of Perpetual Help and St. Turibius schools, Quigley South, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He served as a transitional deacon at St. Ann (South Leavitt Street) (1972-1973); as associate pastor of St. Michael (South Shore Drive) (1973-1981); as pastor of St. Adalbert (1981-2000); as vicar for priests while living at Our Lady of Lourdes (2009-2005); as pastor of Queen of Angels (2005-2020) and as pastor of Queen of Apostles (2020-present). He plans to retire in July.

In addition to his other assignments, Kaczorowski has been dean of Deanery III-C and Deanery II-C, served as chair of the Presbyteral Council (1992-1996); was a professor of medical ethics, DeLourdes College of Nursing/St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital (1984-1987); and co-founded the Resurrection Project.

He will celebrate his anniversary with a bilingual (English and Spanish) Mass June 11, 11:30 a.m., at Queen of Apostles Parish, Queen of Angels Church, 2330 W. Sunnyside Ave., followed by a reception in the gym.

Father John G. Lodge, 75, was born in Chicago and attended St. Catherine of Siena School in Oak Park, Quigley North and Loyola University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy, and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. In addition to his master’s degree in divinity, he earned a master’s degree in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

He also has a licentiates in sacred theology from Mundelein and the Biblical Institute in Rome, and a doctorate in sacred theology from the Gregorian University in Rome.

He was associate pastor of St. Edna, Arlington Heights (1973-1976) and resided at St. Denis while teaching at Quigley South (1976-1978).

He was on the faculty of the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary (1981-2017) and has been professor emeritus there (2017-present).

He celebrated his anniversary at Mundelein.

Father Edward Mikolajczyk, 76, was born in Chicago and attended Immaculate Conception School (88th Street); Quigley South; Niles College of Loyola University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English; and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein University. In addition to his master’s degree in divinity, he earned a master’s degree in religious education from Loyola University Chicago.

He was associate pastor of St. Walter, and then resided at St. Linus, Oak Lawn (1978-1985); Assumption (1985-1990) and Our Lady of Victory (1990-1998) while serving on the faculty of Quigley South (1978-1990) and Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary (1990-1998). He was associate pastor and then pastor of Queen of Martyrs, Evergreen Park (1998-2018). He has resided at Our Lady of the Woods, Orland Park, since then.

He served on the Presbyteral Council (2004-present), including as vice chair (2004-2007) and chair (2007-2010); as a member of the College of Consultors (2006-present); and as a member of the Priest Placement Board (2011-2015).

He will celebrate his anniversary at Our Lady of the Woods May 28 at 11 a.m. Mass, with a reception to follow.

Father Dennis B. O’Neill, 76, was born in Chicago and attended St. Nicholas of Tolentine School, Quigley South, Niles College of Loyola University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English, and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. In addition to his master’s degree in divinity, he earned a licentiate in sacred theology at Mundelein.

He was associate pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle (1973-1980), Christ the King (1980-1986) and St. Benedict (Irving Park Road) (1993-2001). He was pastor of St. Clotilde (1986-1993), St. Martha, Morton Grove (2001-2021) and St. Martha and St. Isaac Jogues Parish (2021-2022). He has resided at St. Mary of the Woods since his retirement.

In 1993, O’Neill co-founded the Living Circle, an interfaith spirituality center for gender minorities, and in 2015, founded the Shrine of All Saints at St. Martha.

He will celebrate his anniversary June 25 at 11 a.m. at St. Martha Church of All Saints Parish.

Father Frank M. Sasso, 75, was born in Chicago and attended St. Charles Borromeo School, Quigley South, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein University.

He was a deacon at Queen of the Universe (1972-1973) and associate pastor of Holy Rosary (1972-1975), St. Ambrose (1975-1980), St. Philip Neri (1980-1983) and St. Margaret of Scotland (2016-2017). He was pastor of St. Joachim (1983-1998) and St. Thaddeus (1998-2016).

He celebrated his anniversary April 29 at Divine Providence Church, Westchester.

