Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz has made the following appointments:
Rev. John R. Burke has been named administrator pro-tempore of St. Joseph Church in Butchertown, effective Dec. 7, 2021.
Father Burke, a Louisville native baptized at Holy Spirit Church, studied at St. Thomas Seminary and Mount Saint Mary’s College and Seminary in Cincinnati. He was ordained on May 27, 1972.
Since his ordination, he has served as pastor of St. Denis, Christ the King, Our Lady, St. Cecilia and Good Shepherd churches in Louisville and St. Peter Church in Monticello, Ky., and Good Shepherd Chapel in Whitley City, Ky.
He served as associate pastor of SS. Simon and Jude Church, St. Mildred in Somerset, Ky., and St. Peter Mission in Monticello. He was presbyteral moderator at St. Martin de Porres Church and sacramental moderator at St. William Church.
Father Burke has also served as chaplain for Holy Rosary Academy, Assumption High School, and the Retrouvaille Program.
He completed post-graduate studies at Mount Saint Mary’s, earning a Master of Divinity and Master in Theology.
Father Burke has served several terms on the Priests’ Council and the Priest Personnel Board. He also served on the Priest Health Panel, was co-president of CLOUT (Citizens of Louisville Organized and United Together) and served in prison ministry at Luther Luckett Correctional Center and later at the Kentucky State Reformatory and Roederer Farm Correctional Center.
He also helped form the Christ the King Senior Housing Complex, which was dedicated Nov. 17, 2002, and St. Cecilia Senior Housing Complex in 2005.
Associate Pastors:
Rev. Jeffrey D. Gatlin has been named full-time associate pastor at St. Augustine Church in Lebanon, Ky., and Holy Name of Mary Church in Calvary, Ky., effective Jan. 1, 2022.
Rev. Jeans Gonzalez Romero has been named associate pastor at St. Rita Church, effective Dec. 1, 2021.
