Archdiocesan priests celebrate jubilee milestones

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.

50 years

Father John W. Clemens, 75, was born in Evanston and attended St. Timothy and St. Hilary schools, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary North, and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He also earned a master’s degree in religious education from Loyola University Chicago.

He was associate pastor of St. Damian, Oak Forest (1973-1979), and St. Agnes, Chicago Heights (1979-1985); resident at St. Agnes, Chicago Heights (1985-1987); pastor of St. Gregory (1987-2001); resident at St. Benedict (Irving Park Road) (2001-2009); and pastor of Our Lady of Hope, Rosemont (2009-2020).

He also served as associate director of religious education; executive secretary of the Priest Placement Board; archdiocesan consulto; spiritual director for Cursillo, Search for Christian Maturity, Marriage Encounter and Legion of Mary; and spiritual moderator of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women.

Father James Finno, 75, was born in Chicago and attended St. Thomas More School, Leo High School and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was associate pastor of St. Mary, Evanston (1972-1979); Infant Jesus of Prague, Flossmoor (1979-1985); and Queen of Apostles, Riverdale (1985-1988). He was pastor of St. Lawrence O’Toole, Matteson (1988-1999) and founding pastor of St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, Tinley Park (1999-2018).

He served four years on the Priest Placement Board and three years as a dean.

He will celebrate his anniversary with a May 22 Mass at St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr.

Msgr. Richard Hynes, 75, was born in Manoa, Pennsylvania, and attended Sacred Heart Parish School in Bloomfield, New Jersey; Seton Hall Prep School in South Orange, New Jersey; Seton Hall University in South Orange and Immaculate Conception Seminary in Mahwah, New Jersey. He was ordained May 27, 1972, for the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, and incardinated into the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1991.

In New Jersey, he served as associate pastor of St. Andrew, Westwood (1972-1974), and Our Lady of the Lake (1974-1979). He directed the Archdiocese of Newark’s Ministry to Priests Initiative (1980-1983), and then was president of the National Federation of Priests’ Councils in Chicago (1983-1988).

He then started the process of incardination and served as associate pastor of St. James, Arlington Heights (1988-1991). He was then associate pastor of St. Martin de Porres (1991-1992); spiritual director at Niles College and St. Joseph College Seminary (1992-1995); associate pastor of St. Athanasius, Evanston (1995-1996); pastor of St. John of the Cross, Western Springs (1996-2007); and director of the archdiocesan Department of Parish Life (2007-2016).

Since retiring in 2016, he has served as administrator of St. Clement (2017) and part-time rector of the National Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (2017-2020).

He will celebrate his anniversary May 22 at St. John of the Cross Parish.

Father John Jamnicky, 76, was born in Chicago and attended St. Francis de Sales School, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary and Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, Niles College of Loyola University and University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was pastor of St. Martin (1972-1981; O’Hare Airport chaplain (1982-2000); national coordinator for Human Mobility Apostolates and national director of the Apostleship of the Seas for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C. (2000-2006); founding pastor of St. Raphael the Archangel, Old Mill Creek (2006-2016).

He served on the Presbyteral Council (1974-1980) and on the executive committee of the Presbtyteral Council (2007-2015); as a captain in the U.S. Air Force and Illinois Air National Guard (1983-1989); as a pastor in for native Alaskan villages in the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska (1998); and as director of Rural Life for the Archdiocese of Chicago (2008-2010).

He will celebrate his anniversary with a June 22 Mass at St. Raphael the Archangel.

Father David B. Krolczyk, 75, was born in Chicago and attended St. Mary, Star of the Sea School, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary and Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary South and University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He served as associate pastor of Our Lady of the Mount, Cicero (1972-1978); Sacred Heart, Melrose Park (1978-1981); St. Mary of Czestochowa (1981-1987); and St. Jude the Apostle (1987-1988). He was pastor of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr, Posen (1988-2002); administrator of Queen of the Universe (2003); and pastor of St. James the Greater, Sauk Village (2003-2021).

He also served for four years as a field advocate for the marriage tribunal and four years on the building and renovation commission, as well as serving as chaplain of three Knights of Columbus councils.

He plans to celebrate his anniversary May 28 with a Mass at St. Laborius, Steger.

Father Arturo J. Perez, 75, was born in Chicago and attended Our Lady of Victory School, Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He also earned a master’s degree in theology and liturgy from the University of Notre Dame.

