 |
|
| Fr. Michael Klarer |
MONROE — Fr. Mike Klarer, pastor emeritus of St. Clare of Assisi Parish, Monroe, will celebrate the 35th anniversary of his ordination on Sunday, June 15, at St. Victor Church, Monroe, with a 3 p.m. liturgy. All are invited to the celebration.
Father Klarer will be the celebrant of the Mass with concelebrants Fr. Larry Bakke, pastor of St. Clare of Assisi Parish and director of the Apostolate to the Handicapped, Diocese of Madison; Msgr. Michael E. Hippee, retired pastor, Milwaukee; Fr. Steve J. Kortendick, pastor of St. Jerome Parish, Columbus; Fr. Gary L. Krahenbuhl, priest son of St. Victor Parish, Monroe, and pastor of St. Mary Parish, Portage; Fr. William Nolan, retired pastor, Madison; Fr. Michael A. Resop, classmate and pastor of St. Luke Parish, Plain; Fr. Bernard Rott, pastor of Holy Ghost Parish, Dickeyville; Fr. Kent Schmitt, retired pastor, Monroe; Fr. William J. Seipp, retired pastor, Cassville; Fr. Gary A. Wankerl, pastor of Holy Mother of Consolation Parish, Oregon; and other priests of the Diocese of Madison.
Father Bakke will give the homily. Randy Symanitz, pastoral associate and liturgical director of St. Clare of Assisi Parish, will be the director of liturgy and music, while Joseph Peters, principal of St. Victor School, and Mary Kay Logemann, Father Klarer’s sister, will be the lectors.
A reception and dinner will take place at St. Victor School gym and parish grounds with the buffet dinner starting at 4:30 p.m. RSVP to 608-325-9506.
Background and education
Father Klarer was born and raised in Monroe and is the son of the late Emil and Marcella (Kammerude) Klarer.
He attended St. Victor Grade School and Monroe High School, Monroe; Holy Name Seminary, Madison; Edgewood College, Madison; and St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minn., where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He earned a Master of Divinity degree at St. John’s University School of Divinity.
Ordination and ministry
He was ordained to the priesthood on June 1, 1979, by Bishop Cletus F. O’Donnell at St. Raphael Cathedral in Madison.
Father Klarer obtained a Master of Arts degree in marriage and family therapy from Alliant University in San Diego, Calif.
Father Klarer served from 1979 to 1986 at St. Aloysius Parish, Sauk City, and went on to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Madison, until 1989, when he joined the United States Navy Chaplain Corps.
Reflections on priesthood
Father Klarer described his experiences since then: “I returned to the diocese from Naval Service as a chaplain in 2002. I deeply enjoyed my work as pastor of St. Victor/St. Clare of Assisi Parish. After my diagnosis with cancer in 2007, I retired from active ministry in July 2011. I am grateful to be able to assist Fr. Larry Bakke here at St. Clare of Assisi Parish.
“My life of faith began here nearly 61 years ago. Here I celebrated all the sacraments, and here among truly holy priests and people, my vocation was formed. Thirty-five years has passed too quickly, but fortunately, the memories of pastoral assignments, wonderful friends, and many great celebrations heal the passage of time.
“For me, liturgy and the proclamation of the Word has been the mainstay of my life as a priest. I was well formed at Holy Name Seminary by the priests of this diocese who taught us, by the Sisters at Edgewood College, and the Benedictine Monks of St. John’s at Collegeville, Minn.
“I hold in special fraternal love my priest brothers and Bishops O’Donnell, Bullock, and Wirz, who helped form me as a priest and pastor. I am grateful to Bishop Morlino, especially for the kindness he showed to me during my illness and for allowing me to retire in 2011.
“I have also been formed by the example of the members of the Apostolate to the Handicapped. I keep in special memory its founder, the late Msgr. Thomas F. Campion.
“My service in the Navy Chaplain Corps truly marked my life, working with the young men and women of the armed forces and serving with the Marine Corps in Operation Desert Storm. The friends I made there are friends for a lifetime. I am humbled to have served among America’s finest and to have met true heroes.
“I remember my parents Emil and Marcella. My father’s courage in the face of my mother’s suffering from Alzheimer’s disease was awesome. I am most proud of my nephews and nieces: Jonathan (Sarah) and Teresa Logemann of Lancaster and Jennifer and Christopher Malkow of Monroe/Albany. Thanks to their parents Mary Kay Klarer Logemann and to Mike and Ellen Klarer Malkow and my brother Patrick Klarer (Mary Alice) of Verona. I keep in special prayer and memory my parents and my brother-in-law, Carl Logemann.
“I am also very grateful for the amazing friends I have here in Monroe and elsewhere who have supported and cared for me especially during my illness. This includes the amazing care I have received from the physicians, nurses, and staff of the Veterans Administration Clinic and Hospital in Madison.
“Each day as a priest is a challenge and a joy. I have the total support of the people of this great parish that formed me and who I was privileged to lead for nine years.
“The theme of my 35th anniversary Mass of Thanksgiving is the same as the first in 1979 and the 25th in 2004, ‘I have been called from among you.’ I know I have been called from and asked to serve the very best. For this, I give 35 years of thanks.”