DIOCESAN—Four priests of the Rockford Diocese will be retiring this month.

Father Karl Ganss

Father Ganss was ordained to the priesthood in Nazareth, Pa. as a Missionary of the Sacred Heart, by Bishop Joseph McShea on Sept. 21, 1968.

He studied at Sacred Heart Seminary in Shelby, Ohio, DePaul University, Chicago (master’s degree in history), Loyola University, Chicago (Ph.D. in education in 1979), and St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore (Doctor of Ministry in 1984). He served as head of religious studies at the former Sacred Heart Seminary in Geneva and also taught religion at Mount St. Mary’s in St. Charles and Our Lady Academy in Chicago.

Fr. Karl Ganss

Father Ganss came to McHenry County in 1972 as area director of religious education. He became

superintendent

 of Catholic education for the McHenry County area in 1976, also

 serving as the director of the McHenry County Catholic Education Foundation. He directed programs and served as liaison between Catholic schools principals in the county. He was incardinated into the Diocese of Rockford in 1979.

He served as an associate at Holy Angels Parish in Aurora from 1982-1983. From 1983-1995, Father Ganss held a variety of positions including director of Renew, administrator at St. Patrick Parish, Hartland, pastor at St. Mary Parish in Durand and St. Patrick Parish in Irish Grove, vicar for spiritual formation for the diocese and director for the Secretariat for Evangelization. In 1995, he became pastor of St. Mary Parish in DeKalb, and in 2003 he began his current assignment as pastor of St. Gall Parish in Elburn.

Father Ganss plans to join already-retired Father Michael Tierney at a home at Lake Summerset where they can enjoy their love of gardening, a pontoon boat and travel beginning later this summer with a trip to parts of Europe including the home of Father Ganss’ father.

Father Ganss also will be teaching in the diaconate program, and he’ll be continuing his service with the Apostleship of the Sea U.S.A., under the direction of the U.S. bishops, to provide spiritual support to crews, Merchant Marines and passengers on Celebrity, Holland America, Princess and Norwegian cruise ships.

Parishioners at St. Gall Parish, 120 W. Shannon St., will host receptions for Father Ganz after weekend Masses June 23-24.

Msgr. William Schwartz

Born in Aurora, Msgr. Schwartz attended Marmion Academy in Aurora, Loras College in Dubuque and North American College in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood on Dec. 20, 1968, at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Msgr. William Schwartz

His first assignment was as an associate at St. Joseph Parish in Elgin, 1969-1971. He served on the faculty at St. Edward Central Catholic High School in Elgin for a year and was appointed to the Diocesan Vocations Commission. He was director of religious education at Newman Central Catholic High School in Sterling for four years, serving part of that time also as assistant principal, then as superintendent.

In 1976, he began service as an associate at St. Mary Parish in McHenry, becoming administrator of St. Andrew Parish in Rock Falls in 1977. The following year he became administrator of Sacred Heart Parish in Sterling, and became its pastor a few months later, all while serving as director of religious education at Newman Central.

In 1983, he began service as pastor of St. Mary Parish in DeKalb, serving there until 1995 when he became rector at the Cathedral of St. Peter. In 1983 he also began service as associate vocations director. During his time at the Cathedral, he was a member of the Presbyteral Council, a diocesan consultor, assistant principal and director of religious education at Boylan Central Catholic High School, and a member of the priests’ health committee.

Msgr. Schwartz also has long given service to the Scouting program. In 1974 he was appointed council Scout Chaplain for the portion of the Blackhawk Area Council in the diocese. He served from 1978-1996 as Associate Scout Chaplain and from 1996-2006 as Chaplain for the Boy Scouts. Following a one-year sabbatical, in 2007 Msgr. Schwartz became director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate for the Rockford Diocese.

In 1996, he received the title of monsignor, and in 2000, he was elevated to the rank of Pronotary Apostolic Supernumerary, the highest rank of monsignor.

Msgr. Schwartz plans to continue to help in, and be a consultant for, the diaconate office for “as long as they need me, so that whoever comes in has somebody who will be a good support to them,” he says.

