Fr. Irenaeus Kimminau
Order of Friars Minor

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I was born in 1921 on a farm in Nebraska near Mt. Clare (it had a post office then.) I was baptized in St. Stephen's country church and given the name Edmund Henry. When I entered the Franciscan novitiate at Teutopolis in 1942 and "put on a new man" I was given the name Irenaeus - Greek for "Peace."
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When I was in the 8th grade, our family moved to a farm in Union, Missouri - because of severe drought and dust storms we lost our farm in Nebraska. I was the oldest of 8 children and after the youngest left the nest my parents retired and lived in Washington, Missouri.

I entered the seminary in 1937 at Westmont, Illinois and was ordained to the priesthood on June 24, 1949. I served as assistant pastor at St. Anthony's in St. Louis, MO, and Our Lady of Angels in Cleveland, OH. In 1965 I was assigned pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Quincy, IL. Then I was named pastor of St. Francis in Teutopolis. After that I went to St. George in Herman, MO. In 1984 I was assigned as assistant at St. Francis in Quincy; later, to Buffalo, IL, and back to Quincy at St. Anthony and St. Joseph. I retired after the Franciscans gave those two parishes back to the diocese in 2003. When I was at St. Francis in Teutopolis, a new grade school was built and several days before I left St. Francis the parish hall was burned beyond repair. At St. Anthony's in Quincy a new Sister's convent and a new school were constructed. There were also some sad events. While at St. Anthony's, a Quincy College music student was murdered. On the day of my silver sacerdotal jubilee celebration 3 teenagers (2 were parishioners) were killed in an automobile accident near St. Anthony Church. Sad days, indeed.
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Photography has been my hobby for a long time. Along the way I became interested in raising African Violets which I had to give up because of space problems, but, since then I have taken up flower gardening.

I have enjoyed my 59 years in the priesthood. I thank God for the grace of my vocation and for supporting me throughout these years.