By Father Kenneth Borowiak
for the Register
Eleven priests will celebrate anniversaries of their ordination to the priesthood during the Chrism Mass March 25 at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln. The Mass, which will begin at 5 p.m., is open to the public.
The jubilarians bring a diverse variety of gifts and talents to the priesthood. Chosen by the Lord from all across Nebraska and beyond, their service to the Church includes the foreign missions, Catholic education, healthcare, stewardship and the universal church. Cumulatively, these priests have devoted 365 years of service to the Church.
The one thing these priests have in common is their dedication and love for the Lord in the service of His people.
65 Years
Msgr. Adrian Herbek
Msgr. Adrian Herbek is celebrating the 65th anniversary of his ordination. He marked his 90th birthday March 13 – and was featured in the Register March 8 for that occasion. The largest majority of his priesthood was spent in Butler County and in Catholic schools.
50 Years
Msgr. Liam Barr
Msgr. Barr was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lincoln April 27, 1974, in St. George Cathedral in London. Barr spent the majority of his active ministry in Catholic school education and stewardship. He served as superintendent of Lourdes Central Catholic Schools in Nebraska City and for 13 years was superintendent of Pius X High School in Lincoln. His tenure at Pius was marked by significant growth, expansion, and vision.
For much of his active ministry Msgr. Barr was a leader in stewardship. He chaired the diocesan-wide capital campaigns “Crossing the Threshold” in 1999 and “The Joy of the Gospel” in 2015, as well as three capital campaigns for Pius X High School. He also created the annual Pius fundraiser, B.O.L.T. (Building Outstanding Leaders Today) in 1986 and was instrumental in creating the Catholic Foundation for Southern Nebraska.
In addition, he traveled the diocese to educate and assist many pastors and parishes in local stewardship campaigns, which resulted in the construction of many diocesan-wide building projects, the funding of outreaches and ministries.
Having a heart for the poor, Msgr. Barr was instrumental in securing the funds necessary for the diocesan Pope Paul VI Affordable Housing project. He also created an annual mission trip to Haiti that provides medical and dental care to the people of that impoverished island nation.
Msgr. Barr said the obvious “best part” of his priesthood has been the privilege of celebrating the Eucharist every day. He reflected on how much he learned from the laity during his 50 years as a priest.
“I am so grateful to the laity in their support of priests,” he said. “The people in the pews taught me how to be a good parish priest – how to listen to them and their issues – and trying to be honest and caring in my responses.
“People taught me to listen to the laity, to hear what they have to say and to put into practice what they suggest,” he continued. “I saw some of the greatest lived examples of Catholicism among the laity.”
Msgr. Barr encouraged the laity to continue to support their priests.
“Understand priests’ humanity and weaknesses, while recognizing and praising their strengths,” he said. “Pray for your priests every day to be faithful and don’t be too quick to judge,” he added.
To those now in formation to be priests Msgr. Barr said, “Be in touch with your humanity and do not deny it, and lose all vestiges of clericalism.”
Msgr. Barr was pastor of several parishes while heading up other apostolates. His last pastorate was St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln. In retirement, Msgr. Barr is living at Eastmont Towers in Lincoln.
Fr. Greg Pawloski
Born in Hastings, the sixth of 11 children, Father Pawloski was one of the last priests ordained in his home parish, St. Michael Church Hastings, May 25, 1974. After several assignments as an assistant pastor, Father Pawloski served in the diocese’s mission parish in Barquisimeto, Venezuela.
Upon his return from South America, Father Pawloski served as pastor of 10 parishes, from the far west to the far east in southern Nebraska. He also was and is an advocate and promoter of the international priestly fraternity organization, Jesus Caritas.
In Jesus Caritas, several priests meet monthly to share aspects of their priestly lives. He has been a member of his Jesus Caritas group for nearly 50 years and encourages young priests to form new groups.
During his time in the missions of South America, he found the most important thing he could do was to be present to the people there, learn from them and try to help them when and where possible.
“You don’t go to bring God to them,” Father Pawloski said. “He is already there.”
Upon returning to the United States, Father Pawloski found the way that he could best continue to help the people in the mission was to work on his own life to be a better person trying to live the Gospel message.
Father Pawloski retired from active ministry in 2022 and resides at Bonacum House for retired priests in Lincoln.
