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Professor, dean and pastor serving two dioceses

By Dolores Madlener | Staff writer
Sunday, June 6, 2010

Father Kevin Spiess stands near one of the planes used by students studying aviation at Lewis University in Romeoville. (Karen Callaway / Catholic New World)

He is: Father Kevin Spiess, ordained in 1986. During these 24 years he has been teacher, priest, pastor, and in administration in our archdiocese. His 38-year association with Lewis University in the Joliet diocese has been as part-time and full-time professor as well as dean. Ordained for the Archdiocese of Chicago, he served recently as administrator of Divine Savior Parish in Downers Grove, Ill., and is now pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Joliet.

Growing up: As a youngster in Our Lady Help of Christians School in Chicago, he played neighborhood sports.

“My father was born and raised in Eagle River, Wis. He came down to Northwestern University, met my mother, Mary Ellen, and had 49 years of happy married life. He was an industrial engineer. Mother was a highly competent domestic engineer.”

The Christian Brothers were his “role models” at St. Mel’s and he joined them right out of high school. After 15 years as a brother, teaching and earning three masters (one from Notre Dame), and a doctorate from Harvard, he found it was no longer his vocation. “I had the highest regard for the Christian Brothers when I left and to this day.”

At midlife: “After serving a year as a faculty member at Lewis I was selected dean of the college of business and eventually of its graduate school of management in 1979.”

With spiritual direction, he says it became clear over time, “I was being called to diocesan priesthood.” After studies at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary he was ordained at age 40 by Cardinal Bernardin.

After assignment as associate pastor at St. Clement’s in Chicago, he was asked to be the archdiocese’s first vicar for administration — juggling the operations of the Pastoral Center’s then 65 offices and agencies. Those were the years of turning around an anticipated three-year shortfall of $100 million. The archdiocese bit the bullet, reducing personnel, agencies, as well as closing some parishes and schools. “There was a lot of pain. They were difficult decisions.”

Four years later, the archdiocese reversed the inevitable and “ended up with a one year surplus of $7 million, which was used for many archdiocesan needs.”

Style: Father is a workaholic. Since his time as dean at Lewis until recently, he never has enough space in his attaché case for all the work he takes home at night. He likes people. At the Pastoral Center, he created an Employees Advisory Council that met with him monthly. It had rotating representatives at all levels and departments, including the maintenance staff. He floated the idea for a statewide Catholic newspaper, and he introduced some new agencies to the archdiocese.

Tsunami: “During this time, the archdiocese became one of the first in the nation to establish procedures, policies and professional review committees. As agonizing as it was, the taskforce co-chaired by Bishop John Gorman, identified priests who were still active in parishes who had been accused in the past of sexual misconduct.”

Nearly 20 priests were removed from active ministry in the early 1990s, although some priests who had abused children remained in restricted ministry and the present zero-tolerance policy was not adopted until 2002.

When Cardinal Bernardin was diagnosed with terminal cancer, “He gave us a wonderful example of how to persevere through trials.” While the cardinal was recovering from major surgery, he appointed Spiess pastor of St. Alphonsus Parish in Lemont.

A demotion?: “Many wondered why I was appointed to a parish way out in Lemont. It was a wonderful parish for me. It tapped into a lot of creativity and interests. It also gave me a chance to continue teaching part time at Lewis.”

He asked parishioners at St. Alphonsus what they wanted most. And it was a renovation that would restore their beige 60s’- style church interior to the festive glory of its founding.

The beautiful physical transformation was matched by a substantial increase in Mass attendance by the time he was reassigned six years later.

Another change: “Cardinal George requested I become pastor of Ss. Faith, Hope and Charity Parish in Winnetka in 2002. With a wonderful staff and great ideas in leadership, much was planned and begun during my 5-1/2 years there.” He says he looks back fondly at good relationships that were formed and to programs his team started.

Motto: “At my first Mass on the Feast of the Exultation of the Cross, Sept. 14, 1986, the hymn was ‘Lift High the Cross.’ It is my motto through trials as well as many wonderful years of priesthood.”

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