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80th Year Events

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Spokespersons

Fr. Gregory Ketcham
Director & Chaplain

Fr. Gregory K. Ketcham was ordained a priest in 1994 for the Diocese of Peoria, IL. He received his undergraduate degree in 1989 from St. Mary’s College in Winona, MN. He received his M. Div. from Mundelein Seminary, Mundelein, IL. He serves as Director of St. John’s Catholic Newman Center and Chaplain to Catholic students at the University of Illinois. His previous assignments include Pastor of St. Philomena’s in Peoria, Sts. Peter and Paul, Nauvoo, Sacred Heart, Dallas City, Asst. Pastor Immaculate Conception, Monmouth St. Andrew’s, Oquawka, and St. Patrick’s, Raritan.

Currently, Fr. Ketcham is overseeing a $40M expansion of the 75-year old St. John’s Catholic Newman Center that will broaden the Center’s outreach. The expansion includes increasing the residence hall capacity to 550 students, an increase of 200, together with an expanded cafeteria, a new auditorium, and renovation of the existing hall and Chapel.

Msgr. Stuart Swetland
Past Director (1997-2006)

Msgr. Stuart W. Swetland, S.T.D., was ordained a priest in 1991 for the Diocese of Peoria, IL. He received his undergraduate degree in Physics from the United States Naval Academy. Elected Rhodes Scholar in 1981, he entered the Catholic Church while studying at Oxford. He has a B.A. and M.A. in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford; a M.Div. and M.A. from Mt. Saint Mary’s Seminary; and his S.T.L. and S.T.D. from the Pontifical Lateran University where he studied at the John Paul II Institute in Washington, DC. He currently serves as Director of Homiletics and Pre-Theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He also currently serves as Theological Advisor to the Catholic Conference of Illinois and is the Executive Secretary for the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. Msgr. Swetland was named a Prelate of Honor in 2000 by His Holiness John Paul II and is a Knight Commander for the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre and is a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus.

Msgr. Edward Duncan
Chaplain Emeritus (1943-1997)

Monsignor Duncan received a degree of Licentiate in Sacred Theology from Catholic University in 1941 and was ordained to the priesthood in that same year. After a year of parish work, Msgr. Duncan returned to Catholic University, and in 1943 received his Doctorate in Sacred Theology and undertook special work in education before being named Chaplain to the Catholic students at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign).

During his 54-year tenure as Chaplain and Director, Msgr. Duncan served in a number of roles including National Chaplain of the John Henry Cardinal Newman Honorary Society, National Chaplain of The Newman Clubs of America, Advisory board of the National Catholic Campus Ministry Association, and a variety of positions within the Diocese of Peoria.

Msgr. Duncan had wide experiences as a preacher, retreat master, and lecturer for University classes. He also served as Chaplain to all University athletes and, in recognition of his efforts in supporting University athletics, was awarded honorary membership in the Varsity “I” Association, the Varsity letter club of the University of Illinois.

In 1997, Msgr. Duncan retired as Director of St. John’s Newman Center. As Chaplain Emeritus, Msgr. Duncan served the Newman Foundation for 54 years – the longest of any Newman Chaplain.

Mark Randall, CFRE
Director of Institutional Advancement

A product of Catholic elementary, secondary, and higher education, Mark Randall earned a Bachelors of Business Administration degree from Saint Joseph’s College (IN). A convert to the Catholic Faith, Mark joined the SJCNC team in June 2005. As Director of Institutional Advancement, he oversees all fund development and the capital campaign issues. He also is responsible for all marketing and public relations efforts of St. John’s Catholic Newman Center.

Previously, Mark Randall served as Director of Institutional Advancement for The High School of Saint Thomas More where he oversaw all fundraising, admissions, and public relations elements of the school. Opening in 2000 with only 70 students in the freshman and sophomore classes and no formal development programs in place, the school currently has 314 students enrolled, a fundraising stream of over $450,000, and an endowment valued at approximately $2M.

He has served as a fundraising and marketing consultant for Catholic and secular organizations, and has spoken at national conferences including the National Catholic Education Association. Mark also moderates Pre-Cana workshops for the Peoria Diocese, and coordinates his parish RCIA program. He and his wife, Colleen have three children: Maeve, Norah and Aileen. They are members of St. Matthew Parish in Champaign, IL.

Rev. Luke Spannagel

Fr. Luke A. Spannagel grew up nearby in rural Pesotum, Illinois. He lived at Newman Hall as a University of Illinois student and worked here as an RA in the dorm. In 1998, he earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree before going on to attend Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, from which he received a Master of Divinity degree and an MA in systematic theology. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Peoria in 2003 and served as an associate pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul in Nauvoo, Immaculate Conception in Carthage, Sacred Heart in Dallas City, and St. Mary’s in West Point until being named assistant chaplain here at St. John’s Catholic Newman Center.

Sr. Sarah Roy

Sister Sarah has been at the St. John’s Catholic Newman Center since August 2005. Sister Sarah’s primary role here is to be available to students for Spiritual Direction and Counseling. Sister Sarah was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies and Masters degree in Social Work, both from the University of Illinois, and a Masters in Pastoral Ministry from St. Mary’s University, Minnesota.