August 29, 2026 – West Bend, Wi – An announcement in the Holy Angels Parish bulletin this weekend regarding the upcoming retirement of Rev. Russ Arnett.
Dear Holy Angels Parishioners,
I have something important to share. First, I want to share with you the what and then the why. I have decided that I will be retiring at the end of June in 2027. When I came here a little over a year ago, I had the intention of staying until June of 2028, a few months before I turned 70. This was to maximize my social security payments to provide a sufficient base of income for mine and Diane’s retirement. The extra year made a substantial difference.
About three months ago this plan changed when I received a letter in the mail.
After a few machinations, information gathering and confirmation, it turns out that I have a pension from a company that I worked for 35 years ago. I had no idea! Except for a few dollars a month, it makes up the difference in social security payments of what working an extra year would bring. You can imagine my surprise and elation! It gets better.
A week later, my brother called and informed me that the family farm back in Texas, that goes back four generations, and I have a share in, after three years was legally cleared to sell and a buyer was immediately and improbably found. We would be closing in three weeks he informed me! This was also unanticipated.
The combination of these sudden financial blessings and my health struggles over the last year have been a reminder of the reality that each year that I have from here on is precious. I only have so much time left on this planet and there are a lot of things that I would like to do before that time is up.
I have diligently planned for the coming of that day; I just thought it would happen a year later. There have been three important moments in my life where I had an overwhelming sense that a life-changing turning point was in the offing and that something necessary was going to change. The first was the leaving of my professional career to start my vocational career in 1995. The second was the beginning of my relationship with Diane in 1999. The third was the ending of my 12 years of ministry at the Kenosha Racine County Line Catholic Parishes in 2022 and the fourth was the sense that my full-time ministry would not go beyond June of 2027.
Two months ago, that very strong intuition, just like with the other three, came to fruition through the exceptional timing and convergence of a decades old, unknown pension and the sale of a property that was almost forgotten.
Over the years, I have learned that the phrase “God is good” is certainly true and to be proclaimed and believed. It’s not always easy to believe that in the moments of uncertainty in this life, but He has always come through in unexpected and surprising ways.
I have informed the archdiocese and will formally petition my retirement to the archbishop. In October, the process of replacing me will begin and culminate next May. I know that this process can be full of uncertainty and speculation. I think that is where many people’s minds will immediately go.
But let me share with you my perspective. God has been good to Holy Angels parish over the last many, many years and that is not going to change! God is good! Remember that! My ability to retire at 69 instead of 70 is nothing less than a miracle and the benevolence of God, in my estimation.
If this is God’s gracious and surprising, good will for me, as it certainly seems to be, then God’s will for Holy Angels is part of that same benevolent and divine appointment. Trust in Him.
There will be opportunities in the future for farewells and reflections on my short time here but for now, I hope you will share with me in the joy of this moment.
Forty-four years ago, on a hot August Monday morning I made my way eastward into the blinding Texas morning sun. It was my first day of post-college professional work.
I hate mornings! I am an early riser but getting my motor in gear has always been a challenge and on that morning drive into work I started calculating in my head how many days I would repeat this until retirement.
Even then, I was giggling at the irony of it and have done so many times since. It seems that countdown now has an end and it’s not so much funny as it is unfathomable. What a drive it has been!
God bless you all and thank you for your understanding. Fr. Russ
April 27, 2025 – West Bend, Wi – Some changes ahead at Holy Angels Parish in West Bend, Wi, as Rev. Howard Hasse will retire in June, and his replacement is Rev. Russell Arnett, who is currently serving as a shared associate pastor at St. Peter Church in Slinger.
The photo and writeup below is from St. Peter Catholic Church.
Father Russ is a relatively newcomer to the Catholic Church. Raised a Southern Baptist in Texas, at 24 he experienced high church liturgical worship at an Episcopal Church near the university he graduated from and converted. Almost immediately he became aware of a call to ordained ministry that had been present since he was seven.
