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ministry: priests celebrate anniversaries, ministry in diocese

Story by RAFE MIDDEKE
Messenger staff

Nine priests celebrate their years of service in parishes in the Diocese of Belleville: Eight diocesan priests — Father Paul Stauder, 60 years; Father Dick Daly, Msgr. Jerry Hartlein, and Father Lloyd Misho, 50 years; Father Jim Dougherty, Father Clyde Grogan, and Father Jerry Wirth, 40 years; and Father Andy Knopik, 25 years.
Franciscan Father Carroll Mizicko, pastor at St. Augustine of Hippo Parish in East St. Louis celebrates his 40th anniversary this year.

Father Paul Stauder, born April 12, 1921, is celebrating the 60th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.
Ordained May 22, 1948 at St. Peter Cathedral, Father Stauder was the first priest ordained by Bishop Albert R. Zuroweste. He attended St. Henry Seminary and completed his seminary studies at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Ill.

In his first and only associate pastor assignment he served at St. Teresa Parish in Belleville until his appointment as pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Enfield in 1954. Five years later he was named the pastor of St. Catherine Parish in Grand Chain and the former Our Lady of Fatima in Ullin,. From 1960 until 1963 Father Stauder’s ministry was as a chaplain at St. Clement’s Hospital in Red Bud and St. Mary’s Hospital in East St. Louis. In 1963 he began a six-year pastorate of St. Anthony Parish in Lively Grove before completing two years as the pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Bridgeport.

In 1971 Father Stauder was named the diocesan photographer and archivist, a position he retained for six years. For many years he pursued an interest in radio and television ministry.

He began his final ministry as the administrator and then the pastor of the former St. Henry Parish in East St. Louis. In 1984 he returned to St. Clement’s Hospital and the Clementine Residence as chaplain until his retirement in 1990 with residence at the Hincke-Sense Residence. He is currently a resident at Rosewood Nursing Home in Swansea.

Three diocesan priests ordained at St. Peter Cathedral May 27, 1958 are observing their golden anniversaries. Also celebrating his golden anniversary is Father Joseph Thoonkuzhy who served in the Belleville diocese for 10 years beginning in 1986. In the Belleville diocese he served as a hospital chaplain, parish administrator and pastor. He was incardinated as a Belleville diocesan priest in 1991 and retired in 1996.

Father Richard Daly’s first pastoral assignment was as the associate at the former St. Patrick Parish in East St. Louis. In 1962 he attended Catholic University in Washington, D.C., where he received a Master’s in Education.
Returning to the diocese in 1963, Father Daly served on the faculty of the former Cathedral High School, before being named the assistant principal of Althoff Catholic High School the following year, a position he held until his assignment as the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Du Quoin in 1992.

During his Althoff High School tenure he served as the chaplain at Notre Dame Academy in Belleville from 1970 to 1972, when it closed, and assisted at St. Mary’s in Belleville from 1986 to 1992.

In 1992 Father Daly was named the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Du Quoin, continuing until 2000, when he assumed the pastorate of St. Agatha Parish in New Athens. Father Daly was a pioneer and leader in the Worldwide Marriage Encounter movement in the diocese and nationally for many years. He retired in 2002 and is in residence at the Hincke-Sense Residence in Belleville. Father Daly celebrated his anniversary at a dinner with his family on May 24.

Msgr. Jerome Hartlein served as an associate at two diocesan parishes before assuming his first pastorate at St. Mary Parish in Mound City and the former St. Raphael’s in Mounds in 1964. His first associate assignment was at the former St. Albert’s in Fairview Heights until 1963, when he assisted at St. Mary’s in Belleville for a year before his Mound City and Mounds assignment.

In 1972 Msgr. Hartlein began his current and continuing 36-year pastorate at Holy Childhood Parish in Mascoutah.
On a diocesan level Msgr. Hartlein was appointed chairman of the Diocesan Building Commission in 1980, which he continues to chair today.

