Earlier today, Archbishop Jackels announced that his request to retire early due to health reasons has been granted by Pope Francis effective today, April 4, 2023. Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Richard Pates, retired Bishop of Des Moines, to serve as Apostolic Administrator until the next Archbishop of Dubuque is named. We pray for Archbishop Jackels and offer our sincere thanks for the stewardship, faithful service, and leadership he has given the Archdiocese.
It was announced yesterday that Fr. Richmond will be relieved of his role as chaplain here at Xavier next year so he can focus more on his parish and the parishioners of St. John XXIII along with other duties. The good news is Fr. Richmond will remain involved and supportive of Xavier students as all pastors of our partnering parishes do -- so you'll probably still see him around! If you do see Fr. Richmond around school or at Mass between now and the end of the school year, please make sure to thank him for the blessing he has been to Xavier over the past three years. We are also excited to welcome Fr. Jacob Dunne to Xavier as our new chaplain next school year, who will come to us from the Mason City area. We'll be sharing more about Fr. Jacob in the near future! We continue to pray for both Fr. Richmond and Fr. Jacob as they embrace their newly-defined roles next year.
