Assignments will affect a number of parishes this July

By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger

Bishop Thomas Zinkula has announced assignment changes that affect 18 priests, two deacons and one parish life coordinator. Changes are effective July 1 unless otherwise stated.

• Father Nicholas Akindele, 50, will become pastor of Holy Family and St. Alphonsus par­ishes in Daven­port. He will also serve as adjunct judicial vicar for the marriage tribunal. He currently serves as defender of the bond for the tribunal and as parochial vicar of Holy Family and St. Alphonsus parishes and St. Peter Parish-Buffalo. He will be relieved of his assignment in Buffalo.

• Father Kevin Anstey, 37, will take a leave of absence. He currently serves as pastor of St. Anthony Par­ish-Knoxville and Sacred Heart Parish-Melcher.

• Father Paul Appel, 44, will become pastor of Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace Parish-Clinton and continue to serve as judicial vicar, vice chancellor and delegate of the bishop in matrimonial matters for the Diocese of Davenport. He graduated from St. Ambrose Uni­versity-Daven­port and completed his theology studies at the University of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary-Mundelein, Illinois. He also completed canon law studies at The Catholic University of America-Washington, D.C. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2003 by Bishop William Franklin at Sacred Heart Cathedral-Davenport. Father Appel has served at St. Paul the Apostle Parish-Davenport, Our Lady of Victory Parish-Davenport, Ss. Mary & Mathias Parish-Muscatine and St. Joseph Parish-Columbus Junction. He also served at St. James Parish-Washington, St. Alphonsus Parish-Davenport, St. Peter Parish-Buffalo and St. Mary Parish-Davenport. He will be relieved of his current assignments as pastor at St. Peter-Buffalo and St. Alphonsus and Holy Family parishes-Davenport.

• Deacon Steve Barton will serve as the new parish life coordinator at St. Andrew Parish-Blue Grass. He will be relieved of his current assignment as deacon at Holy Family Parish-Davenport. He was ordained a deacon in 2017.

• Father Robert Cloos, 64, will serve as pastor at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish-Lost Nation, Assumption and St. Patrick Parish-Charlotte, Immaculate Conception Par­ish-Petersville, Ss. Mary & Joseph Parish-Sugar Creek and St. Patrick Parish-Delmar. He graduated from Western Colorado State University. Prior to the priesthood, he served in the U.S. Air Force and Navy Reserves and worked as an accountant, electrician and in maintenance. He completed his theology studies at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2014 by Bishop Martin Amos at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Father Cloos served at Ss. Mary & Mathias Parish-Muscatine, Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace Parish-Clinton and St. Mary Parish-Iowa City. He will be relieved of his current assignment as pastor of St. Peter Parish-Cosgrove and St. Mary Parish-Oxford.

• Father Daniel Dorau, 62, will continue to serve as pastor of St. James the Less Parish-St. Paul and St. John Parish-Houghton and will become pastor of St. Mary Parish-West Point and St. Boniface Parish-Farm­ington. He graduated from Loras College-Dubuque. Prior to the priesthood, he worked in information technology. He completed his theological studies at Sacred Heart Seminary-Hales Corners. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2017, by Bishop Amos at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Father Dorau previously served at Our Lady of Victory Parish-Davenport, Divine Mercy Parish-Burlington-West Burlington and St. Mary Parish-Dodgeville.

• Father Ross Epping, 32, will remain as chaplain of St. Ambrose University-Davenport and will become pastor of St. Peter Parish-Buffalo. He will be relieved of his assignment as director of vocations. He graduated from St. Ambrose University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake-Mundelein Seminary-Mundelein, Illinois. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2016 by Bishop Amos at Sacred Heart Cathedral. He previously served at St. John Vianney Parish-Bettendorf, Assumption High School-Davenport, Immaculate Conception Parish-Colfax and St. Mary Parish-Grinnell.

• Father Jacob Greiner, 40, will continue to serve as pastor of Our Lady of Victory Parish-Davenport and as director of seminarians and will assume responsibilities as director of vocations.

• Father Louis Hammond, 55, will become chaplain at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City on April 18. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1992 by Bishop Peter Kwasi Sarpong, Bishop of Kumasi, at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral-Cape Coast, Ghana. He has degrees from St. Peter Seminary-Cape Coast; University of Ghana-Accra and Ghana Law School. He has served at St. Joseph Parish-Elmina; St. Joseph Parish-Apam, Assumption of Mary Parish-Agona Nyakrom; Queen of Peace Parish-Madina, Accara; St. Patrick Parish-Southhold, New York state; St. Paul Parish-Mankessim; St. Paul Parish-Assin Jakai; St. Francis de Sales Cathedral-Cape Coast; and as chaplain to Catholic students at non-Catholic high schools in Ghana.

• Father Dennis Hoffman, 62, will become pastor of St. Anthony Parish-Knoxville and Sacred Heart Parish-Melcher. He graduated from Loras College-Dubuque. Prior to seminary, he worked with the American Red Cross Disaster Services. He completed his theology studies at Sacred Heart School of Theology-Hales Corners. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1990 By Bishop Gerald O’Keefe at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Father Hoffman has served at St. Paul the Apostle Parish-Davenport, St. Patrick Parish-Iowa City, All Saints Parish-Keokuk, St. John Parish-Houghton, St. James Parish-St. Paul, St. Mary Parish-Pella and Immaculate Conception Parish-Colfax. He will be relieved of his current assignment as pastor of St. Boniface Parish-Farmington and St. Mary Parish-West Point.

