• Home
• Bishop's Column
• Local News
• Columns
• Bulletin Board
• Indiana News
• Nation/World
• Links
• Staff
• Contact Us
• Search Our Site

Year for Priests

On the calendar: Praying for priests

By PAUL R. LEINGANG

In conjunction with the Catholic Schools Office, the Message is publishing a calendar during the Year for Priests. Students and staff are committed to praying for a priest each day, and parishioners are invited to participate.

• Monday, February 8 | Father Dave Martin
  • Father David A. Martin, 59, is associate pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Newburgh.
    He is a native of Gibson County, who studied for the priesthood at St. Meinrad Seminary.
    He was ordained May 14, 1976.
    In addition to parish ministry, Father Martin has taught at Mater Dei High School and also served as director of religious programs at the high school in Evansville.
    Father Martin served parishes in Mount Vernon, Princeton, Evansville, Haubstadt, New Harmony, Boonville and Washington. He was pastor of St. Ferdinand Church in Ferdinand from June 2004 to January 2009.
• Tuesday, February 9 | Father Bob Nemergut
  • Father Robert S. Nemergut, 68, has served as a chaplain at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility since 1997.
    He is a native of Connecticut. He studied at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Conn; St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore; Sts. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Fortune Lake, Mich.; Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, Texas; St. Louis University in St. Louis, and Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis.
    He was ordained April 22, 1977, and first assigned as an associate at St. John the Baptist Church in Newburgh and to assist at the Newman Center at the University of Evansville.
    His ministry has included jail ministry, correctional ministry, involvement in urban and interdenominational ministry, and parish ministry in Evansville, Jasper and Vincennes.
• Wednesday, February 10 | Father Dave Nunning
  • Father David H. Nunning, 66, serves as pastor of Sacred Heart and St. Agnes churches, both in Evansville (since November 2002) and as Dean of the Evansville West Deanery (since 1995).
    He is a native of Evansville’s west side, who studied for the priesthood in Innsbruck, Austria. He was ordained Aug. 3, 1969.
    His ministry has included teaching at Memorial High School in Evansville, and he served as diocesan director of religious education.
    He has served parishes in Evansville, Princeton and St. Wendel.
• Thursday, February 11 | Father Mark O’Keefe, O.S.B.
  • Benedictine Father Mark O’Keefe is pastor of St. Mary Church in Huntingburg. Prior to his appointment to the parish in August 2008, he completed a 12-year term as president-rector of St. Meinrad School of Theology.
    Father Mark, 53, was born in Shirley, Mass. He made his profession of vows on Aug. 6, 1979, and was ordained a priest on May 1, 1983.
    He has a bachelor of arts degree from St. Meinrad, a master of arts from Indiana University, and a doctorate in sacred theology from the Catholic Univer-sity of America.
• Friday, February 12 | Father Frank Renner
  • Father Frank G. Renner, 54, was ordained May 22, 1981.
    He is a native of Jasper, who studied for the priesthood at St. Meinrad Seminary and Moreau Seminary at Notre Dame, Ind.
    His first assignment was as associate pastor of St. John Church in Loogootee, then of St. Joseph Church in Jasper. He was named pastor of All Saints Church in Cannelburg and St. Mary Church, Barr Township, in 1992.
    He was pastor of St. Philip Neri Church in Bicknell from 1997 until his 2006 appointment to his current position as pastor of St. Mary Church in Sullivan and St. Joan of Arc Church in Jasonville.