Saint Peter's Point- The Catholic Blog of Saint Peter Parish, Stevens Point Wisconsin

According to the Saint Peter Diamond Jubilee book, our parish “through all the years of its history, was blessed with pastors who were lovers of sacred music.  Good organs were the rule, and exceptionally talented choirs and organists have made Saint Peter’s noted for good Church music” (p. 103).  Indeed, the commitment of our parish to the highest quality authentic sacred music for use in the liturgy is manifested in our history.  From 1923 to 1946 Professor Eugene Walkiewicz was the organist and choir instructor at Saint Peter.  Following him was Professor Waclaw Betlejewski who served from 1948 to 1951.  These two native Poles were world-class organists, choirmasters, and composers.  While at Saint Peter, Professor Walkiewicz composed many pieces of sacred music and Professor Betlejewski later compiled them.  What a beautiful legacy this is, and for us what a responsibility – and privilege – to sustain!  As we give glory to God with sacred music at Saint Peter we are also more deeply connected to our Polish roots and history as a parish

In continuity with this great tradition, I am pleased to announce that Patrick Burkhart, our Director of Sacred Music and Organist currently at half-time, will move to three-quarters time effective July 1.  On that date he will also take up the responsibilities of the newly-created (quarter-time) post of parish Coordinator of Youth Apostolate.  But more on that later!  Patrick, a native of La Crosse, earned a B.A. in Music from Viterbo University, La Crosse, in 1983.  In 1988 he received an M.A. in Music from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, studying organ under Dr. John Chappell.  While a university student Patrick served as Organist and Director of Music at First Congregational Church in La Crosse.  Upon earning his M.A. he became the Director of Music at Saint Cecilia Cathedral, Omaha, Nebraska – a church known for having one of the finest programs of sacred music in the nation.  After nearly a decade at the Cathedral, Patrick relocated to Wisconsin during which time he served as a teacher and Director of Choral Activities at Rosholt Middle and High Schools as well as our own Pacelli High School.  While at Pacelli he additionally began taking on administrative posts acting as Assistant Principal and Dean of Students.  Most recently he has been the Principal of Aquinas High School, La Crosse, and then of Saint Adalbert (Rosholt) and Sacred Heart (Polonia) Elementary Schools.  Patrick earned a Certification in Educational Leadership from Viterbo University in 2007.

Earlier this year, Patrick decided to definitively exit the world of school administration (having previously served as an Acting Principal of two elementary schools I could sympathize with him!) as it seemed that God was leading him to once again dedicate himself more fully to the use of his musical talents.  Over the past ten years Patrick has experienced a real awakening and maturation of his Catholic faith.  Indeed, Saint Peter Parish – its priests and parishioners – has played a crucial role in the nourishment of his faith.  Patrick loves Saint Peter Parish – its faith-filled parishioners, its inspiring history, and its rich tradition of sacred music and the celebration of the liturgy according to the mind and discipline of the Church.  He expressed to me his strong desire to remain at Saint Peter but obviously could not do so on the meager half-time salary we pay him.  The fact is that, according to the national pay scale standard of the American Guild of Organists, a musician with Patrick’s academic background and experience could command salary and benefits (full-time) of more than $90,000.00.  Clearly, our parish cannot afford that!  And Patrick was not looking for that from us!  But what a loss for us if we would let a musician of his caliber “get away!” 

At this point of the discussion, another reality of parish life came into play.  Basically, since my second year at Saint Peter I have been alone in providing priestly pastoral care to you.  In this new situation, in order to meet your pastoral needs yet not kill myself in the process, I shifted a significant number of responsibilities to our own Phil Lawson.  Indeed, the job description of the Director of Catechesis and Evangelization got a complete “makeover” in 2006!  This has proven to be incredibly successful pastorally (Phil is so good at what he does!) as well as being helpful to relieve a portion of the stress on me (even though I am still regularly putting in 90 plus hour weeks serving you!).  However, the foreseen side effect is that Phil no longer has sufficient time to be able to dedicate to the labor-intensive task of development and cultivation of programs for our children and adolescents.  Already last year Phil and I talked about this lacuna in the pastoral works of our parish and that it would be important in the near future to have someone fill this need.  Well, in the meantime, our Pastoral Council and Finance Council in identifying our parish needs and goals for the next five years – our We Belong to Christ Campaign – established the youth apostolate as a priority.  A very modest amount of the monies collected through our We Belong to Christ Campaign is designated to fund the (quarter-time) position of Coordinator of Youth Apostolate at Saint Peter.  Just like in the cartoons, the light bulb appeared over my head as I thought about Patrick Burkhart’s years of work with youth as a teacher and principal that would certainly qualify him for this new post.  I first went to Phil Lawson, however, seeking his counsel and opinion.  And in the end, of course, Patrick would have to actually be interested in this! 

Yet another fact of contemporary parish life and finances became relevant at this stage!  With their convents and rectories sitting empty or barely occupied (like our behemoth rectory!) and having very limited financial resources, many parishes throughout our Diocese and the nation are offering as part of the compensation package for parish staff room and board in the convent or rectory.  This sort of creativity is enabling parishes to secure pastoral services that they would normally not be able to afford if they went the traditional route of virtually all compensation being given in the form of salary.  And so such arrangements are working out very well for all involved.  In fact, Saint Peter had such an arrangement with Phil Lawson when he was first hired!  This is nothing new for our parish!  For well over a year Phil lived in our rectory, his room and board being provided as part of his compensation package as our employee.

Assembling all these pieces of the puzzle I approached Patrick to gauge his interest in a creative compensation package that would be sufficient to retain his services meeting his financial needs while advancing our sacred music program and youth apostolate, removing yet more stress from my life, and – as an added bonus – saving the parish a ton of money for the quality of services received.  Patrick and I agreed in principle that he would accept the quarter-time position of Coordinator of Youth Apostolate plus he would go to three-quarters time as Director of Sacred Music and Organist with a very modest increase in his base salary but with the parish providing him room and board at the rectory (as well as other benefits that accompany full-time employment as the two posts combine for 40 hours per week).  The proposal was discussed and approved at the March 13, 2008, meeting of the parish Finance Council and it was presented at the May 19, 2008, meeting of the parish Pastoral Council.  Having received the counsel of these bodies, I formally offered Patrick the two positions.  To be continued next week . . . . .

Saint Peter, pray for us!  Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

Father Kevin C. Louis