Dear parishioners of St. Anne’s,

My name is Fr. Timothy Draper. I am grateful to be here with all of you as your new priest and pastor. By way of introduction, I am originally from Illinois and am the second of three children. From about the age of six, I wanted to be a priest. As I grew up, this desire in my heart also grew with the help of God's grace, the example of many holy priests, and the prayers and support of family and friends.

 

Particularly influential in my priestly discernment was attending our diocesan vocation camps and World Youth Day in Toronto, Canada in 2002. At World Youth Day, Pope St. John Paul II encouraged all of us to trust in Christ, and, for those considering a possible calling to the priesthood or consecrated life, to be not afraid, as he put it, “to follow Christ on the royal road of the Cross!” These words of our late Holy Father were a great encouragement to me and remain with me to this day. Toward the end of my high school years, I began daily to attend Mass and daily to spend an hour in prayer and adoration before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. The strength that I received through the Holy Eucharist gave me the final “push” to enter seminary in the fall of 2004, when I began my studies for the holy priesthood at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, Nebraska.

In the spring of 2008, I graduated from St. Gregory the Great Seminary with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, and, in the fall of 2008, began my first year of theological studies at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis. After completing my third year of theological studies, I was ordained to the sacred diaconate on May 21, 2011 by the late Most Reverend Thomas G. Doran. A year later, I completed my theological studies at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, earning the degrees of Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Theology. And, on May 19, 2012, I was ordained a priest of Jesus Christ by the Most Reverend David J. Malloy.

 

My first parish assignment as a priest was Holy Cross Catholic Church in Batavia. I was the parochial vicar there from 2012 to 2015. During that time, I did some part time teaching at Aurora Central Catholic High School and also served as an Assistant Master of Ceremonies for Bishop Malloy. In the summer of 2015, I was assigned to be the parochial administrator of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Amboy, St. Mary Catholic Church in Walton, and St. Flannen Catholic Church in Harmon. In 2016, I was appointed pastor of those three parishes. After five years in Amboy, it was difficult to say goodbye to my former parishioners. Nevertheless, I am excited to get to know you and minister to you. I am especially excited about the opportunity to share the faith with our students in St. Anne Catholic School and in our parish religious education program.

 

I sincerely ask for your prayers and your patience with me as I do my best to serve you as your priest and pastor. As your pastor, I promise to pray for you, to accompany you, and to work with you to live and share our beautiful Catholic faith. Relying on the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her mother, St. Anne, let us begin this journey together.

 

Rev. Timothy J. Draper,
Pastor