Archdiocesan priests celebrate jubilee milestones

Every year, Chicago Catholic honors archdiocesan priests celebrating jubilees, men 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.

50 years

Father Edward Barrett, 77, a Chicago native, attended St. Catherine of Siena School and archdiocesan seminaries.

He was associate pastor (1975-1977) and administrator (1977-1979) of St. Jerome; associate pastor (1979-1980) and administrator (1980-1984) of Divine Infant, Westchester; and associate pastor (1984) and administrator (1984-1985) of St. Louise de Marillac, La Grange Park.

He was pastor of Immaculate Conception, Waukegan (1985-1991), and  associate pastor of St. Mary, Des Plaines (1991-1998); associate pastor (1998-2001) and administrator (2001) of St. Theresa, Palatine; and pastor of St. Terence, Alsip (2001-2019). He was also a dean and an advocate for the marriage tribunal.

Father Thomas Bishop, 76, was born in Chicago. He  attended St. Tarcissus School and archdiocesan seminaries.

He was associate pastor of St. Mary, Evanston (1975-1981), and St. Mary, Lake Forest (1981-1986); associate pastor (1986-1991) and administrator (1989) of Our Lady of Ransom, Niles; and associate pastor of  St. Mary, Buffalo Grove (1993-1998); Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Glenview (1998-2007); St. Anne, Barrington (2007-2016); and St. Theresa, Palatine (2016-present). He also served as a cluster vocation director.

Father Anthony J. Brankin, 75, a Chicago native.

He attended St. Rita of Cascia School and archdiocesan seminaries.

He was associate pastor of Our Lady of Charity, Cicero (1975-1981), while on the staff of Quigley North and the tribunal. He studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome (1981-1983) and was associate pastor (1983-1989) and  pastor (1989-2004) of St. Thomas More. He served on the staff of the Catholic Extension Society during that time. He was pastor of St. Odilo, Berwyn (2007-2019).

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, 76, was born in Omaha, Nebraska.

He studied at the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota; the North American College and Gregorian University in Rome; and Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha and served as pastor of two parishes there. He was secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C., and president/rector of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio.

St. John Paul II named him bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota, in 1998, and Pope Benedict XVI named him bishop of Spokane, Washington, in 2010. In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him archbishop of Chicago, and in 2016 made him a cardinal.

He was chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People (2008-2011) and for the National Catholic Educational Association (2013-2015).

He has served on the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, Dicastery for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments and the Dicastery for Culture and Education.

Father Thomas W. Falkenthal, 76, was born in Chicago. He attended St. Mary, Star of the Sea School and archdiocesan seminaries.

He was associate pastor of St. Bartholomew Parish (1975-1982) and a U.S. Navy chaplain (1982-2006). After retiring from the Navy, he was director of the Archdiocese of Miami’s Apostleship of the Sea (2006-2010), and later ministered with Food for the Poor. He retired from active ministry in 2019.

Father Michael J. Furlan, 76, was born in Chicago and attended St. Gertrude School, Franklin Park, and Holy Cross High School, River Grove, before entering archdiocesan seminaries.

He was associate pastor of St. Celestine, Elmwood Park (1975-1980); associate pastor (1980-1991), administrator (1981-1989, 1991) and pastor (1991-2002) of St. Leo the Great; and associate pastor (2002-2007) and pastor (2007-2019) of St. Germaine, Oak Lawn.

Father Lawrence E. Gorski, 76, a Chicago native, attended St. Ann School and archdiocesan seminaries.

He was associate pastor of St. Andrew (1975-1977) and St. Joachim (1977-1983) while on the faculty at Marist High School and St. Christina (1983-1989).

He was associate director of the Archdiocesan Health Program for Priests and Religious (1986-1989) and associate pastor of St. Mary, Buffalo Grove (1989-1991). He was on the faculty of the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary (1985-1991).

He served on the staff of the tribunal (1992-2010) and court of appeals (2010-2018) while residing at Our Lady of Grace Parish. He retired in 2018, but served as administrator of St. Patrick Parish, Lemont, the following year.

Father John R. Hoffman, 75, a Chicago native, attended St. Mary School, Fremont Center; Loyola Academy, Wilmette; and Spring Hill College, Mobile, Alabama, before entering the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was associate pastor of Mary, Seat of Wisdom, Park Ridge (1975-1981); St. Bede, Ingleside (1981-1983); and St. James, Arlington Heights (1983-1991). He was pastor of St. Teresa of Avila (1991-2005) and St. Francis Xavier, La Grange (2005-2017). He retired in 2017, but served as administrator of the Church of the Holy Spirit, Schaumburg (2019-2020). He also served as director of the Institute for Rural Life (1986-1989), and was a dean.

Father Antony Joseph, 78, was ordained in India.

