Greetings and Blessings to all of you at Queen of Peace Parish! As I celebrate my first weekend with all of you, my heart is filled with gratitude to Almighty God for the opportunity to serve you all as your new pastor. As many of you know, my previous assignment for the past six years has been at Saint Mary of the Lake in Culver. I was very blessed in many ways during my time there and I have no doubt it will be every bit as wonderful calling Queen of Peace my new home.
 
I want to take this opportunity to tell you all a little bit about myself. I am a native of Canton, Ohio where my parents, sister and brother-in-law, and niece and two nephews all still live. As a child, I lived with my family on a small hobby farm where we raised goats and chickens and always had a big garden, so I love the outdoors and especially enjoy gardening. After high school I attended college where I studied music education with the plan to be a band director and composer. The Good Lord had different plans and with the support and encouragement of my family, I entered the seminary in 2008. I transferred to the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and moved to my new home in Indiana while still in the seminary back in 2011.
 
I look forward to meeting all of you and getting to know my “new family.” I feel particularly blessed to be following Fr. John as I know he is a priest with the beautiful heart of a pastor. He leaves big shoes to fill, but I trust that with God’s gracious assistance and all of our prayers, Queen of Peace will continue to thrive.
For those of you who may be reading this after attending the Sunday 6:00 PM Mass, I want to express my sincere apology for not being able to meet you in person this week. As is the case frequently when priests are reassigned, travels and/or commitments that take us away from the parish often have been scheduled for some time. Unfortunately, this is the case today, as I depart for a brief annual trip with some of my brother priests. I look forward to returning this coming Tuesday evening and digging into life here at Queen of Peace.
 
Please know of my prayers for all of you and I ask that you offer a prayer for me as well.
 
With excitement and hope for our future together, I remain,
 
Faithfully in Christ,
Fr. Bill

"Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess. 5:16--18