St. Anne Catholic Parish in Barrington mourns passing of Pastor Bernie Pietrzak

Archbishop of Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich will preside at the funeral Mass Wednesday morning for the Rev. Bernie Pietrzak, pastor of St. Anne Catholic Church in Barrington, who died last week at the age of 68.

Born in Hammond, Indiana and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Pietrzak had been pastor of St. Anne since 2009.

After his ordination to the priesthood in 1981, he served at St. Victor Parish in Calumet City, Holy Cross Parish in Deerfield and Church of the Holy Spirit in Schaumburg.

He then was assigned pastor of St. Raymond de Penafort Parish in Mount Prospect, where he served from 1996 until his transfer to St. Anne.

The Rev. Jerome Jacob, pastor of St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in Mundelein, became a close friend of Pietrzak as his associate pastor at St. Raymond de Penafort.

"Bernie was a good mentor and friend," Jacob said in a statement. "He always saw the best in people. He would encourage young priests and welcome them. The Sunday assembly was very important to him. He was very dedicated to adult formation, marriage preparation, etc., to help people grow in their spirituality."

Pietrzak's associate pastors at St. Anne - the Rev. Joji Thanugundla and Rev. Rodolfo Ramirez - paid tribute to him on the parish's Instagram account.

"Father Bernie served our St. Anne community with unwavering dedication, compassion, and a profound commitment to his faith," they wrote. "He touched the lives of many with his inspiring homilies, guidance, and selfless service."

Leading schools at both parishes gave Pietrzak the opportunity to fulfill his lifelong commitment to Catholic education.

A passionate fan of the Chicago Cubs, Pietrzak threw out the first pitch at a game, a parting gift to him from his St. Raymond parishioners. And when the team won the World Series in 2016, he rang the bells of St. Anne at midnight.

Also an avid golfer, Pietrzak founded the St. Anne Fall Golf Classic that has been a successful event for the parish over the past dozen years.

He is survived by his sister Renee Watson and her husband, Tim.

The funeral Mass will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Anne Church, 120 N. Ela Street in Barrington. Jacob will serve as homilist and it will be livestreamed at stannebarrington.org.

Interment will be private. For online condolences visit davenportfamily.com.