He was a resident at Old St. Patrick Parish (1997-1998), associate pastor of St. Mary, Star of the Sea (2002-2004) and Prince of Peace, Lake Villa (2004-2006) before being incardinated into the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2006. He was pastor of St. Mary, Evanston, from 2006 to 2022.

Father William E. Killeen, 76, an Evergreen Park native. He attended St. Christina School and archdiocesan seminaries.

He was associate pastor of St. Alexander, Palos Heights (1975-1982); St. Patricia, Hickory Hills (1982-1989); and St. Michael, Orland Park (1989-1991); and St. Francis Xavier, La Grange (2011-2019). He was pastor of St. Christopher, Midlothian (1991-2004), and Infant Jesus of Prague, Flossmoor (2004-2008).

Archbishop Jerome Listecki, 76, a Chicago native, attended St. Michael School (South Shore) and archdiocesan seminaries. He earned a civil law degree from DePaul University and a canon law degree from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

He was associate pastor of St. Margaret Mary (1975-1976) and dean of students at Quigley North while assigned to Mater Christi Parish, North Riverside. He studied in Rome (1979-1983) before joining the faculty at USML/Mundelein Seminary.

In 2000, he became pastor of St. Ignatius Parish, and, months later, was named an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He served as bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin (2004-2009) and became archbishop of Milwaukee in 2010. He retired earlier this year.

He is also a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Father Don Nevins, 76, born in Bloomington, Illinois, attended St. Mary School, Des Plaines, and the archdiocesan seminaries. He also earned  a master’s degree in Spanish from California State University, Sacramento.

He was associate pastor of  St. Ann (1975-1981) and on the faculty at Niles College (1981-1989). He was pastor of St. Procopius (1989-1992), chancellor of Mundelein Seminary (1992-1996) and director of the Department of Ministry Formation (1992-2001). He was pastor of Holy Family (May Street) (1996-2002) and St. Francis of Assisi (Roosevelt Road) (1996-2008), director of the Office for Vocations (2000-2002), and administrator of Providence of God Parish. He was pastor of St. Agnes of Bohemia (2008-2023), and administrator of Good Shepherd (2008-2012), Epiphany (2014), Our Lady of Tepeyac (2018) and Cristo Rey (2021-2022).

He retired from active ministry in 2023, but served as administrator of St. Procopius (2023-2024).

He also served as a dean, vice-chair of the Presbyteral Council and acting vicar of Vicariate III.

Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Perry, 78, a Chicago native, attended Our Lady of Solace, St. Raphael, St. Ambrose and Our Lady of the Gardens schools, George Washington Carver High School; St. Lawrence Seminary High School, Wisconsin; St. Joseph College, Rensselaer, Indiana; and St. Francis de Sales Major Seminary, Milwaukee. He also has a licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Pope John Paul II appointed him an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1998, and he served as episcopal vicar of Vicariate VI and as an instructor in canon law at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He has served as vice president of the board of the Black Catholic Congress, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on African American Catholics, national chaplain for the Knights of St. Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary.

He retired in 2023, and is the postulator of the canonization cause for Venerable Father Augutus Tolton.

Father Micheal L. Pfleger, 76, born in Chicago,  attended St. Thomas More School and archdiocesan seminaries.

He has been associate pastor (1975-1981), administrator (1981-1983) and pastor of St. Sabina Parish. Over the course of his ministry, he adopted three sons. He is well known for his commitment to civil rights and his activism in the Auburn-Gresham community. He has received  many awards and special recognitions for his work against racism, violence and poverty.

Father Gregory Rom, 76, a Chicago native, attended St. Pascal School and archdiocesan seminaries.

He was associate pastor of St. Columbanus (1975-1981); St. Mel-Holy Ghost (1981-1983); St. Martin de Porres (1988-1989); St. Thomas More (1989-1991); St. Benedict, Blue Island (1992-1994); and St. Peter Claver Mission.  He was pastor of St. Mel-Holy Ghost (1983-1988); St. Laurence (1991); St. Isidore the Farmer, Blue Island (1994-2005); and St. Felicitas (2005-2018); and administrator of St. Genevieve and St. Thecla.

Father Richard T. Simon, 75, was born in La Grange and attended St. Francis Xavier School there and archdiocesan seminaries.

He was associate pastor of Precious Blood Parish (1975-1976), St. Aloysius (1976-1984) and St. Bonaventure (1984-1986). He was pastor of St. Thomas of Canterbury (1986-2006) and St. Lambert, Skokie (2006-2021). He also served as liaison to Hispanic charismatic Catholics.

Father Idzi Stacherczak, 73, was ordained in Poland and incardinated into the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2002.

He served as associate pastor (1993-2002) and administrator (2002-2003) of St. Bruno; associate pastor and administrator (2003) and pastor of St. Priscilla (2003-2016); and administrative coordinator (2016-2017) and pastor (2017-2020) of St. Symphorosa.

