Fr. R. Dean Probst
Fr. Dean is the son of the late Raymond "Bud" and Gertrude Probst of Dieterich. He graduated from Dieterich Grade and High School. A 1974 graduate of the University of Illinois with a BA in Liberal Arts, and a 1975 graduate of Eastern Illinois University with a BS in Business, Fr. Dean worked as an accountant before entering the seminary in 1976.
Fr. Dean attended Seminary at the former Diocesan Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield for Pre-Theology and then Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis. He received his Masters of Divinity Degree in 1981 and was ordained to the priesthood on May 30, 1981. Fr. Dean completed his Jurisprudence in Canon Law at the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, in 2006. In addition to being pastor, he serves as a Judge on the Diocesan Tribunal. He was appointed liaison for priests in 2014. A fan of the New York Yankees, Fr. Dean cheers for the Cardinals or the Cubs to bring them to the area. Deacon Emeritus Larry Miller
A graduate of St. Thomas, Larry was ordained to the diaconate by Cardinal James Hickey at Saint Matthew's Cathedral in Washington D.C. on May 7th 1988. Since then, he has served the people of God as a deacon in various assignments around the world, including parishes in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Hawaii and Korea.
Deacon Larry is the son of Roscoe and Adeline Miller, lifetime parishioners of St. Thomas. For 30 years, he served as an active army officer, retiring as a Colonel in August 2000. After his retirement, he served as a member of the Senior Executive Service in Washington D. C. for 10 years before returning to Newton in January 2011. |
Parochial Vicar Fr. Pawel Luczak
Rev. Pawel Lucazk was born and raised in Radzymin, just outside Warsaw, Poland. In 2006, he joined the Pallottine order as a novitiate, but he was not yet ready for the seminary. Instead, he became a customer service representative for a European mobile service provider. Later, a friend in the United Kingdom offered him a job working in laundry. He later worked in another customer service role there, as well as in a factory. In addition to these various work experiences, Fr. Pawel's years in the U.K. provided him with two other important opportunities - an immersive time for improving his English and the chance to witness a kind of priesthood unlike one he had ever before encountered. "I saw what the model of priesthood looks like in the U.K., where the pastor really has a relationship with the people," Fr. Pawel says. "In Poland, it is much more formal and strict - there is no shaking hands after Mass or inviting priests for a meal. When I saw how it looked in the U.K., I really liked that and realized it was more for me." Fr. Pawel began a course of studies at Ss. Cyril & Methodius Seminary at Orchard Lake, MI. Following two years of seminary studies, Fr. Pawel spent his last years in pastoral formation at Our Saviour Parish in Jacksonville, under the guidance of pastor Fr. Tom Meyer. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, Fr. Pawel's ordination on May 2, 2020, did not look exactly the way anyone had imagined - but the celebration was uniquely beautiful nonetheless. Fr. Pawel was assigned to St. Anthony of Padua for a summer and St. Peter in Quincy before coming to St. Thomas. "The most exciting part is meeting people and being out with them, and getting to know them better and the needs and concerns in their daily life and spiritual life, and then being able to respond to those needs. I'm looking forward to meeting the parishioners and the people, and going to see the school and the students, and just waiting for that moment when I can say 'hello' to everyone after Mass!" Previous Pastors of St. Thomas
Fr. Fischer
Fr. Cornelius Hoffmans Fr. John Molitor Fr. Joseph Patrick Munday Fr. Jeremiah Cronin Fr. John Lupton Fr. Daniel Daly Fr. Maurice Gavin Fr. Thomas Gorman Fr. Donald Meehling Fr. Thomas Ryan Fr. Richard Peradotto Fr. Joseph McCarthy Fr. Joseph Molloy Fr. Barry Harmon Fr. Allen Kemme |