Priest assignments affect university leadership

By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger

Bishop Martin Amos has announced eight priest assignments effective July 1. Not all involve moves. No retirements are planned for 2017.
Father Charles Adam, 57, will become pastor of St. Thomas More-Coralville. Born to Elmer and Helen Adam, he grew up in Richland. He attended the University of Iowa and graduated from St. Ambrose College in Davenport. He completed his theological studies at The Catholic Uni­versity in Washington, D.C. On June 27, 1986, he was ordained by Bishop Gerald O’Keefe at St. Frances Xavier Cabrini-Richland.

Fr. Adam served as parochial vicar at St. Paul the Apostle-Davenport from 1986-90 and St. Mary-Iowa City from 1990-92. He then served as pastor at St. Mary-Oskaloosa from 1992-96, and as rector and vocations director for the St. Ambrose University Seminary-Davenport from 1996-2004. Fr. Adam has served as chaplain of students and director of campus ministry at St. Ambrose since 2000, and has served as parochial vicar at St. Anthony-Davenport since 2004.

Father Jeffry Belger, 49, will become associate director of vocations for the Diocese of Davenport and will remain as parochial vicar at St. Mary-Iowa City and campus minister at the Newman Catholic Stu­dent Center-Iowa City. Born in Penn­sylvania, he grew up in Burlington, the son of Bill and Linda Belger. He attended Southeast Iowa Community College in West Burlington and graduated from Western Illinois University. He completed his theology studies at St. Meinrad School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Ind. On June 14, 2003, he was ordained by Bishop William Franklin at Sacred Heart Cathedral-Davenport.

Fr. Belger was parochial vicar at Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace-Clinton from 2003-05 and at St. Mary-Iowa City from 2005-10. He also was a part-time priest campus minster at the Newman Catholic Student Center-Iowa City from 2005-10. He then served as administrator, then pastor, at St. Mary-Pella from 2010-15; administrator, then canonical pastor of Immaculate Conception-Colfax from 2011-15, and pastor of St. Mary-Oskaloosa from 2011-15. He has been serving at St. Mary’s and the Newman Center, both in Iowa City, since 2015.

Father Robert Cloos, 59, will become parochial vicar at St. Peter-Cosgrove, St. Mary-Oxford and St. Mary-Iowa City. Born to James and Kathleen Cloos, he graduated from Western Colorado State University. Prior to discerning a call to the priesthood, he was a member of the U.S. Air Force and Navy Reserves from 1976-81. He was an accountant from 1986-88, electrician from 1988-90, did maintenance from 1990-97 and worked for Hollywood Entertainment Corp. from 1997-2007 and at ADM in Clinton from 2008-09. He entered the seminary and completed his theology studies at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wis. On June 7, 2014, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Martin Amos at Sacred Heart Cathedral-Davenport.

Fr. Cloos was parochial vicar at Ss. Mary & Mathias-Muscatine from 2014-15 and is currently parochial vicar at Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace-Clinton.

Father Paul Connolly, 65, will become pastor of St. Alphonsus-Mount Pleasant. He was born in New York to Frank and Marjorie. He moved to Bettendorf and graduated from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He taught and coached before entering the seminary. He completed his theological studies at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. On June 11, 1983, he was ordained by Bishop O’Keefe at Our Lady of Lourdes-Bettendorf.

Fr. Connolly was associate pastor, administrator, then parochial vicar at Sacred Heart-Clinton from 1983-84. He then served as parochial vicar at Holy Family-Davenport from 1984-88. He became pastor of St. Boniface-Farmington and St. Mary-String Prairie from 1988-92. He then served on faculty at Assumption High School in Davenport from 1992-96. Fr. Connolly served as pastor at St. Joseph-East Pleasant Plain and St. Francis Xavier Cabrini-Richland from 1996-2000, All Saints-Keokuk from 2000-09, St. Joseph-Montrose from 2001-06 and St. Anne-Welton from 2012-14. He has been pastor of St. Joseph-DeWitt since 2009.

Father Bruce DeRammelaere is relieved as administrator of St. Alphonsus-Mount Pleasant. He is pastor at St. John-Houghton and St. James-St. Paul and has been administrator of the Mount Pleasant parish since December following the death of Father Brian Shepley.

Father Thom Hennen, 38, will become chaplain and director of campus ministry at St. Ambrose University-Davenport, parochial vicar at St. Anthony-Davenport and remains director of vocations for the Diocese of Davenport.

An Ottumwa native, he is the son of John and Joan Hennen. He graduated from St. Ambrose University and completed his theological and advanced studies at the North American College in Rome. On July 10, 2004, he was ordained by Bishop William Franklin at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Following his ordination, Fr. Hennen filled in throughout the diocese until he returned to Rome for graduate studies. Upon completion of studies he served as parochial vicar at Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace-Clinton from 2005-10. He served as part-time parochial vicar at St. Mary-Iowa City and part-time priest campus minister at the Newman Catholic Student Center-Iowa City from 2010-11. He was named vocations director for the diocese in 2011 and in 2014 added part-time duties serving on the theology faculty at Assumption High School-Davenport.

Father Stephen Page, 62, will become pastor of St. Joseph-DeWitt. The son of John and Betty Page, he grew up in Bettendorf. He studied at New England College in Henniker, N.H., and graduated from the University of Iowa. He completed his theology studies at St. Paul Seminary-St. Paul, Minn. On June 19, 1987, he was ordained by Bishop O’Keefe at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Fr. Page was parochial vicar at St. Paul the Apostle-Davenport from 1987-88 and at Our Lady of Lourdes-Bettendorf from 1988-91. He then served as pastor of St. Bridget-Victor from 1991-96, temporary administrator at St. Patrick-Marengo from 1995-96 and pastor at St. Mary-Fairfield from 1996-2012. He has been serving as pastor of St. Thomas More-Coralville since 2012.

Father John Stack, 55, will become parochial vicar at Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace-Clinton. A native of Davenport, he is the son of George and Joan Stack. He graduated from St. Ambrose and completed his theology studies at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Ill. On May 13, 1988, he was ordained by Bishop O’Keefe at Our Lady of Victory-Davenport.

Fr. Stack served as parochial vicar at Holy Family- Davenport from 1988-90 and All Saints-Keokuk from 1990-92. He then served as pastor of St. Joseph-East Pleasant Plain and St. Frances Xavier-Richland from 1992-93. After a leave of absence he served as chaplain at Mercy Medical Center-Clinton from 1994-2013, The Alverno-Clinton from 1996-97 and the Sisters of St. Francis-Clinton from 2000-04.

Fr. Stack also served as administrator of Church of the Visitation-Camanche from 1996-2000, sacramental minister at Sacred Heart-Lost Nation, St. James-Toronto and Sacred Heart-Oxford Junction in 2004; administrator of Assumption & St. Patrick-Charlotte and Ss. Mary & Joseph-Sugar Creek from 2004-05 and sacramental minister at St. Joseph-DeWitt and Ss. Phillip & James-Grand Mound from 2005-06. He was on leave of absence from 2013-16. He has been serving as sacramental minister at St. Alphonsus-Mount Pleasant since December, following the death of Father Brian Shepley.