Father William Stenzel, 77, a Chicago native, attended St. Leo the Great School, Leo Catholic High School and the Illinois Institute of Technology before entering the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was associate pastor of St. Victor, Calumet City (1975-1981); St. Linus, Oak Lawn (1981-1982); and St. Helena of the Cross (1982-1983). He was pastor of Holy Rosary (113th Street) (1982-1990); St. Francis Xavier, La Grange (1990-2005); St. Bede the Venerable (2005-2011); and St. Mary of Celle, Berwyn (2011-2014). He also served as administrator of St. John, Glenwood (2015); Mater Christi, North Riverside (2015-2016); and St. Salomea (1984-1988). He was director of parish resource management, a member of the tribunal staff and a dean and cluster vocation director.

Father Paul Wachdorf, 75, a Chicago native, attended St. Justin Martyr School and archdiocesan seminaries. He also has a master’s degree in  Christian spirituality from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

He was associate pastor of St. John Fischer (1975-1981) before joining the faculty at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He served as associate dean of formation and then as the director of spiritual life and prayer formation and as a spiritual director. During that time, he was a weekend associate at Sts. Faith, Hope and Charity Parish in Winnetka.

He was pastor of St. Gregory the Great (2007-2020), and he now helps on weekends and as needed as a retired priest at St. Francis de Sales Parish, Lake Zurich.

He continues to serve as the coordinator of spiritual direction for archdiocesan priests and as a spiritual director for several priests, deacons and laypeople.

25 years

Father Claudio Diaz, 62, was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Puerto Rico. After studying Hispanic studies and youth ministry, he entered the Carmelite order.

After four years, he went to Iona College in New York, then became a teacher at De La Salle Institute before entering the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was associate pastor of St. Agnes, Chicago Heights (2000-2002) and St. Ita (2002-2004).

He was director of the Office for Hispanic Catholics (2004-2010) and administrator of Providence of God Parish (2004-2009) and Our Lady of Tepeyac Parish (2009-2010) before becoming pastor of Mision San Juan Diego Parish, Arlington Heights (2010-2016); St. Aloysius (2016-2021); and Our Lady of Unity (2021-present).

Father Ronald Kunkel, 55, was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

He attended suburban public schools, the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary; and the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

He served as associate pastor of St. Peter, Skokie (2001-2002); associate pastor and director of liturgy at Holy Name Cathedral (2002-2005); weekend assistant at St. Mary, Lake Forest (2005-2016); and weekend assistant at St. Peter Damian, Bartlett (2016-2021).

He was on the faculty at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary (2005-2021). Since then, he has been executive director of the Secretariat of Doctrine and Canonical Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C.

Father Xamie Reyes, 65, was born in the Philippines. He joined the Missionaries of Perpetual Adoration, who sent him to Mexico for seminary studies. After discerning that he was called to the diocesan priesthood, he came to the Archdiocese of Chicago and spent a year at Casa Jesus before entering the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was associate pastor of Our Lady of Ransom, Niles (2000-2004) and administrator (2004-2005) and
pastor (2005-2010) of St. Ansgar, Hanover Park.

He studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (2010-2012) before becoming pastor of St. Simeon Parish, Bellwood (2012-2014), and administrator of Our Lady of Mercy Parish (2014-2015). He was associate pastor of Holy Innocents and St. Aloysius (2015-2016), chaplain at  Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital (2016-2017) and pastor of Immaculate Conception (88th Street) (2017-2019) before becoming pastor of St. Dismas in Waukegan (2019-2020). He is pastor of Little Flower Parish.

Father Jose Sequiera, 54, was born and went to elementary school in Nicaragua. He went to high school in El Salvador and then to  the Holy Spirit Institute in Mexico. In 1996, he moved to Casa Jesus before entering the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was associate pastor (2000-2003) and administrator (2002) of St. Pancratius before becoming pastor of Our Lady of Charity, Cicero (2003-2009); St. Nicholas of Tolentine (2009-2015); and St. Simeon, Bellwood (2015-2019), while serving as administrator of St. Domitilla, Hillside, in 2017. He was administrator of Annunciata (2019-2020) and associate pastor of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Des Plaines (2020-2025).

Father Sergio Solis, 57, was born and educated in Mexico. After moving to Los Angeles, he joined the

Comboni Missionaries, who sent him to Chicago to study.

While here, he discerned that he was called to the diocesan priesthood. He started classes at St. Joseph College Seminary before entering the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was associate pastor of Holy Family, Waukegan (2000-2005); administrator of Our Lady of Grace (2005-2007) and pastor of St. Anthony, Cicero (2007-present).

Father Felipe Vaglienty, 54, attended St. Mark School , Gordon Technical High School and Northwestern University before entering the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

After ordination, he was associate pastor of St. Agnes of Bohemia (2000-2005), pastor of St. Ann (2005-2017) and St. Pancratius (2017-2019) and associate pastor of St. Richard (2019-2020) and Most Blessed Trinity, Waukegan (2020-2025).