Messages from Fr. Brett

Fr. Brett's Most Recent Message:

March 22, 2026_Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

February 22, 2026_Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

February 15, 2026_Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

February 8, 2026_Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

February 1, 2026_Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

January 25, 2026_Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

January 11, 2026_Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

January 1, 2026_Happy New Year!

December 28, 2025_Feast of the Holy Family

December 25, 2025_A Christmas Message

December 20, 2025_Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

December 13, 2025_Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

December 6, 2025_Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

November 27, 2025_Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

November 23, 2025_Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

November 9, 2025_Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

November 2, 2025_Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-10-26 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-10-17 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-10-15 Fr. Brett and Dilexi Te

2025-10-10 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-10-03 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-09-26 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-09-19 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-09-14 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-09-05 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-08-28 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-08-21 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-08-14 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-08-07 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-07-30 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-07-24 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-07-23 A Video Message from Fr. Brett - Park Clean-Up

2025-07-16 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-07-09 Fr. Brett's Weekly Message

2025-06-30 Letter to Parishioners from Fr. Brett

June 30, 2025

Dear St. Josaphat Family,

It is a great joy for me to write to you as I begin my ministry in your parish.

I am deeply grateful to Cardinal Cupich and Bishop Mark Bartosic for the opportunity to serve as your pastor and to journey with you in faith, hope, and love.

As I take up this new position, I look forward to getting to know each of you – your stories, your families, and the unique gifts you bring to our community. Together, we must work together to ensure we grow as disciples of Jesus. This means we should support one another and reach out to those around us with radical hospitality and acts of service.

I have already been able to attend several staff and committee meetings and am eager to continue to listen and learn from everyone to ensure we grow into a dynamic, vibrant community. I believe that the foundations laid by people like Fr. Grassi, Fr. Rich, Fr. Francis and Fr. Carlos are firm and will serve us well as we build further.

I would especially like to thank Fr. Alphonse for the wonderful work he has done as associate pastor over the last few months; he has also made me feel most welcome already.

My hope is that we will encourage one another to live out the Gospel more fully, drawing strength from our shared faith and the rich history of this parish community.

Please pray for me as I begin this new chapter, just as I will be praying for all of you. May the Holy Spirit guide us, unite us, and inspire us to be a home for everyone and a light to our city.

With gratitude and anticipation,

Fr. Brett

2025-06-22 Welcome, Fr. Brett!

Welcome, Fr. Brett Williams!

We are excited to welcome Fr. Brett to St. Josaphat Parish as he officially begins this new chapter of ministry with us on July 1st!

Fr. Brett was born in Pietermaritzburg, the capital of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, and grew up in Botha’s Hill, a small town between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. The eldest of three siblings, he has a sister, a brother and a step-brother, as well as a large extended family that includes seven nieces and nephews and two great-nieces. His mother still lives in South Africa, while much of his family is in Bath, UK.

Before entering the priesthood, Fr. Brett earned a Master’s in Science from the University of Natal and taught at a university outside Durban. At age 29, he entered St. John Vianney Seminary in Pretoria and was ordained—he’ll celebrate his 20th anniversary this December!

Fr. Brett brings rich pastoral experience, having served as pastor of a large city parish and chancellor of the Archdiocese of Durban before coming to the U.S. Most recently, he served as associate pastor at St. Clement for a year and a half.

Fr. Brett is passionate about forming and equipping others for mission, developing leaders and finding new ways to spread the Gospel and renew parish life. He looks forward to building on St. Josaphat’s strong foundations, meeting new people and collaborating to define our mission and vision. Among his hopes for this first year are running a dynamic Alpha program and creating opportunities for our teens to come together.

In his free time, Fr. Brett enjoys reading, especially biographies and history (he loved Pillars of the Earth), listening to music, traveling and staying active—he’s an early riser who’s often at the gym or out running before prayers and Mass! A lifelong sports fan, he enjoys cricket, rugby and soccer. His favorite saint is St. Catherine of Siena, whom he admires for her impact on the Church and the world.

Fr. Brett wants the community to know that his door is always open, and he looks forward to hearing ideas and suggestions that will help strengthen our parish and its mission. Please join us in offering him a warm welcome at all Masses the weekend of July 5–6.

Welcome to St. Josaphat, Fr. Brett! We are blessed to have you with us.