Father Bart, who was ordained to the priesthood in 2001 at the age of 26, grew up in Kieler, Wisconsin, with his parents and four siblings (two sisters and two brothers.).  He attended Immaculate Conception Grade School in Kieler, Holy Name Seminary in Madison, Loras College in Dubuque, and St. Mary of the Lake Mundelein Seminary in the Archdiocese of Chicago.  While at the Seminary, he took a high concentration of classes in Pastoral Education including Hispanic Ministry, then learned Spanish as a student at the University of Granada, Spain, as well as attending the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio, Texas.  

He tells us, “I have been blessed with several wonderful assignments, and for the last 10 years I have been serving as pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Madison where I have been learning a lot about discipleship and evangelization.  During these past ten years, I have also been particularly inspired by Pope Francis and his emphasis on Mercy, Accompaniment, Missionary Discipleship, Synodality, and Unity.”