25 years
Eight priests will celebrate their silver jubilees at the Chrism Mass. All eight were ordained in 1999 by Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, who will also be at the Chrism Mass.
Fr. Christopher Kubat
Having the distinction of being a medical doctor and a priest, Father Kubat has spent much of his priesthood in ministries related to medicine and healthcare. A native of Omaha, Father Kubat brought his medical expertise to many Church ministries such as the ethics committee at CHI Health St. Elizabeth and Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, the Apostolate of Suffering and the Diocesan Housing Ministries. For 17 years, he was on the faculty of St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, teaching biology.
For 14 years, Father Kubat was executive director of Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska (CSS). In this assignment, Father Kubat expanded CSS’s outreach and established St. Gianna’s Women’s Homes and immigration services.
He is currently pastor of St. Andrew Parish in Tecumseh and St. Mary Parish in St. Mary, as well as national chaplain for the Catholic Medical Association, chaplain to the Tecumseh Correctional Institution, and Hispanic ministries of southeast Nebraska.
Father Kubat said celebrating the Mass and hearing confessions have been the best parts of his priesthood. He also said outreach to those in need has been very important to him.
“Helping those who are poor and needy during my time at Catholic Social Services was incredible, as well as doing prison ministry,” he said.
He believes that what seminarians in formation need most today is good example from their priest mentors.
Fr. Thomas Bush
Born in Exira, Iowa, Father Bush has spent most of his priesthood as a pastor and teacher. He is currently pastor of St. Mary Parish in Wallace, Resurrection Parish in Elsie and Mother of Sorrows Parish in Grant.
Father Bush said the best part of his priesthood has been celebrating the Eucharist and other sacraments. He also said teaching has been a rewarding aspect of his ministry.
“All those years of teaching catechism have instructed my own faith and seems to have impacted the faith of my students, which is incredibly important in today’s destructive world,” he said.
Father Bush feels that seminarians today need education in practical matters of operating a parish as they do in theological and religious matters.
“Seminarians should know something about furnaces, boilers and plumbing,” he said. “It will keep you from making costly mistakes in your parishes.”
Fr. Raymond Jansen
Twenty of Father Jansen’s 25 years of priesthood have been spent as a professor of philosophy at St. Gregory the Great Seminary. Born and reared near St. Joseph, Mo., Father Jansen spent the majority of his time as a priest as a pastor and teaching and forming future priests and pastors.
After ordination, he studied at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and at the Angelicum in Rome, where he received his advanced degrees in philosophy.
Father Jansen has also served in a number of parishes in the Diocese. He currently is pastor of Assumption Parish in Dwight and St. Wenceslaus Parish in Bee.
Fr. Jamie Hottovy
Taking advantage of his college studies in architecture, Father Hottovy has used his gifts in design and construction to help the local Church in building and renovation projects.
Growing up in St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln, Father Hottovy served as a teacher in various Catholic grade schools and high schools in the diocese, in addition to being pastor of several parishes. As a member of the Diocesan Building Commission and the Diocesan Liturgical Commission, and adjunct committee for Church Design and Renovation, he has assisted pastors and parishes in design and renovation projects for churches, schools and other parish and diocesan-related buildings.
Father Hottovy also has headed up many pilgrimages and religious tours throughout Nebraska and around the world. He is currently in residence at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Seward.
Fr. Andrew Menke
With a love for the liturgy, Father Menke has spent a good part of his priesthood working for the Church nationally and internationally, to make the Eucharist and other sacraments known and accessible to all.
After serving in several parishes and schools and as the diocesan master of ceremonies for Bishop Bruskewitz, Father Menke worked for the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments in Rome. At the same time, he pursued graduate studies at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute.
Returning to the United States, he would serve in the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops’ Secretariat for Divine Worship for more than eight years. Since 2023, Father Menke has served as executive director of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), an organization that prepares English-language liturgical texts for countries around the world where English is spoken.
When asked what surprised him most about the priesthood, Father Menke said, “I didn’t expect the priesthood to be so surprising. I can’t count the number of times I’ve said to myself, ‘They didn’t teach me about this in the seminary!’
“But I’ve tried to learn to trust more in the Lord’s mysterious Providence, in the way that He always has a plan for us,” he said.
Fr. Daniel Rayer
A native of western Nebraska, Father Rayer was a noted high school athlete in football, basketball and track. After ordination, he spent a large amount of his first 25 years in the priesthood in administrative positions for the diocese.