He served as assistant pastor at Maternity BVM (1972-1978); associate pastor of St. David (1980-1984) and St. Roman (1984-1985); and pastor of St. Casimir (1985-1990). He was administrator of St. Roman (1995-1996); associate pastor of St. Francis of Assisi (Roosevelt Road, 1996-1999); administrator of St. Francis de Sales (Ewing Avenue, 1999-2003) and St. George (Ewing Avenue, 2000-2003); and associate pastor (2003-2006), administrator (2006-2007) and pastor (2007-2016) of Assumption BVM (California Avenue).

He was cofounder of Casa Jesus and served as director of Kolbe House Jail Ministry, which he served as director (2007-2016).

Msgr. Patrick Pollard, 75, was born in Chicago and attended St. Bede the Venerable School, Brother Rice High School, Quigley South Preparatory Seminary and University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He also has a master’s degree in sociology from DePaul University.

Pollard was associate pastor of St. Henry (1972-1977); St. Clotilde (1977-1982); St. Thomas More (1982-1983); St. Barnabas (1983-1990); St. Colette, Rolling Meadows (1990-1993); and St. Denis (1993-1998). He was pastor of Christ the King (1998-2007) and Notre Dame de Chicago (2002-2017).

He was a member of the Priests Retirement and Mutual Aid Association (1980-2016); served as director of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago (1983-2017); was president of the Catholic Cemetery Conference (2010-2012); and was president of the National Association of Church Personnel Administrators (2012-2015).

He has served on the Presbyteral Council since 1971, the College of Consultors since 1999 and the archdiocesan Finance Council since 2014.

Father Thomas Rzepiela, 76, was born in Chicago and attended St. Wenceslaus School, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was associate pastor of St. Thomas of Villanova, Palatine (1972-1979); a faculty member at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary and weekend associate at Our Lady of the Wayside, Arlington Heights (1979-1987); pastor of St. Constance (1987-2001); associate pastor and administrator of Holy Name Cathedral (2001-2006); and pastor of St. Thomas of Villanova (2006-2019).

He served on the pastors review board, the pastors committee for canonical review of pastors, as archdiocesan and national chaplain for the Christian Family Movement, as a Knights of Columbus chaplain and as chaplain for the Chicago Bears.

He will celebrate his anniversary at the Little Sisters of the Poor St. Joseph’s Home in Palatine in the summer, as the COVID-19 pandemic permits.

Father John Sanaghan, 75, was born in Chicago and attended St. Felicitas School and St. Joseph School in Homewood, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary and Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary South and University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He also did clinical pastoral care residents through Yale University at St. Raphael Medical Center, New Haven, Connecticut; and through the University of Chicago Divinity School at Northwestern Memorial Medical Center.

He was associate pastor of St. Nicholas of Tolentine (1972-1977) before serving as director of pastoral care and chaplain at Columbus-Cuneo-Cabrini Medical Center (1976-1986) and director and chaplain at Calvert House at the University of Chicago (1986-1990).

He stepped away from ministry and served as director of ethics and professional conduct education at the Institute for Financial Markets in Washington, D.C. (1990-2006). He was at St. Matthias as associate pastor for three years and pastor for six years (2006-2016). He has served as chaplain at St. Mary of Nazareth and St. Elizabeth Medical Center since 2016.

Father William J. Sheridan, 75, was born in Evergreen Park and attended Little Flower and St. Margaret of Scotland schools, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, Niles College and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was associate pastor of St. Anne, Barrington (1972-1977), on the faculty of Niles College Seminary (1977-1994), associate pastor of Holy Name Cathedral (1994-2001); and pastor of St. Francis Xavier, Wilmette (2001-2018).

Father Brian L. Simpson, 76, was born in Worthing, England. He started elementary school in Winnipeg, Canada, and then, in the Archdiocese of Chicago, attended Our Lady of the Angels and Maternity BVM schools and St. Mel High School before entering the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was associate pastor of St. Colette, Rolling Meadows (1972-1977); Our Lady of the Ridge, Chicago Ridge (1977-1978); St. Maria Goretti, Schiller Park (1978-1983); and St. Robert Bellarmine (1983-1987). From 1987 until 2011, Simpson was a U.S. Navy chaplain, serving with the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, and he was deployed for Operations Desert Shield, Able Manner, and Iraqi Freedom.

He was pastor of St. Colette from 2012 to 2016, when he retired from active ministry. Since then, he has served as administrator of Queen of the Rosary, Elk Grove Village (2016-2017) and St. Colette (2018-2019).

He will celebrate his anniversary at a Mass June 5 at St. Colette.

