MADISON — Several Southwest Wisconsin Roman Catholic churches are getting new priests, and churches are being put into new groups, as part of the Madison Catholic Diocese’s Into the Deep parish reorganization plan. 

The diocese’s website calls Into the Deep “a multi-year comprehensive strategic planning process” “to realign our resources — physical, financial, human, priestly, etc. — so that we might move our parishes and other Catholic institutions from maintenance to mission, in order to share the life-changing good news of Jesus Christ more effectively in our increasingly secular culture.”

New church groupings, or pastorates, and priest reassignments, which are effective July 1, were announced in churches this weekend.

Rev. John Blewett, the current pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church in Platteville, is leaving to become parochial vicar of a pastorate based in Baraboo, Reedsburg and Wisconsin Dells. 

Blewitt will be replaced at St. Mary’s by Rev. Gregory Ihm, who now is a pastor of Catholic churches in Bloomington. Cassville, Glen Haven and Patch Grove.

Rev. William Vernon, pastor of St. Clement Catholic Church in Lancaster, is leaving to become pastoral vicar for a group of churches in Sun Prairie, Waterloo and Marshall.

The group of churches that includes St. Clement will have three new priests — Rev. Stephen Brummer, who is now at Christ the King Catholic Church in McFarland; Rev. Mark Miller, who now is at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Belleville, and Rev. Sudhakai Devarapu, who is now pastoral vicar of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Madison.

The group of churches that includes St. Philomena in Belmont and Our Lady of Fatima in Darlington is getting two new priests — Rev. Chris Gernetzke, now pastor of St. Peter in Ashton and St. Martin of Tours in Martinsville; and Rev. Cristian Valenzuela, SJS, now at Corpus Christi in Boscobel, St. Mary and St. Augustine in Platteville and Queen of All Saints in Fennimore.

The group of churches that includes St. Thomas Catholic Church in Montfort is getting two new priests — Rev. Tafadzwa Kushamba, now pastor of St. Clare of Assisi in Monroe, and Rev. Alex Carmel, now pastor of St. Gabriel the Archangel in Lake Mills.

St. Thomas’ pastor, Rev. James Murphy, is going to a group of parishes in Beloit and Clinton.

Kushamba is being replaced in his group by Rev. David Carrano, now pastor of Good Shepherd in Madison and chaplain of Catholic Charismatic Renewal; Rev. Joseph Bellamkondo, now pastoral administrator of St. John the Baptist in Waunakee and St. Mary of the Lake in Westport; and Rev. Chahm Gahng, now pastor of St. Michael the Archangel in Mount Horeb.

Rev. Richard Leffler, pastor of St. Andrew Catholic Church in Tennyson and St. Thomas Cathoic Church in Potosi, is retiring.

Pastorate 1: St. Mary, Bloomington; St. Charles Borromeo, Cassville; St. Mary Help of Christians, Glen Haven; St. Clement, Lancaster; St. John, Patch Grove; St. Andrew, Tennyson, St. Thomas, Potosi, and St. Clement, St. Charles, St. Mary and Sts. Andrew—Thomas schools: Rev. Stephen Brummer, now of Christ the King Catholic Church in McFarland, parochial administrator; Rev. Sudhakai Devarapu, now at Our Lady Queen of Peace in Madison. and Rev. Mark Miller, now of St Francis of Assisi in Belleville, parochial vicars.

Pastorate 2: St. Mary, Platteville; St. Patrick, Benton; St. Rose of Lima, Cuba City; Holy Ghost, Dickeyville; St. Francis de Sales, Hazel Green; Immaculate Conception, Kieler; St. Joseph, Sinsinawa, and Holy Ghost—Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph and St. Rose of Lima schools: Rev. Gregory Ihm, now of St. Mary in Bloomington, St. Charles Borromeo, St. John in Patch Grove and St. Mary Help of Christians, parochial administrator; Rev. David Flanagan of St. Rose of Lima and St. Patrick, Rev. Peter Auer of St. Francis de Sales and St. Joseph, and Rev. Bernard Rott of Holy Ghost and Immaculate Conception, parochial vicars.

Pastorate 3: St. Philomena, Belmont; Our Lady of Fatima, Darlington, Calamine, Elk Grove, Seymour. Truman; St. Joseph, Gratiot; St. Matthew, Shullsburg; St. John, South Wayne and Holy Rosary School in Darlington: Rev. Chris Gernetzke, now pastor of St. Peter in Ashton and St. Martin of Tours in Martinsville, parochial administrator; Rev. Peter Lee, now at St. Matthew, St. Joseph and St. John, and Rev. Cristian Valenzuela, SJS, now at Corpus Christi in Boscobel, St. Mary and St. Augustine in Platteville and Queen of All Saints in Fennimore, parochial vicars.

Pastorate 4: Corpus Christi, Boscobel, Avoca, Clyde, Muscoda; Queen of All Saints, Fennimore. Castle Rock, Mount Hope: Rev. Carlos Reinoso, SJS, now pastoral administrator t Queen of All Saints, parochial administrator; Rev. Christobal Padilla, SJS, now pastor of Corpus Christi, parochial vicar.

Pastorate 5: St. Joseph, Dodgeville; Sts. Anthony and Philip, Highland; Sts. Mary and Paul, Mineral Point, St. Thomas, Montfort, and St. Joseph School in Dodgeville: Rev. Tafadzwa Kushamba, now pastor of St Clare of Assisi, Monroe, parochial administrator; Rev. Alex Carmel, now pastor of St. Gabriel the Archangel, Lake Mills, parochial vicar.

Pastorate 11: St. Clare of Assisi, Monroe/Brodhead: St. Francis of Assisi, Belleville/Albany, and St. Victor School in Monroe; Rev. David Carrano, now pastor of Good Shepherd in Madison and chaplain of Catholic Charismatic Renewal, pastoral administrator; Rev. Joseph Bellamkondo, now pastoral administrator of St. John the Baptist in Waunakee and St. Mary of the Lake in Westport, and Rev. Chahm Gahng, now pastor of St. Michael the Archangel in Mount Horeb, parochial vicar.

Pastorate 29: St. Augustine University Parish, Platteville: Rev. John Del Priore, SJS, parochial administrator.

St. Mary in Fennimore is listed as one of four churches listed in the diocese in which the Traditional Latin Mass, also known as the Extraordinary Form of Mass, may be celebrated as of July 1. Other churches celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass will be allowed to do so until June 30.

The Latin Mass change is based on a directive from the church in Rome that Latin Masses not be celebrated “at the principal church of any parish.”

More information is available at www.intothedeepmadison.org.