Fr. Bill “Hounded” by the Lord

Father Bill Swichtenberg: "Hounded" by the Lord!

Growing up in Menasha, the son of a selfemployed home builder, young Bill never really took to swinging a hammer!

A member of the Class of 1973 at St. Mary Central High School, he graduated from UW-Madison in 1977 with a degree in biochemistry. Not a conventional path to the priesthood, right?

“As a sophomore in college I was ‘hounded’ by the Lord and couldn’t get away from his call to ministry as a priest. It was a dramatic moment, which I remember like yesterday, when after receiving Communion at Pentecost Sunday Mass at the St. Paul Newman Center, kneeling down and crying, I surrendered my life to the Lord. From that moment, it was pretty much clear sailing.” He studied at the School of Theology at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN. During that time, he had the privilege of studying for a semester in Jerusalem. “It was a grace to be so close to the land and water that were so important in the life of Jesus,” he said.

As a priest, Father Bill loves being with God’s people. He considers it a privilege to accompany engaged couples, new parents, children, and young people, and people who are grieving the loss of loved ones. “It is in these real human moments of joy and sorrow that Jesus is so close to us. It is a privilege to be inspired by the faith and deep-down goodness of so many people.” Father Bill views the Church as a field hospital, truly a place of hope and healing for people who are marginalized. “More important than rules,” he says, “is sharing the love of Jesus, from which no one is excluded.” Prior to the pandemic, Father Bill was a regular visitor to our campuses, presenting a lesson, sharing a prayer, singing a song, or preaching at our Masses. “I am most impressed by Xavier Catholic Schools,” he said. “Our children and young people, our parents, our teachers, " “Be grateful. Believe in your goodness. Live your lives for others. Trust in the Lord. Never take your family or friends for granted. Treasure those moments of being with others in person. Set aside administrators, and staff are truly trying your cell phone maybe just a little bit their best to be open to Jesus’ call to holiness.” more often. Jesus loves you and is always with you!” Father Bill’s advice to our 2020 graduates? - Fr. Bill “Be grateful. Believe in your goodness. Live your lives for others. Trust in the Lord. Never take your family or friends for granted. Treasure those moments of being with others in person. Set aside your cell phone maybe just a little bit more often. Jesus loves you and is always with you!”