Father Aaron Herrenbruck, top left, offers a blessing after the Ordination Mass. Bishop Joseph M. Siegel, top right, lays his hands on Deacon Keith Hart and ordains him to the priesthood. Deacon Clint Johnson, bottom left, greets his mother Angie Johnson at the beginning of the Ordination Mass. Father Alex Zenthoefer, bottom right, rector of St. Benedict Cathedral and diocesan Vicar General, vests Father Nick Biever with the priest’s stole during the June 14 Ordination Mass. Photos by Aaron Pea and John Rohlf.
By John Rohlf, The Message assistant editor
For the first year since 2019, the Diocese of Evansville ordained four men to the priesthood.
Bishop Joseph M. Siegel ordained Father Nick Biever, Father Keith Hart, Father Aaron Herrenbruck and Father Clint Johnson to the priesthood during the Rite of Ordination June 14 at St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville.
Over the past two years, the Diocese of Evansville has ordained seven men to the priesthood. Father Phillip Rogier, Father Caleb Scherzinger and Father Tyler Underhill were ordained to the priesthood in 2024.
“In the course of 12 months, we added seven men as priests,” Diocese of Evansville Director of Vocations Father Tyler Tenbarge said. “All seven newly ordained in the past two years are under 32 years old and all were raised at parishes within our 12 counties. It shows that the faithful and our pastors make vocations a priority in their homes and communities.”
Over 50 priests concelebrated the Mass. Deacons David Rice and Earl Ruppel assisted. Acolytes and servers were seminarians of the diocese. Mary Biever, Anita Hart, Christina Herrenbruck and Angie Johnson, mothers of the newly ordained, were gift bearers. Father Chris Droste, Father Chris Forler, Larry Durchholz, Paul Folz and Diocesan Director of Worship Matt Miller were masters of ceremony.
The ordination included the Election of the Candidates, Promise of the Elect, Litany of Supplication, Laying on of Hands and Prayer of Ordination and Anointing of Hands.
Bishop Siegel said it was a blessed day for the Diocese of Evansville as all four men came before God and the Church to be ordained priests of Jesus Christ for the service of the local church. It is a great day of rejoicing for the entire diocese, Bishop Siegel said in his homily.
A son of Annunciation Parish in Evansville, Father Nick Biever is assigned to serve as parochial vicar at St. Philip Parish in Posey County. Father Keith Hart, a son of St. Peter Parish in Montgomery, will serve as parochial vicar at St. Joseph Parish in Jasper. A son of St. Clement Parish in Boonville, Father Aaron Herrenbruck will serve as parochial vicar at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Daylight and St. Bernard Parish in Snake Run. Father Clint Johnson, a son of Holy Cross Parish in Fort Branch, will serve as parochial vicar at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Vincennes and St. Philip Neri Parish in Bicknell.
Photo by Aaron Pea, Special to The Message
All four priests celebrated Mass at their home parish June 14-15.
During his homily, Bishop Siegel said all four men are consecrated as priests of Jesus Christ. They are consecrated in his truth, the truth that will set others free. All four men and all who the newly ordained priests serve will be set free by the reality of Jesus’ death and resurrection, in which we participate through the Mass and sacraments.
Bishop Siegel said all four men will forgive sins through the Paschal Mystery made present by the Spirit. When they anoint the sick, they will call down Christ upon them and immerse them in the mystery of the redemptive sufferings of Christ. He said at each Mass, they will stand at the altar to proclaim the death of the Lord. They will re-present it at the Consecration through the power of the Holy Spirit, so that those who are weary and heavily burdened might share its power to illuminate, strengthen, transform, forgive and redeem.
Bishop Siegel said they are to be ministers not of ideas but of realities, especially the profound reality of Christ’s body broken and his blood outpoured, which will minister to God’s people as the Bread of Life and cup of salvation.
Bishop Siegel said the ordination to the priesthood rendered all four men a priest sacramentally. It is their life of prayer, virtue and loving service that they will become priests after Christ’s own heart, he said.
