Our Priests

Rev. Fr. Vincent Brewer is joining us from St. Olaf Parish, DeForest and St. Joseph Parish, East Bristol where he has been the pastor for the last 5 years. Fr. Vincent… “is a war veteran with radio, telecommunications and sales experience who loves scuba diving and rides a Harley Davidson…

An atypical background perhaps for a priest, Brewer believes his decades of life experience makes him more real and relatable to his parishioners.

Relatively new to his priesthood vocation, Brewer was ordained by the Madison Diocese in May 2013. He spent his first year at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Catholic Church in Sun Prairie followed by one year as parochial vicar at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Parish in Madison.

“Joining the priesthood always seemed like a possibility for me,” said Brewer. “It just took me a while to get there.”                                     https://www.hngnews.com/deforest_times/community/article_309fd3b4-6862-11e5-b13f-ab3f43324baa.html)

Fr. Vince has an undergraduate degree in Telecommunication Management from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. He has more than 12 years of combined service in the US Navy, Army National Guard and Air National Guard. He worked for almost 10 years in the telecommunications industry as an IT manager before entering the seminary.

Fr. Vince attended Blessed John XXIII National Seminary (now called Pope St John XXIII Seminary) outside of Boston, MA receiving a Master of Divinity degree in 2013.

Since arriving in Madison in the summer of 2016, Fr. Michael spent three summers at his home parish of St. Bernard’s in Madison and his diaconate summer at St. John Vianney in Janesville.  He also helped out at St. Joseph’s in Fort Atkinson during the school year.

“While ordination is, in some ways, the culmination of six years of work, it is, in other ways, just the beginning of something even greater.  Eight years ago, I thought I had accomplished my greatest personal and professional achievement when I graduated with my PhD in history.  I never would have thought that I would now be in Madison, preparing to be a priest of Jesus Christ.  While this has been unexpected, it has been the greatest gift that I could have imagined from God.  I am so very thankful for all the many good people who have helped me to become a priest, but most especially to my parents, who have always been my first educators and the source of love and support.  I pray that God will make me the holiest priest I can be for the people of the Diocese of Madison.  Probably the most influential Bible passage for me has been Luke 22:42.  I hope to always do the Will of God, His Perfect Will, as best I can.”
           
Madison Catholic Herald, 6/11/2020 (vol. 150/no. 22)