Msgr. Hartlein has been a lead-er in the Red Cross blood drives in his community. In 1984 he was given the Clara Barton Award, the second highest award presented by the St. Louis Bi-State Chapter of the American Red Cross.
As a 40th anniversary recognition of his friendship and support the St. Martin of Tours Lutheran Parish in Mascoutah presented him with its annual Paschal Award.

Holy Childhood Parish hosted a jubilee celebration for family and parishioners June 1, beginning with a 2 p.m. Mass, followed by a dinner and reception.

Born in Arkansas in 1929, Father Lloyd Misho entered the Brothers of Mary in 1948. After graduating from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas he taught and coached at the former Cathedral High School in Belleville. In 1953 he began studies for the Belleville diocesan priesthood, completing them at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Conception, Mo.

During the first six years after his ordination Father Misho served as an associate in six diocesan parishes: Sacred Heart, Du Quoin; St. Mary’s, Mt. Carmel; St. Clare’s, O’Fallon; St. Philip’s, East St. Louis; and Immaculate Conception, Centreville. In 1964 he was appointed a full-time teacher at Althoff Catholic High School.
In 1966 he was named the pastor of St. Teresa of Avila in Marydale and St. Felicitas in Beaver Prairie, and taught at Mater Dei High School in Breese.

His subsequent pastorates, beginning in 1968, were at St. Mary’s in Valmeyer, St. Mary Magdalen in Todd’s Mill, St. Lawrence in Sandoval, Holy Rosary in Fairmont City and Sacred Heart in Dupo.
In 1983 Father Misho was named the senior associate at St. Augustine’s in Belleville and also assisted for several years with Ministry to the Sick and Aged.

Granted full retirement status in 1988 he assisted at St. Joseph Parish in Clayton, Mo. until beginning residence at the Hincke-Sense Residence in 1990. Since 2002 he has been a resident at Lebanon Care Center in Lebanon.

Three Belleville diocesan priests, ordained in 1968, are celebrating 40th anniversary jubilees. With St. Peter Cathedral closed for major renovations, they were ordained at St. Henry Church in Belleville. Father James Dougherty and Father Jerry Wirth were ordained June 1; Father Clyde Grogan was ordained Oct. 12.

Father James Dougherty’s first assignment as an associate pastor was at St. Joseph Parish in Olney. He then was assigned as an associate at Holy Childhood Parish in Mascoutah.
Father Dougherty began a chaplaincy assignment at St. Joseph Hospital in Murphysboro in 1971. From 1972 to 1975 he was the chaplain at St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia and assisted at St. Mary’s Parish there.
In 1975 he began the first of his four Belleville diocesan pastorates at St. Edward Parish in Fairfield and St. Sebastian Parish in rural Mt. Carmel.

Father Dougherty was named the Belleville diocesan director of Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs in 1979, continuing in that role until 1998.

His second pastorate at St. Joseph Parish in Lebanon began in 1982. Six years later he began a 10-year pastorate at St. Mary Parish in Centralia. After a sabbatical year, including studies at Louvain University in Belgium, Father Dougherty began his current pastorate at St. Mary’s in Trenton in 1999.

Father Dougherty is planning an anniversary celebration with family and friends on June 29.
He has announced his retirement from full-time active ministry in the diocese, effective July 8.
St. Mary Parish in Trenton will host a jubilee/retirement celebration, beginning with the 9 a.m. eucharistic liturgy, followed by a reception on July 6.

A week after his Oct. 12, 1968 ordination Father Clyde Grogan began his first associate assignment at St. Mary’s in Mt. Carmel. The following year he began a five-year associate ministry at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Herrin.
Father Grogan began his first pastorate at St. Joseph Parish in Equality and St. Francis de Sales Parish in Stonefort in 1974.

Three years later he began a team ministry at the former St. Patrick Parish in East St. Louis and the then-open East St. Louis parishes of Holy Angels and Sacred Heart-St. Adalbert. He later continued as the pastor of St. Patrick’s until 1984.

