The Leadership Team of St. John XXIII

Father Patrick Wendt wants to be thought of as just another guy.

Whether he’s hitting the links at his favorite golf courses or coming across parish members while taking a stroll on the bike trail behind St. Peter of Alcantara Church, Wendt hopes people see him as “a normal person doing the vocation job here.”

The job of the priest fondly known as Father Pat is to lead the sprawling Catholic community of Port Washington and Saukville as pastor of St. John XXIII Parish.

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“I would say that we’re just men and have chosen a life. We shouldn’t be put up on pedestals because we’re not any holier than anyone else. We’re there to help people with their spirituality and relationship with Jesus,” Wendt said.

Wendt has been guiding those spiritual journeys for four decades. Next month, he will celebrate the 40th year of his ordination.

“I wasn’t thinking of celebrating too much, but some people from the parish wanted to do a little more,” he said. Actually, parishoners plan to do quite a bit more, and are organizing a Father Pat celebratory dinner.

Wendt has been at St. John XXIII since 2005 and oversaw the merging of St. Peter of Alcantara, Immaculate Conception and St. Mary’s parishes in 2016.

It wasn’t easy work, but Wendt had experience managing multiple parishes. From 2003 to 2005, he was administrator of three parishes in Dodge County that shared a priest and pastoral council.