Father Daniel Siwek, 75, was born in Chicago and attended

St. Hyacinth School, Quigley North, Niles College of Loyo-la University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He has a bachelor’s degree in English literature and a licentiate in sacred theology in addition to his master’s degree in divinity.

He was associate pastor of St. John Fisher (1973-1979) and Sacred Heart (1973-1985). He has been a faculty member at Mundelein Seminary since 1985, teaching homiletics and pre-theology.

He celebrated his anniversary at Mundelein.

Father Daniel Smilanic, 75, was born in Chicago and attended St. Giles School in Oak Park, Quigley North, Xavier University in Cincinnati, Loyola University Chicago and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. In addition to his master’s degree in divinity, he has a licentiate and a doctorate in canon law from the Gregorian University in Rome.

He was associate pastor of St. Gall (1973-1977); Mary, Seat of Wisdom, Park Ridge (1977-1984) and St. Wenceslaus (1984-1989). He resided at St. Maurice (1989-1994) and St. Paul of the Cross, Park Ridge (1994-2017), while working in various archdiocesan offices, most recently as judicial vicar and episcopal vicar for canonical services. He was also president of the Canon Law Society.

Father Robert Tuzik, 75, was born in Chicago and attended St. Tarcissus School, Quigley North, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. In addition to his master’s degree in divinity, he earned a licentiate in sacred theology from Mundelein and a doctorate in theology from Loyola University.

He served as associate pastor of St. Mary, Lake Forest (1973-1975), and St. Linus, Oak Lawn (1975-1980). He was a student and spiritual director at Loyola University (1980-1985) and a professor and spiritual director at Mundelein and at the Pastoral Center (1985-1989). He was a professor and a consultant for the Congregation for Divine Worship (1989-1991) and the Office for Divine Worship (1991-1999), and he has continued to serve as a consultant since his formal retirement in 1999.

He was also a special consultant to Cardinal Francis George and chaplain to retired Holy Cross sisters.

Msgr. Kenneth Velo, 76, was born in Evergreen Park and attended St. Barnabas School, Quigley South, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He served as associate pastor of St. Angela (1973-1980) and Queen of All Saints Basilica (1980-1985), and from 1981 to 1994 served in various archdiocesan roles, including vice chancellor of the archdiocese and executive assistant to Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. He was president of the Catholic Church Extension Society (1993-2001).

He is senior executive of Catholic collaboration for DePaul University and co-chairman of the Big Shoulders Fund, of which he has also been president. 

Velo was a member of the Priests’ Personnel Board of the archdiocese for more than 22 years, is a member of the board of Lurie Children’s Hospital and serves on the public policy committee, is a trustee of St. Mary’s College, South Bend, Indiana, and is a life trustee of Fenwick College Preparatory School as well as other civic and community efforts.

Velo participates in pastoral ministry at Old Saint Patrick Parish and is chaplain at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab.

Father Leoncio Santiago was also ordained in 1973.

25 years

Father Ignatius Ikechukwu Anaele, 54, was born in Imo State, Nigeria, and attended UPE Primary School in Lagos and St. Theresa High School Seminary in Ibdadan there. He attended Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He has a master’s degree in pastoral counseling from Loyola University in addition to his master’s degree in divinity.

He was associate pastor of St. Victor, Calumet City (2998-2001); Our Lady of the Wayside, Arlington Heights (2001-2007); and St. George, Tinley Park (2007-2008). He has been pastor of St. Jude, South Holland (2008-2019), and St. Mary of Vernon, Indian Creek (2019-present), where he will celebrate his anniversary June 4 at 11:15 a.m.

Father Christopher Ciomek, 54, was born in Ostrzeszów, Poland. He attended Marian Falski Elementary School and the high school seminary of the Archdiocese of Czestochowa. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Loyola University Chicago before attending the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

In addition to the master’s degree in divinity he earned at Mundelein, he has a master’s degree in Christian spirituality from Creighton University and a doctorate in ministry in practical biblical theology from Barry University in Florida.

