From the Desk of Father Jim Weighner

Greetings to the Parishioners of St John the Baptist and Christ the King,
 
As most of you know by now, I have been assigned to serve as your pastor beginning in July of this year. I will be arriving sometime July 5th, and will begin my service at that time. Following is a short bio, and I will be introducing myself in the coming weeks. God bless, and know you are in my prayers as we begin this next chapter in the parish life here in Marshfield.
​
In the mid to late ‘90’s, I began discerning a call to serve God and His Church as a priest. I spent some time in a religious order, studying in French speaking Canada, New York and Mexico. After finishing Philosophy, I left the order and took a year to discern diocesan priesthood. Coming to the Diocese of La Crosse under then-Bishop Burke, I attended Major Seminary at the Josephinum in Columbus Ohio and Mundelein Seminary outside of Chicago, I was ordained for the diocese of La Crosse in 2007 by now Archbishop Listecki. My first assignment was as Associate Pastor in Chippewa Falls, serving at both Notre Dame and Holy Ghost Parishes, and as chaplain to the McDonnell Middle School and High School for 2 years. In 2009, I was assigned to St Gabriel and St John Nepumuc in Prairie du Chien and Sacred Heart in Wauzeka. In 2012 Sacred Heart was given to the pastor at Eastman, and we merged the 2 Prairie du Chien parishes into one, Holy Family Parish, where I have been the pastor since that time. Holy Family is a fairly large parish in our diocese, with somewhere in the neighborhood of 1150 to 1200 families along with a parish pre-k to 8th grade school.

I come from a large family in N.E. Iowa, with 6 brothers and 6 sisters. Of these I am the middle child, and so have the middle child syndrome in spades. I am a later vocation (46 when ordained) and spent almost 20 years in farming and manufacturing with family businesses. I also served my home community as an EMT for over 10 years. In my free time, I enjoy a variety of activities ranging from walking and hiking, hunting and fishing, golfing and riding bikes. In addition, I have held a private pilot certificate since the early 1980’s.
About a year and a half ago, I got a dog, Syd. He is a half Mini Australian Shepherd and half Standard Poodle. I am sure you will be seeing him and me in the area. He tends to be a bit stand-offish, and is used to a small town feel, but hopefully he will make the adjustment quickly. Looking forward to getting to know many of you and beginning my service to you as your pastor. God bless.
 
Fr. Jim