Father Robert F. Tonelli, 76, was born in Chicago. He attended St. Ferdinand School, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College of Loyola University and University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was associate pastor of St. Thomas Becket, Mount Prospect (1972-1977); Holy Trinity (Illinois Medical District) (1977-1984); St. Peter, Antioch (1984-1990); and St. Therese, Palatine (1991-1992). He was pastor of St. John the Evangelist, Streamwood (1992-2010), and St. Joseph, Wilmette (2010-2016). He is retired and resides at St. Bernadette, Evergreen Park.

He completed clinical pastoral education and served as a chaplain at the University of Illinois Medical Center and a Newman Center chaplain to the University of Illinois at Chicago while at Holy Trinity.

He will celebrate his anniversary with an Oct. 1 Mass at St. Bernadette.

25 years

Bishop Kevin Birmingham, 51, was born in Oak Lawn and attended public elementary schools in Chicago Ridge, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He was associate pastor of St. Peter Claver Mission, Robbins, and St. Benedict, Blue Island (both 1997-2001), and St. Francis of Assissi, Orland Park (2001-2005). He was pastor of St. Anne, Hazel Crest (2005-2011), and Maternity BVM (2011-2014).

He then was administrative secretary to Cardinal Cupich (2014-2020) and director of the Department of Parish Vitality and Mission (2020-2021). He was ordained as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago on Nov. 23, 2020, and has served as episcopal vicar for Vicariate IV since July 1, 2021.

He also has served on the Priest Placement Board (2005-2009), the Presbyteral Council (2006-2014) and as a dean in Vicariate III (2013-2014).

Father Stephen Grunow, 57, resided at St. Philip the Apostle Parish the year after being ordained and continued his studies at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He was associate pastor of Queen of All Saints Basilica (1998-1999). He then resided at the University of St. Mary of the Lake (1999-2001) and St. Mary, Lake Forest (2001-2008) before being named associate pastor there (2008). He remained a resident at St. Mary until 2013 after beginning to work at Word on Fire Ministries in 2009. In 2013, he became a resident at St. Joan of Arc Parish, Evanston. He is now CEO and executive producer of Word on Fire and assists with Masses at San Roque Parish, Santa Barbara, California, where he resides.

Father Jason Malave, 51, was born in Chicago and attended Nativity BVM School; Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary South; Niles College of Loyola University; University of Louvain, Belgium; and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He served as associate pastor of St. Benedict (Irving Park Road, 1997-2002) and St. Bartholomew (2002-2004) and as pastor of St. Bartholmew (2004-2012) and St. Benedict (2012-2017). Since 2017, he has served as the cardinal’s liaison for Renew My Church.

He also served on the board of the Association of Chicago Priests for six years, the Priests’ Retirement and Mutual Aid Association for six years, the Priest Placement Board for four years and the board of Resurrection Hospital for four years.

He will celebrate his anniversary June 25 with a Mass at Holy Family Church of St. Ignatius High School.

Father Timothy O’Malley, 62, was born in Evergreen Park. He attended Sts. Faith, Hope and Charity School, Winnetka; Loyola Academy, Wilmette; Purdue University in Indiana; DePaul University College of Law; and University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, and he has degrees in management and in law in addition to his theology degrees.

He served as associate pastor of St. Agnes of Bohemia (1997-2002) and as pastor of St. James, Highwood (2002-2007); St. Joseph, Round Lake (2007-2015); St. Genevieve (2015-2018); and Most Blessed Trinity, Waukegan (2018-present).

He has also served on the Priest Placement Board (2014-2018) and as a dean in Vicariate IV (2014-2018) and Vicariate I (2019-present).

He will celebrate his anniversary at regularly scheduled Masses at Most Blessed Trinity May 22 and 29.

Bishop Alberto Rojas, 57, was born in Aguascalientes, Mexico. He began his seminary education in Aguascalientes and finished at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary after coming to Chicago in 1994.

He served as associate pastor of St. Gregory the Great (1997-1999) and St. Ita (1999-2002). He taught at the University of St. Mary of the Lake (2002-2009) and then was pastor of Good Shepherd (2009-2011).

He was ordained an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago on Aug. 10, 2011. He served as episcopal vicar for Vicariate III (2011-2018) and Vicariate I (2018-2020).

While in the Archdiocese of Chicago, he was Cardinal Francis George’s delegate to Hispanic Catholics and the archbishop’s delegate to Consejo Pastoral Arquidiocesano Hispano-Americano.

He was welcomed as coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of San Bernardino on Feb. 24, 2020, and he succeeded Bishop Gerald Barnes as ordinary of the diocese on Dec. 28, 2020.