October 15, 2010
Father Gordon Mann on health leave from Our Lady of Hope Church
By PAUL R. LEINGANG (Message editor)
Father Gordon Mann, pastor of Our Lady of Hope Church in Washington, announced to his parishioners over the weekend that Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger has “placed him on Health Leave for an undetermined period of time.”
An email message from Bishop Gettelfinger relayed the development to priests and staff in the diocese following the announcement in Washington.
The bishop said Father Mann would be on leave ”that he may have time to recover from his health concerns without the burden of parish administration.”
The bishop concluded with a request for prayers.
“Let us pray that Father Gordon will have a successful recovery from his current health problems and return to full health to resume his pastorate at Our Lady of Hope,” he said.
Father James Koressel, Dean of the Washington Deanery, will serve as temporary administrator of the parish. Bishop Gettelfinger noted that Father Koressel has “full authority to make decisions [so] that the life of the parish may continue to flourish.”
During the time of Father Mann’s leave, all queries and concerns should be directed to Father Koressel who “has responsibility for the full administration of the parish and its schools,” said the bishop.
Our Lady of Hope was founded in 2008 from the former Catholic parishes of St. Simon and St. Mary. Father Mann, 51, has been the pastor since December 2004.
Father Koressel, 67, is pastor of three parishes: St. Peter Church in Montgomery, All Saints Church in Cannelburg and Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Petersburg.
Father Ryan Hilderbrand, associate pastor for the three parishes, is completing an advanced degree at the University of Our Lady of the Lake, also called Mundelein Seminary near Chicago. He was granted leave from the diocese from September 2010 to February 2011.
Our Lady of Hope is the location of Washington Catholic Elementary School which had 280 students in the 2009-2010 academic year, and of Washington Catholic Middle and High School, which had 144 students according to last year’s enrollment figures. (The Catholic Schools Office has not yet re-ported enrollment for the current year.)
Gerry Adams, who retired from Memorial High School in Evansville, is serving as interim principal of the middle and high school; Jeanne Hetzel, a former principal of Holy Family School in Jasper, is interim principal of the elementary school. Washington Catholic’s previous principal, David Memmer, is principal of Holy Spirit School in Evansville.