WB_011719

wilmettebeacon.com LIFE & ARTS
the wilmette beacon | January 17, 2019 | 29
Pastor excited to lead St. Joseph Church during transition
Hilary Anderson,
Freelance Reporter
He is back home in Wilmette
once again.
Father Wayne Watts,
who first served at St.
Francis Xavier Church in
1990, is the new pastor
of St. Joseph Church and
School.
His assignment became
effective Jan. 1, 2019.
Watts will remain as pastor
come July 1, 2019
when St. Joseph and St.
Francis Xavier churches
unite as one entity, part of
the Chicago Archdiocese’
Renew My Church program.
St. Francis Xavier’s
current pastor, Fr. William
Sheridan, will retire then.
“I learned about this
wonderful, new assignment
from Cardinal Cupich
just before Christmas,”
Watts said. “I bring a
deep love to the Wilmette
community. St. Francis
was my first assignment
as a priest. In Wilmette,
I learned how to be a
priest.”
He became a friend of
many North Shore families
through the then AC-
TION youth group that
had no boundaries.
“I have stayed in touch
with many people on the
North Shore,” Watts said.
“I have walked with them
on many of their life journeys
and involved them
in Catholic Charities activities
where I work especially
with the homeless.
I left Wilmette in
1996 but it is as though
my heart remained on the
North Shore.”
He adds he is excited
to once again work with
Sheridan and the entire
Catholic community of
Wilmette.
“We will build a team
and blend together, do
great things and see the
fruits of our labor,” Watts
said. “I am fully aware of
how difficult this change
will be for many.”
He looks to welcoming
back anyone who has left
the church.
“I am sorry for whatever
it was that caused
someone’s leaving,” he
said. “I will work on
righting those wrongs. I
will listen. I want people
to be heard. I want them
to talk with me openly and
honestly.”
Watts is especially interested
in working with
the youth of the Wilmette
community, not just those
whose parents belong to
St. Joseph’s and St. Francis.
“Young people have
been left behind,” he said.
“They are not just our future,
they are our present.
I want to see what they
want, what changes they
would like made. I want
all the kids in the Wilmette
community to know they
are welcome here, on our
projects and at our events.
We need them now.”
Watts is particularly
concerned about the elderly
and homebound in
the community.
“Visiting the sick and
shut-ins who cannot make
it outside of their homes
are among my other concerns,”
he said. “They
often tend to be forgotten
and left behind. When I
was serving at St. Francis
Xavier in the 1990s, I often
rode my bike around
the neighborhoods and
made home visits. I plan
to do it again once the
weather warms up.”
Watts did not overlook
the “20-somethings either.”
Rev. Wayne Watts (left) meets with Eddie Tamez, Cardinal Blase Cupich, Msgr. Michaael Bolad at a Catholic
Charities event. Photo submitted
“I am thinking about
creating a junior board
like they have at Catholic
Charities, one which
comes together in faith,
but also works on special
projects like raising
awareness to the needs
of the homeless,” he said.
“That includes special
projects and social activities.”
One of Watts’s personal
passions is caring about
and working with the
poor, which he has done
for many years through
his work as an Associate
Administrator of Catholic
Charities.
“I want to raise awareness
to the needs of the
people Catholic Charities
serves in both Cook
and Lake County,” Watts
said. “Some of them may
live right next store to us
and are our North Shore
neighbors.”
He plans to work with
the other churches in the
Wilmette community on
interfaith projects.
Watts’ enthusiasm and
energy levels seem to
know no limits.
Perhaps it is coming
from a large family. He is
the sixth in a line of nine
children.
Watts grew up in Oak
Park and River Forest,
graduating from St. Giles,
Fenwich High School and
Marquette University.
“I have 28 nieces
and nephews,” he said
proudly. “All of my siblings
live in the Chicago
area. A younger
brother, Martin, and his
wife, Monique and their
three children live in
Wilmette. Martin has
coached some of the kids
from St. Joe’s.”
His mother was a Catholic
school teacher and
father an OB/GYN. Both
are deceased.
He has served at St.
Francis Xavier, Quigley,
Catholic Charities and St.
John Berchmans.
Watts has many hopes
as pastor.
“I want to serve the
people of the Wilmette
community,” he said. I
am here with and for you.
We will walk together,
celebrate successes and
strive for excellence. We
will work to avoid snap
judgments and not make
unfounded assumptions.
We will communicate
directly and clearly. We
will support and encourage
and invite. We will
do the Lord’s will in this
village and beyond. I will
listen to you, lead you and
learn from you. We are in
this together and we will
make great things happen.
I hope the community
agrees.”