Father Robert Sherry

Hailing from Aurora, Father Sherry attended Holy Angels School, St. Meinrad Minor Seminary and College in Indiana, and St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. In 1975 he received a master’s degree in religious education from Loyola University and a Doctor of Ministry from St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein, in 1983.

Fr. Robert Sherry

He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Loras T. Lane on May 28, 1966. His first assignment was as an assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Freeport. In 1970, he was in residence at Sacred Heart Parish in Sterling, becoming a member of the Sterling Team Ministry. In 1971, he became a member of the Diocesan Vocations Commission and also of the Campus Ministry Apostolate at Sauk Valley College in Dixon. In 1973 he was assigned as associate pastor for St. Mary and Sacred Heart parishes in Sterling.

In 1975, he became diocesan vocations director and also chaplain for the Notre Dame Provincial House in DeKalb. He founded a residence program on the campus of Northern Illinois University called “The Branches” for young men who were considering the priesthood.

In 1980, Father Sherry became pastor of St. Therese of Jesus Parish in Aurora. He served also as vice-president of the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors.

From 1982-1989, he was executive director of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariates of Priestly Formation and Vocations in Washington, D.C.

Following that, he became the founding pastor of Church of Holy Apostles in McHenry where he currently serves.

Father Sherry has long worked with a variety of media to spread the Good News in and beyond his parish. For the past 12 years, he says, he has worked with author and speaker Matthew Kelly on pilgrimages and outings. Upon his retirement, he will be moving to Cincinnati to work with Kelly’s new Dynamic Catholic Programs ministry and plans also to work part-time as a spokesman for Cross Catholic Outreach, a fundraising ministry that sustains established programs in Third World countries such as Haiti.

Parishioners at Church of Holy Apostles, 5211 W. Bull Valley Road, will fete Father Sherry at a reception, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., June 24, at its Bell Tower Place.

Father Geoffrey Wirth

A native of Chicago, Father Wirth attended Quigley Preparatory Seminar, St. Meinrad Seminary, St. Procopius Seminary and Ballarmine School of Theology. He was ordained to the priesthood as a Benedictine member of Marmion Abbey by Bishop George J. Biskup on June 10, 1967. He taught at Marmion Military Academy in Aurora from 1967-1970.

Fr. Geoffrey Wirth

From 1970-75, he served in parish ministry at Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Aurora. From 1975-76, he was a seminary faculty member at Colegio Seminario de San Jose in Guatemala.

He joined the Diocese of Rockford in 1976 and was appointed associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Harvard and coordinator of the Spanish-speaking apostolate for McHenry County. The following year he became an associate at SS. Peter and Paul Parish in Cary, and in 1978 also served as parochial administrator of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Algonquin pending appointment of a pastor there.

In 1982, Father Wirth earned a doctor of ministry degree from St. Mary of the Lake Seminary’s School of Theology in Mundelein. He became pastor of St. Mary Parish in Sterling in 1980, and pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Crystal Lake in 1987. In 2001 he began service as pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in Elgin.

He served in the Diocese of Rockford as a member of the Priest Senate, the Priestly Life and Ministry Commission, and as director of continuing education for the clergy.

Father Geoffrey Wirth plans to stay in his current home in Huntley and is “looking forward to time to linger with the Lord,” he says. He adds that he wants to help around the diocese wherever he can, including being open to giving parish missions. Fishing at his family’s Wisconsin home in Door County will round out those retirement activities.

Additionally, he plans to travel around the country on select weekends each month to speak at parish Masses on behalf of Food for the Poor. A mission trip that he took last October to Haiti was “life-altering for me,” he says. In March, Father Wirth traveled to Ft. Lauderdale to look at the Food for the Poor operation and says he was impressed by what he saw.

Although his plans have him happily anticipating his retirement, Father Wirth adds that he wants to allow plenty of unstructured time and “be open to be surprised by the Lord.”

Father Wirth was honored by parishioners at St. Thomas More Parish at receptions after Masses on June 9 and 10.