He served as associate pastor of St. Monica (1998-2001) and St. Theresa, Palatine (2001-2004). He was on the faculty of Mundelein Seminary (2004-2016) before being named pastor of St. Peter Damian, Bartlett (2016-present).

He also served as an adjunct faculty member at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, adjunct spiritual director at St. Joseph College Seminary, member of the archdiocesan Incardination Committee, and dean of Deanery I-E.

Father Daniel Costello, 65, was born in Baltimore and attended All Saints School in Cincinnati; Alameda High School in Alameda, California; and San Jose State University in California, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business, before entering the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He has served as associate pastor of St. Josaphat (1998-2000); St. John Fisher (2000-2006); Mary, Mother of Divine Grace, Westchester (2019-2020); St. Cletus, La Grange (2021-2022); and St. Mary of the Annunciation, Mundelein (2022-present). He was pastor of St. Thomas of Canterbury (2006-2012) and St. Joan of Arc, Evanston (2014-2019) and administrator of St. Thomas the Apostle (2020-2021).

He celebrated his anniversary at St. Mary of the Annunciation.

Father Christopher Doering, 50, attended St. Bartholomew, Quigley North, Niles College of Loyola University Chicago and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He did sacramental ministry at St. William Parish (1998-1999) while he finished his licentiate in sacred theology, then was associate pastor of St. George, Tinley Park (1999-2004) and pastor of Our Lady of Victory (2004-2010).

In 2010, he joined the U.S. Army as a chaplain and has been stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia; Fort Rucker, Alabama; and since 2021, Camp Walker in South Korea. In that time, he has deployed to Afghanistan twice and to Liberia.

Father Neil Fackler, 68, was born in Washington, D.C., and attended the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools before earning a bachelor’s degree in economics from Denison University in Ohio and a master’s in business administration from the University of Chicago. He earned a licentiate in sacred theology in addition to a master’s degree in divinity from the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He has ministered at Church of the Holy Spirit, Schaumburg (1998-1999); St. Paul of the Cross, Park Ridge (1999-2006); St. Robert Bellarmine (2006-2021); and Mary Mother of Divine Grace, Westchester (2021-present).

He will celebrate his anniversary June 4 at 10 a.m. at Divine Infant Church in Westchester, part of Mary Mother of Divine Grace Parish.

Father Robert Gilbert, 50, was born in Evergreen Park and attended St. Louis de Montfort School in Oak Lawn, Quigley South, Niles College of Loyola University Chicago and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was associate pastor of St. Philip Neri (1998-2002) and Ascension-St. Susanna, Harvey (2003-2009), and he resided at St. Columbanus while teaching at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary (2002-2003). He has been pastor of St. Joachim (2009-2018), Holy Name of Mary (2018-2022) and Our Lady of Kibeho (2022-present).

He also served on the executive committee of the Presbyteral Council.

He will celebrate his anniversary May 21 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Kibeho.

Father Pius Kokose, 55, went to primary and secondary school in Ghana, where he entered the major seminary with the Spiritan Congregation. He earned his philosophy degree there, then earned his theology degree in Nigeria before being ordained in Ghana on July 4, 1998.

He ministered as a missionary in Paraguay for 10 years before coming to the Archdiocese of Chicago, where he has been incardinated. He ministered at Seven Holy Founders Parish, and then for 12 years at St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr in Posen. He now serves at Immaculate Conception and St. Michael Parish, where he will celebrate his anniversary on July 15 at a 6 p.m. Mass followed by a reception in the parish hall.

Father Frank A. Kurucz, 60, was born in Chicago and attended St. Salomea and St. Victor, Calumet City; Mount Carmel High School; and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting, before attending the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He served as associate pastor of St. Alexander, Palos Heights (1998-2005), and St. Julie Billiart (2005). He was pastor of St. Cajetan (2005-2018) and St. Michael, Orland Park (2018-present).

He also served on the Priest’s Health Committee and the Presbyteral Council.

He will celebrate his anniversary May 20 at 4:30 p.m. at St. Michael.

Father William James Clavey also was ordained in 1998.

 

Topics:

  • priests
  • jubilarians

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