By Anne Marie Amacher
Bishop Martin Amos has announced two more priest assignment changes, which will take effect June 29. Father Tony Herold, pastor of Ss. John & Paul Parish in Burlington will become pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Davenport. Father Marty Goetz, pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Richmond, St. Mary Parish in Riverside and St. Joseph Parish in Wellman, will become pastor of Ss. John & Paul Parish in Burlington.
Fr. Herold, 58, is a native of Fort Madison and attended schools there. He attended Northeast Missouri College and graduated from St. Ambrose College in Davenport. He completed his theology studies at the North American College in Rome. On July 14, 1979, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Gerald O’Keefe at St. Mary Church in Fort Madison.
Fr. Herold was an associate pastor at St. Paul in Burlington from 1979-82 and St. Mary in Clinton from 1982-84. He was spiritual director at St. Ambrose Seminary department from 1984-85, diocesan vocation director from 1984-89 and rector of St. Ambrose Seminary from 1985-89. Fr. Herold was parochial vicar of St. Mary in Iowa City from 1989-90, then pastor of St. Patrick in Ottumwa from 1990-99. From 1997-99 he also was pastor of St. Mary Magdalen in Bloomfield and parochial vicar of St. Mary of the Visitation in Ottumwa. He was pastor management for corporate affairs for the closing of St. Aloysius in Eldon. Fr. Herold then served as pastor of Prince of Peace in Clinton from 1999-2010 and administrator of Immaculate Conception in Petersville in 2006. He has been in Burlington since 2010.
Fr. Goetz, 45, is a native of Keokuk and attended schools there. He attended Southeastern Community College and graduated from St. Ambrose University. He completed his theology studies at Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Ill.
On May 29, 1992, he was ordained by Bishop O’Keefe at All Saints Church in Keokuk. Fr. Goetz was a parochial vicar at St. Patrick in Iowa City from 1992-93, Our Lady of Victory in Davenport from 1993-97 and Prince of Peace in Clinton from 1997-99. After a leave of absence from active ministry in the diocese, Fr. Goetz worked at St. Vincent Center in Davenport. He was appointed administrator and then pastor of Holy Trinity in Keota, where he served from 2001-08. He also was pastor of St. Mary in Sigourney from 2006-08. He served as director of vocations for the diocese part-time from 2007-08, then full time from 2008-11. He has been pastor at the Richmond, Riverside and Wellman parishes since September 2011.
Last month, Bishop Amos announced the retirement of Father Andrew Kelly as pastor of St. Mary Parish in Mechanicsville and appointed Father David Hitch, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Tipton, to serve the Tipton and Mechanicsville parishes as pastor. These assignments took effect Feb. 13.
Fr. Kelly, 69, was born in Arizona and attended Catholic schools in Farley and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He graduated from Loras College in Dubuque and did his theological studies at Aquinas Institute of Theology in Dubuque and St. Meinrad School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Ind.
On June 6, 1970, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop O’Keefe at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport.
Fr. Kelly served as an associate pastor at St. Mary in Iowa City from 1970-71 and St. Anthony in Knoxville from 1971-74. He then served as chaplain at the Sisters of Humility Motherhouse and Ottumwa Heights College in Ottumwa in addition to being temporary administrator at St. Mary in Eddyville from 1974-75. He then served as chaplain at University Hospitals in Iowa City from 1975-87. Fr. Kelly then served as pastor of St. Peter in Cosgrove and St. Michael in Holbrook from 1987-90. He served as administrator of St. Mary in Clinton, then parochial vicar of the newly formed Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace in Clinton from 1990-91.
He took a leave of absence for health reasons and returned as pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Keswick and St. Joseph in North English from 1991-93. From 1993-2007 he was chaplain at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City. He served as pastor of the Mechanicsville parish since 2007.
Fr. Hitch, 70, is a native of Fort Madison and attended Catholic schools there. He attended Iowa State University and the University of Iowa and graduated from St. Ambrose College. He did theology studies at Mt. St. Bernard Seminary and advanced studies in theology at Aquinas Institute.
On June 1, 1968, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop O’Keefe at Sacred Heart Cathedral. His first assignment was associate pastor at St. Paul the Apostle in Davenport from 1968-72. He was then co-pastor at St. Boniface in Farmington and St. Mary in String Prairie while also serving as director of the religious education department at Cardinal Stritch High School in Keokuk from 1972-74. He was then acting chaplain at University Hospitals in Iowa City from 1974-75. Fr. Hitch took advanced studies in clinical pastoral education from 1975-77. Upon his return, he served as chaplain at University Hospitals from 1977-86. He assumed duties as administrator of St. Bridget in Nolan Settlement and St. Bernadette in West Branch in 1983. Fr. Hitch was pastor of St. Joseph in Hills from 1983-89 and at St. Thomas More in Iowa City from 1989-2000. He was on leave from 2000-2001. After returning to the diocese, Fr. Hitch was administrator of St. Joseph in Parnell and St. Joseph in North English from 2001-03, then pastor of the two parishes until 2004. He has been pastor of the Tipton parish since 2004.
