Sacred Heartbreak: Bishop reassigns Father Nick Junker to Cathedral of St. Peter in Belleville

Father Nick Junker, who for three years has wrapped his life around parishioners at Sacred Heart Church and took what at times was Sunday attendance of no more than 40 to well over 200, has been reassigned by the bishop of the Belleville diocese to the Cathedral of St. Peter in Belleville.

He made faith fun, and while a community knew this could happen at the will of the diocese, it doesn't lessen this Sacred Heartbreak.

In going back to Belleville effective Sept. 1, he is going home but the decision leaves a community and a parish crushed.

Father Junker's love of people and love of life opened one of the beautiful stained glass windows at this historic church and let the fresh air in. Parishioners who hadn't gone to church in months filled the pews. The congregational portrait taken two weeks ago at the church's sesquicentennial is witness to the enthusiasm. The diocese has assigned international priest Father Oganda to the Du Quoin parish.

Father Nick was a lifelong Belleville resident. He grew up in St. Peter Cathedral Parish and went to Althoff Catholic High School. After graduation, he spent the next 10 years in Chicago, both as an undergraduate at DePaul University and as a seminarian at St. Mary of the Lake University, Mundelein Seminary.

After his first year in the Seminary, Father Nick was assigned to St. Bruno Parish in Pinckneyville for the summer with Father Brian Barker. He also spent time at St. Dominic Parish in Breese, Ill. during a pastoral internship midway through seminary training. Father Nick was ordained a priest on May 10, 2008 and was assigned to St. Teresa Parish in Belleville, where he had been Parochial Vicar before being appointed Administrator of Sacred Heart Catholic Parish in Du Quoin in July of 2010.