In 1984 he was named the administrator and a year later the pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Carbondale. In 1989 he began a five-year pastorate at St. Mary’s in Mt. Carmel, and at St. Sebastian’s the final year.
A homecoming assignment as the pastor of St. Patrick’s and St. Regis in East St. Louis began in 1994 and continued until the suppression of the East St. Louis parishes in 2005.

At that time he was named the senior associate of the west Belleville parishes of Blessed Sacrament and Queen of Peace, with residence at Blessed Sacrament.

In 2007 Father Grogan began his current assignment as the senior associate pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Ruma, St. Leo Parish in Modoc, St. John the Baptist in Red Bud and chaplain at the Adorers of the Blood of Christ Regional Center in Ruma, with residence at St. Patrick’s in Ruma.

After his June 1, 1968 ordination Father Jerry Wirth’s first pastoral assignment was as an associate at St. Clare parish in O’Fallon. A year later he was named the associate at Immaculate Conception Parish in Columbia and was also a part-time teacher at Gibault Catholic High School in Waterloo. In 1970 he became a full-time member of the Gibault staff with residence in Waterloo, a position he held for five years.

The South Deanery parishes of St. Rose in Metropolis and St. Paul in Vienna were his first pastorate assignments, beginning in 1975.

Five years later he assumed the pastorate of the former Immaculate Conception Parish in Centreville and in 1983 was also named the administrator of the former St. Regis Parish in East St. Louis. Remaining in the East St. Louis Deanery, he began a 10-year pastorate of St. Patrick Parish in East St. Louis in 1984, initially as administrator and in 1985 as the pastor.

After an educational sabbatical in the fall of 1994 to participate in the Ministry to Ministers Program at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas Father Wirth was named the pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Olney and St. Joseph Parish in Stringtown. Since 1997 he has been the pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Olney.
Father Wirth is the current elected chairman of the diocesan Presbyteral Council.

St. Joseph Parish celebrated his 40th anniversary at an afternoon parish appreciation picnic June 1.
Also celebrating his 40th priesthood anniversary is Father Carroll Mizicko, OFM, pastor of St. Augustine Parish in East St. Louis. Father Mizicko was ordained June 9, 1968 at the St. Francis of Assisi Friary in Teutopolis, Ill.
Father Mizicko served as a parish assistant and pastor and in outreach ministries in parishes in Chicago, Memphis and Nashville, Tenn., and Monroe, La. In 2002 he came to the Belleville diocese as a member of a Franciscan ministry team, with residence in East St. Louis. He was named the first pastor of the newly formed St. Augustine of Hippo Parish in East St. Louis in March of 2006.

St. Augustine’s celebrated Father Mizicko’s anniversary at a parish celebration June 1.

One Belleville diocesan priest is celebrating his silver anniversary of priesthood this year. Father Andrew Knopik was ordained June 4, 1983 at St. Peter Cathedral.

His first pastoral assignment was as an associate at Queen of Peace Parish in Belleville. In 1983, continuing his residency at Queen of Peace, he became a member of the faculty at Althoff Catholic High School. Two years later he was assigned to the Gibault Catholic High School faculty, with residency in Waterloo.

In 1987 Father Knopik returned to parish ministry as the associate at St. Teresa Parish in Belleville and for several months as the administrator, before assuming his first pastorate of St. Lawrence Parish in Sandoval in the fall of 1988. In 1991 he was named the pastor of St. Theresa Parish in Salem and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Kinmundy.
In 1995 Father Knopik began an 11-year pastorate at St. Augustine Parish in Belleville. Two years ago he assumed his current pastorate at St. Ann Parish in Nashville, initially as the administrator.

St. Ann parishioners celebrated Father Knopik’s anniversary with a 7 to 9 p.m. ice cream social on June 4, his ordination date.-