Fr. Oligschlaeger brings experience, strong rapport to new role as Vicar for Priests
Some of Father Greg Oligschlaeger’s parishioners and priest friends didn’t know how to react to his new appointment.
They said, “Congratulations ... I think.”
“I tell them, ‘Yes! I’m honored to have this chance to serve the bishop and my fellow priests!’” said Fr. Oligschlaeger, whom Bishop Ralph B. O’Donnell appointed diocesan Vicar for Priests, effective July 1.
Fr. Oligschlaeger succeeds Father Christopher Cordes, who excelled in the role for the past four years.
All priests minister in union with their bishop. But as a vicar, Fr. Oligschlaeger actually carries out his diocesan duties on Bishop O’Donnell’s behalf, specifically in matters pertaining to priests.
He does so while serving as pastor of Ss. Peter & Paul Parish in Boonville and St. Joseph Parish in Pilot Grove.
“I’m a priest working with other priests, and I know as a pastor the situations they encounter and the needs they have,” Fr. Oligschlaeger stated.
His responsibilities as vicar for priests include:
- serving as the head of the diocesan Vicar for Priests Office;
- arranging coverage for weekend and holyday Masses when the pastor or the priest assigned to that parish or mission will be away for vacation, other ministry assignments, illness or any other reason;
- communicating with and helping priests experiencing illnesses or other health or personal challenges;
- assisting with the arrival of missionary priests from other countries and helping with immigration qualifications while serving in the diocese;
- helping plan the annual Priests’ Institute for continuing education, priest formation days, and the two options for the annual diocesan priests’ retreat; and
- serving as a member of the bishop’s cabinet, the Council of Deans, the Presbyteral Council, the Priests’ Personnel Board, and the Diocesan Pastoral Council.
He also works with Danielle Freie LPN, diocesan priest wellness coordinator, to help active and retired priests take good care of their health.
“I think a big part of my job is to connect with the priests, hopefully to affirm them when I see them doing great things in their parishes and the diocese, and being a listening ear regarding their ministry or situations with diocesan leadership,” said Fr. Oligschlaeger.
He’s also the first point of contact for people who have concerns about their priest.
“Not everything needs to go straight to the top when an issue arises,” he noted.
He plans to meet weekly with the bishop and take part in the bishop’s weekly cabinet meetings.
“So, I will be in the Chancery on Wednesday afternoons through the close of day on Thursdays,” the priest stated.
Good rapport
Bishop O’Donnell called Fr. Oligschlaeger this spring, the day the priest returned from leading a pilgrimage to Italy.
“He said it’s something good, but he wanted to visit in person,” Fr. Oligschlaeger recalled.
The priest was happy to accept the role of Vicar for Priests.
He previously served as diocesan vocations director from 2015 to 2018 and has had some good experiences in priestly formation that he believes will help him in his new role.
“Back then, I was helping men discern Priesthood,” he noted. “Now, I’m walking with them in the Priesthood and affirming what they do well in serving the people, and being of assistance to them if they have any needs or struggles or difficulties.
“That’s why it’s important for me to keep fostering relationships with the priests as I always have,” he stated, “so they know I’m an advocate and not an adversary.”
He emphasized that priestly ministry can’t be a one-man job.
“The biggest thing people can do to minister to their priests is to affirm them in their ministry and show appreciation for the many things they do,” Fr. Oligschlaeger stated.
“It’s easy to point things out that don’t go well,” he said, “but having that affirmation is also very important.”
He encouraged people to have regular contact with priests and invite them to join you for social occasions that aren’t just tied to ministry.
“And continue taking on a sense of evangelization and mission in the ways laypeople can serve the Church,” he advised.
He pointed to serving on parish pastoral councils, stewardship councils and finance councils, helping prepare new Catholics through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), and volunteering for parish committees and outreach initiatives.
“We all need to understand that God has placed us in the Church at this particular time and place to serve him here and now,” said Fr. Oligschlaeger. “We need not think, ‘If only we could have been in the Church 50 years ago.’
“The ministry of the Church is happening right now, and we’re all called to be a part of it,” he insisted. “Christ is within us, and we need to take him out into the world and say, ‘I’m going to do what God calls me to do today and strive to have a joyful outlook on how I’m called to serve.’”
Hills and valleys
Born in Boonville, Fr. Oligschlaeger grew up in Jefferson City and attended St. Joseph Cathedral School.
He went to high school at the former St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Hannibal; majored in psychology and philosophy at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Worthington, Ohio; and studied theology at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis.
He worked a summer internship at Mary Immaculate Parish in Kirksville and the Mission of St. Rose of Lima in Novinger, and served as a transitional deacon at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Columbia.
The Late Bishop Michael F. McAuliffe of Jefferson City ordained him to the Holy Priesthood on May 8, 1993.
Fr. Oligschlaeger served as an associate pastor of St. Peter Parish in Jefferson City, then as an instructor and dean of students at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary.
As a pastor, he led St. Peter Parish in Fulton and St. Jude Thaddeus Parish in Mokane; St. Joseph Parish in Martinsburg and the former Church of the Resurrection Parish in Wellsville; and Holy Rosary Parish in Monroe City and St. Stephen Parish in Indian Creek.
He served as diocesan vocation director from 2015-2018 and as temporary administrator of Our Lady of Snows Parish in Mary’s Home.
Fr. Oligschlaeger visited almost every parish in the diocese, preaching holiness and encouraging families and faith communities to pray for and encourage priestly and religious vocations.
He was assigned to Boonville and Pilot Grove in 2025.
Why not?
Fr. Oligschlaeger is looking forward not only to ministering to priests but also working as part of the bishop’s cabinet and Chancery staff to help him plan for the future of the Church in this diocese.
“The hope is that I’ll serve in a way that the priests feel that I can help them in their ministry and be able to voice to the bishop their concerns and opportunities for growth,” the priest stated.
Fr. Oligschlaeger is convinced that God is calling men from each parish in the diocese to serve as priests in the Church.
“Why wouldn’t he be?” he inquired. “It’s an incredible gift and blessing from God to his people. He would share this blessing with every parish. We have to continue to help people be able to respond to that call from God.”
