DIOCESE—Father James Father Keenan, pastor of St. Mary Parish here, has been appointed Vicar Forane of the Sterling deanery. His appointment by Bishop David Malloy is effective, June 20.

Father Keenan succeeds Msgr. Thomas Dzielak who served the deanery for 15 years.

Each vicar forane, or dean, is responsible for the common pastoral activity in his area of the diocese. A dean collaborates with the priests of his area in regular meetings and provides reports to the diocesan bishop as prescribed by canon law.

Father Keenan is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout at his home parish of Our Lady of Angels in 1982.

He graduated from St. Joseph by the Sea High School in Staten Island, N.Y., in 1983, attended Wadhams Hall Seminary College for two years and earned a bachelor’s degree in religion and history from the college of St. Joseph in Rutland, Vt., and master of divinity degree from Mount St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.

Father Keenan was ordained to the priesthood May 15, 1999, by Bishop Thomas G. Doran at the Cathedral of St. Peter, Rockford.

His first assignment was as a parochial vicar at St. Edward Parish in Rockford, also teaching part time at Boylan Central Catholic High School, and then serving as spiritual director for the diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

In 2002 he became pastor at Immaculate Conception Parish in Fulton and St. Patrick  Parish in Albany.

In 2007, he was appointed pastor at St. Patrick in Dixon. In 2011, he was appointed pastor of St. Mary in Elgin.

In June of 2012 he returned to the Sterling deanery to become pastor of St. Mary Parish there.

He served the diocese for three terms on the Presbyteral Council and has been a long time member of the Newman Council of Administration and served as president for a short time.

Father Keenan has been a Knights of Columbus member since 1988 and a Fourth Degree Knight since 1991. He served three terms as parish council Knights Chaplain and was Faithful Friar for the Sterling Assembly.

In 2005 he was appointed to the Commission of Conciliation and Arbitration and currently serves as at-large member of the board of directors of the Catholic Foundation.