Fr Bernie Rott

ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin

Father Bernie leaving St. Henry's

after 13 years of service

Watertown Daily Times, 10 04 2007

The Rev. Bernard Rott will be leaving St. Henry Catholic Church this month after serving the community for the past 13 years.

Rott will step down from the local church on Oct. 24 and lead the parishes at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Dickeyville and Immaculate Conception in Kieler. Holy Ghost and Immaculate Conception are located in southwestern Wisconsin and have a combined congregation of nearly 800 families.

Rott will be succeeded by the Rev. Brian Wilk, whose first day at St. Henry's will be Oct. 24. Wilk has family in the Milwaukee-area and is currently the associate pastor at St. Dennis Parish in Madison, Rott said.

Rott, 54, has been ordained for 28 years. He started out at St. Henry's as an associate pastor in 1979. He also served as pastor for five years in Cuba City, five years at the Catholic Church in Baraboo and four years at the Cathedral in Madison.

He came back to St. Henry's, which has a congregation of approximately 1,000 families, in 1994 and has served as pastor for the past 13 years.

Rott attended high school at Holy Name Seminary in Madison and graduated from St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee. He also received his theology degree at St. Francis.

Rott said he decided to make the move to Dickeyville and Kieler because he was asked to by the bishop in Madison.

“It was just one of those things where they were looking at personnel and figured that I would be a good person to go down there,” Rott said. “A person doesn't always have a lot to say in it, as far as yes or no. A bishop asks you to make the move and it's tough in the sense of leaving friends and the parish.

“But you also have to look at it that there are new challenges as far as the different ways that you can share the word of God with other people,” he added.

Rott said he has enjoyed serving the Watertown community and he will miss all the friends he has made over the years.

“It has been enjoyable as far as working in Watertown,” Rott said. “I have made a lot of friends. Not just as far as the parish, but other ministers in town here and people too.”