Fr Peter Kieffer  
Pastor

     Greetings!  Here is a little bit about my background.  I was born and raised in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  I am the youngest of four children: two older brothers and one older sister.  I am fluent in English and am pretty proficient in Spanish.  Some of my hobbies include: learning other languages, watching mystery/detective shows and movies, walking, playing tennis and volleyball, spending time with family and friends, playing the piano, and eating Italian food. 

     Growing up I was pretty active as an altar server and volunteer at my home parish, Blessed Sacrament, in La Crosse.  I attended Catholic schools K-12 and graduated from Aquinas High School in La Crosse in 2007.  

     In college I switched majors a few times, but eventually landed on being a philosophy major.  During my junior year of college at St. Mary's University in Winona, Minnesota, I felt God calling me to consider going to the seminary to discern a call to the priesthood.

     I became a seminarian for the Diocese of La Crosse in 2010, completing my first two years of seminary formation at Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona, graduating from St. Mary's University in 2012.

     My next two years of seminary formation were at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where I had the great gift of seeing Pope Francis be elected as pope.  After two years in Rome, I completed a pastoral year at the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Marathon, Wisconsin, and then finished my last two years of seminary formation at St. Francis de Sales Seminary in St. Francis, Wisconsin, near Milwaukee, and earning my Masters of Divinity Degree from Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology in 2017.

     I was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Callahan at the Cathedral in La Crosse in 2017.  My first two years of priesthood were spent as associate pastor at St. Matthew's and Holy Name Parishes in Wausau, Wisconsin, as well as the chaplain at Newman High and Middle Schools in Wausau.  After a third year in Wausau at St. Matt's and Newman, in 2020 I became the associate pastor at St. Mary's Parish (Altoona, WI) and St. Raymond's Parish (Brackett, WI), as well as the chaplain at Regis High and Middle Schools in Eau Claire.

     After two years in the Eau Claire area, in 2022 I became the parochial administrator here at Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph-Fairview.  I am happy to be here, and I look forward to serving the people in our communities.  God bless!