After serving as an assistant pastor for several parishes, he received an advanced degree in canon law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. He was appointed chancellor for the Diocese of Lincoln in 2008; a position he held for 14 years. In this capacity, Father Rayer oversaw most of the administrative aspects of the Catholic Church in southern Nebraska.
In addition to being chancellor, he held a host of other offices and chaired a variety of ministries in the Diocese of Lincoln. He is currently chaplain for CHI Health St. Elizabeth and CHI Health Heart Hospitals.
In observing his 25th anniversary of ordination, Father Rayer noted St. Pope John Paul II’s book “Gift and Ministry,” which the pontiff wrote on the 50th anniversary of his priesthood.
“It is truly a gift of God’s Providence that I was called to share in Christ’s priesthood and also a great mystery as to why I was chosen to share in this great gift,” Father Rayer said.
Fr. Gary Coulter
Father Coulter is a graduate of Pius X High School in Lincoln. Throughout his priesthood, he has spent a significant amount of his ministry bringing people close to the Lord through retreats and the Unbound deliverance and healing ministry.
After finishing graduate studies in Rome, Father Coulter was pastor in Ashland and Greenwood and has also worked with the diocese’s Marriage Tribunal, Engaged Encounter and with religious orders. For more than 10 years he has been director of Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House near Waverly, where he organizes and leads weekend retreats.
In reflecting upon this first 25 years in the priesthood, Father Coulter said, “When Jesus calls us to ‘come follow me,’ He doesn’t give us a map of everything that is to come. Rather, He invites us to join Him on an adventure,” he added.
Father Coulter noted that there are ups and downs in the priesthood.
“The Lord doesn’t promise us that priesthood will be free of trials or darkness, but He does give us enough light to follow Him today and know His promise to us is that we are not alone.”
Like most of the other jubilarians, Father Coulter noted the impact of the laity in his ministry.
“The blessing of my priesthood has been discovering so many Catholic laity who are authentically striving to pray daily and find holiness,” he said. “I find this true especially in people living generously in marriage and family life. The laity’s sacrificial love inspires me to live the same way.”
Msgr. Richard Gyhra
Born and reared near Pawnee City, Msgr. Gyhra has gone from small-town Nebraska to service to the international Church in Africa. After serving as assistant pastor at several Lincoln parishes, Msgr. Gyhra was sent to Rome, where he received his doctorate in sacred theology at St. Thomas Aquinas University (the Angelicum).
After receiving his degree, he was appointed to studies at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome, where priests prepare for diplomatic service for the Holy See around the world.
Following his time there, he worked at the Apostolic Nunciature (papal embassy in foreign countries) of the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo. In addition, he served as secretary at the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. He then served five years as a desk officer for multilateral affairs in the Vatican’s Secretary of State.
Since 2022, Msgr. Gyhra has been serving as the counselor of the Apostolic Nunciature in Tanzania, Africa. He said he has been blessed to have lived and traveled in different parts of the world and interacted with many priests from different countries.
“There is a bond among priests that comes about from knowing and living the life of a priest, striving for holiness in this vocation and knowing the challenges that exist,” Msgr. Gyhra said.
Msgr. Gyhra feels a deep sense of gratitude to God for his vocation to the priesthood. Like the other jubilarians, he said, “Prayers for priests are unimaginably appreciated and that the occasional word of gratitude and support can be encouraging for us.”
Chrism Mass
At the Chrism Mass, Bishop James Conley will bless the three sacred oils used in the sacraments throughout the diocese — Chrism, the Oil of the Sick and the Oil of Catechumens. At the Chrism Mass, the priests of the diocese renew the priestly vows made at their ordinations.
The Chrism Mass has historically been held on Holy Thursday, the day the Lord gave the Church the priesthood and the command of service. The Chrism Mass expresses the service each priest is called to live, and is a reminder of the many ways in which the Church provides for the needs of her children: through the sacred oils which provide for the needs of the people in a powerful way.
In the Diocese of Lincoln, the annual Chrism Mass is held on Monday of Holy Week, due to the large area the diocese covers. The Lincoln Diocese encompasses more than 23,000 square miles, so by moving the Mass to Monday, it is easier for the priests of the diocese to travel to Lincoln for the Mass, and return to their parishes for the other Holy Week celebrations.