In 1996 he attended seminary at Nashotah House, Episcopal Seminary near Oconomowoc. While there he met his soon-to-be wife, Diane Chvojicek of Portage, WI. After finishing seminary in 1999 he moved back to Texas to begin ministry as an Episcopal priest; he and Diane were married in 2001.
In 2002 Rev. Russ was called to be the head priest at St. James in West Bend. In 2006 he and Diane left the Episcopal church to convert to Roman Catholicism. After four-and-a-half years of study and formation Rev. Russ was assigned to two rural parishes in southern Kenosha County. After 12 years he finished his ministry and was assigned to these current parishes.
Diane and Rev. Russ live in West Bend with their two dogs and two cats. The couple enjoy traveling to different shrines and churches for vacations.
Fun fact: Rev. Arnett is one of 120 married priests in the United States.
On a side note: St. Peter Rummage Sale is Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sunday, May 4 from 8 a.m. – noon.
Donated items will be accepted at Church April 28-May 1 9 a.m. -Noon and 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Below is an article from when Rev. Howard was named to take over at Holy Angels Parish in June 2019, following the reassignment of Rev. Pat Heppe.
June 24, 2019 – West Bend, WI – Rev. Howard Haase introduced himself over the weekend to the congregation at Holy Angels Parish in West Bend. Haase has joined Holy Angels as Rev. Pat Heppe has been assigned to the parishes in the Catholic community in Waukesha
There are four parishes in the Catholic community of Waukesha including St. Joseph, St. William, St. Mary and St. John Neumann.
Rev. Haase introduced himself in a piece in Sunday’s bulletin.
The Lord continues to remind me of who is exactly in charge of my life and I need to humbly accept the fact that it isn’t me. I thought I was done with “starting at a new parish” and it was going to be a simple matter of serving out the rest of my years as a priest (36 now) until I was eligible to retire.If nothing else I continue to bring humor to the Divine Ones life! We all tend to plan, and God continues to smile; we are so blest God is patient with us. I suspect Fr. Pat is feeling much the same way.Well, who am I?My name is Howard G. Haase (I generally go by Fr. Howard and the G. stands for the patron saint of expectant mothers). I was raised on a dairy farm in Dodge County just North of a little town called Clyman (the center of the universe in case you were wondering and the home of Aunt Nellie’s Canning Factory) with my four siblings, I am the middle child of the five of us. The farm was our entire world as it was for many of my extended family who also had dairy farms.I attended Clyman Grade School (80 students), then St. Francis de Sales Seminary High School (approx. 400 students), St. Francis de Sales College Seminary (approx. 100 students) and finally St. Francis de Sales Seminary (fewer than 100) finishing with a Master of Divinity Degree.While in school I have had various jobs: dairy farming, kitchen worker, night watchman, plastic injection line worker, Asst. Camp Director, P.R. Person, wait staff for restaurant and a variety of other tasks. This August it will be 50 years when I entered the seminary at the ripe old age of 14.After taking some time away from the seminary I was ordained in 1983. Most of my ministry has been in parish work, though some of my time has been in vocation work and college seminary formation work. I have enjoyed it all but I have to say my heart lies in working with the folks of the parishes.I am a “parish priest” and that is where I find the greatest joy. At times folks have asked if I tend to be liberal or conservative, I don’t like labels because I usually find them to be used as excuses for not listening to another’s opinion. I am an individual who is trying to be the best disciple of Jesus I can be, hopefully just like the rest of us. I am not a John Paul II priest nor a Benedict, nor a Francis priest, I am a priest who preaches the Gospel of Jesus the Christ to the best of my ability and I work hard to make sure I do that well.Sometimes you will like what I say and sometimes not so much –as long as I have preached the Gospel, I have done my job. The better I do that the more it will help all of us to grow in faith and be faithful disciples. Well, that is a little about me. You will come to know more about me as time goes on and I have no doubts I will come to know many of you. I am a firm believer that seminaries teach us how to be theologians, however, it is the people of the parishes that teach us how to be good priest\pastors.And so “one more time” I have an opportunity to say hello to a new community and build upon all those who have been part of the Holy Angel’s Community.We begin!Blessings, -Fr. Howard