• Father William Kneemiller, 71, retired effective April 1. He graduated from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Before entering the priesthood he was a self-employed contractor specializing in commercial painting. He also did real estate work. He completed his theology studies at St. Paul Seminary at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1999 by Bishop Franklin at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Father Kneemiller served at St. Paul the Apostle Parish-Davenport and as a military chaplain in Iraq. He served at Sacred Heart Parish-Lost Nation, St. James Parish-Toronto and Sacred Heart Parish-Oxford Junction. He served in Afghanistan as a chaplain and served at St. Joseph Parish-Hills, St. Mary Parish-Lone Tree, St. Mary Parish-Nichols and Ss. Philip & James Parish-Grand Mound. He retired as chaplain at the Kahl Home-Davenport.

• Father Ken Kuntz, 71, will retire but continue to serve as a member of the College of Consultors. He graduated from St. Ambrose College-Dav­enport and completed his theology studies at St. Paul Sem­inary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1977 by Bishop O’Keefe at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Father Kuntz served at St. Joseph Parish-DeWitt, St. Anne Parish-Welton, St. John Vianney Parish-Bettendorf, St. Andrew Parish-Blue Grass, St. Peter Parish-Buffalo, St. Mary Parish-Iowa City and St. Michael Parish-Holbrook. He currently serves as pastor at Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace-Clinton.

• Father John Lamansky, 31, will become parochial vicar at Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace Parish-Clinton and serve as chaplain of Prince of Peace Catholic Scho­ols there. He graduated from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, completed advanced studies at Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois; and completed theology studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2018 by Bishop Thomas Zinkula at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Father Lamansky will be relieved of his assignment as parochial vicar of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish-Bettendorf.

• Father Francis Mensah, 39, will become pastor of St. Peter Parish-Cosgrove and St. Mary Par­ish-Oxford and serve as defender of the bond for the marriage tribunal for the Diocese of Davenport. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Matthias Kobina Nketsiah in 2010 in Cape Coast, Ghana. He has degrees from St. Paul Seminary-Accra, and St. Peter Seminary-Cape Coast, the Pontifical Urbaniana University-Rome, Pontifical Gregorian University-Rome and Pontifical Lateran University-Rome. He has served at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana; at a senior high school in Agona Swedru, Ghana; in radio evangelization in Ghana; and as a parochial collaborator at St. Barbara Parish in the Diocese of Rome.

• Father Francis Odoom, 45, will return to his home Archdiocese of Cape Coast, Ghana. He was ordained in 2005. In the Diocese of Davenport he served at Assumption & St. Patrick Parish-Charlotte, Immaculate Conception Parish-Petersville, Ss. Mary & Joseph Parish-Sugar Creek, St. Patrick Parish-Delmar, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish-Lost Nation, Ss. Philip & James Parish-Grand Mound and Sacred Heart Parish-Oxford Junction. He also studied at St. Ambrose University-Davenport.

• Father Joseph Phung, 64, will continue to serve as pastor of Holy Family Parish-Fort Madison, and will become pastor of St. Joseph Parish-Montrose. He previously served as pastor of the Montrose parish from 2016-2020.

• Trevor Pullinger will serve as coordinator of Catechesis and Adult Lay Formation for the Diocese of Davenport. He will be relieved of his current assignment as parish life coordinator of St. Joseph Parish-Montrose.

• Father Timothy Regan, 72, will retire, but continue serving in half-time chaplain ministry at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics effective May 1. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and completed his theology studies at Pope John Paul XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1991 by Bishop O’Keefe at St. Anthony Church-Knoxville. Father Regan served at University Hospitals in Iowa City, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish-Bettendorf, Holy Trinity Parish-Keota, Sacred Heart Parish-Lost Nation, St. James Parish-Toronto and Sacred Heart Parish-Oxford Junction. He served as priest chaplain at Genesis Health System in Davenport and served at St. Paul the Apostle Parish-Davenport. He currently serves as chaplain at University Hospitals in Iowa City.

• Father John Stack, 60, will become parochial vicar at Holy Family Parish-Fort Madison and St. Joseph Parish-Mon­trose. He graduated from St. Ambrose University and completed his theology studies at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary-Mundelein. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1988 by Bishop O’Keefe at Our Lady of Victory Church-Davenport. Father Stack served at Holy Family Parish-Davenport, All Saints Parish-Keokuk, St. Joseph Parish-East Pleasant Plain and St. Frances Xavier Parish-Richland. He served as chaplain at Mercy Medical Center-Clinton, The Alverno and for the Sisters of St. Francis-Clinton. He served at Church of the Visitation Parish-Camanche, Sacred Heart Parish-Lost Nation, St. James Parish-Toronto, Sacred Heart Parish-Oxford Junction, Assumption & St. Patrick Parish-Charlotte, Ss. Mary & Joseph Parish-Sugar Creek, St. Joseph Parish-DeWitt, Ss. Phillip & James Parish-Grand Mound and St. Alphonsus Parish-Mount Pleasant. He will be relieved of his assignment as parochial vicar of Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace Parish-Clinton.

• Deacon Terry Starns will retire. He currently serves as parish life coordinator at St. Andrew Par­ish-Blue Grass. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1992.

• Father Christopher Young, 61, remains as delegate for the bishop in matrimonial matters for the Diocese of Davenport, delegate of the bishop for the community celebrating the Pro-conciliar Liturgy, and serves at Holy Family and St. Alphonsus parishes-Davenport. He will be relieved of ministry at St. Peter Parish-Buffalo and St. Anthony Parish-Davenport.