60 Years: Father Robert N. Sherry
BELVIDERE—Father Robert Sherry was born in Hinsdale. He attended St. Meinrad High School and College in St. Meinrad, Ind., and St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. Later, he did post-graduate studies at Loyola University in Chicago in 1975 and received a Doctor of Ministry degree from St. Mary of the Lake Seminary at Mundelein in 1983.
He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Loras T. Lane on May 28, 1966, at St. James Pro-Cathedral
in Rockford.
Father Sherry began his service as parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Freeport (1966-1970). He then served in Sterling Team Ministry at Sacred Heart and St. Mary parishes in Sterling (1970-1973). He served those two parishes as parochial vicar for a couple of months before serving as parochial vicar at St. Laurence Parish in Elgin (1974-1975), and in campus ministry at Elgin Community College and Judson College for the 1974-1975 school year. The following school year, he served as chaplain at the Notre Dame Provincial House
in DeKalb.
Father Sherry was the diocesan vocation director (1975-1982), and also was pastor of St. Therese of Jesus Parish in Aurora (1980-1982). At that time, he began service as the executive director of the National Council of Catholic Bishops
Priestly Formation and Vocations, serving there until
August 1988.
From February to July of 1989, he participated in an internship program with Catholic TV of America. He became the first pastor of Church of Holy Apostles Parish in McHenry, building and serving that parish community, which was known for its use of media to spread
the Gospel, from 1989 to 2012. He also served as spiritual director for the Rockford Cursillo Movement from
1999 to 2011.
Father Sherry retired on June 29, 2012. After retiring, he served as chaplain for author Matthew Kelly’s Dynamic Catholic organization in Cincinnati and Kentucky. He retired from that service about five years ago and returned to the Rockford area where he continues to assist in parishes.
60 Years: Msgr. Gerald P. Kobbeman, STL
ROCKFORD—Msgr. Gerald Kobbeman hails from Sterling and is a graduate of Newman Central Catholic High School. His higher education included St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, and North American College in Rome, Italy, where he received his Licentiate of Sacred Theology in June 1967. He was ordained to the priesthood on Dec. 17, 1966, by Bishop Francis Reh at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
His first assignment was as parochial vicar at St. Bernadette Parish in Rockford (1967-1972). He served also as a notary (1968-1972) and secretary (1969-1975) at the Diocesan Tribunal. He was director of the diocesan Family Life Office (1972-1976), and he became a pro-synodal judge
in 1974.
Msgr. Kobbeman began two years of service as parochial vicar at St. Patrick Parish in St. Charles (1975-1977). He served as pastor at St. Patrick Parish in Dixon (1977-1987), Holy Angels Parish in Aurora (1987-2000), and at St. Rita Parish in Rockford (2000-2011).
He was given the papal honor Chaplain to His Holiness on Nov. 22, 2007.
In addition to his parish assignments, Msgr. Kobbeman was a diocesan consultor for four years beginning in January 1995, on the diocesan
Finance Council for three years beginning in July 2001, Vicar Forane (dean) of the Rockford Deanery for four years beginning in July 2008, and was part of the diocesan College of Consultors (2011-2014).
Msgr. Kobbeman retired on June 30, 2011, then served for a time as diocesan Coordinator of Pilgrimages beginning in 2013. He continues to serve the Catholic Women’s League as its spiritual director.
