Fr. Todd Koenigsknecht is with Sacred Heart, Hudson & St. Mary on the Lake, Manitou Beach.

“I grew up on my parent’s organic dairy farm in Fowler, Michigan. I am the fourth of ten children and I have six brothers and three sisters. I grew up at Most Holy Trinity parish, located in Fowler, and I was blessed to be able to attend the parish’s grade school. I entered seminary after graduating from high school. I spent my first four years at Saint John Vianney Seminary in St. Paul, MN at the University of St. Thomas and then four years at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit for Theology.

I was ordained in 2014 with my twin brother, Fr. Gary. My youngest brother, Fr. Randy, was just ordained this past June. I spent my first three years at St. Thomas the Apostle in Ann Arbor. Then I spent one year at St. John the Evangelist in Fenton. In 2018 I was blessed to come to Sacred Heart in Hudson and St. Mary on the Lake in Manitou Beach as Pastor. These two parishes in rural southern Michigan have been such a blessing to serve. I love our communities and our parish school. I am so grateful for how much I have grown in my priesthood through my time here.

I began feeling called to the priesthood in 7th/8th grade. My parents did a great job teaching me the faith, teaching me how to pray, and living the faith. Another important part of my calling was being able to serve Mass, especially funeral Masses when I was in 7th/8th grade. There I encountered Jesus in a much deeper way and I saw how the priest was able to help grieving families give their loved ones to God. Those funerals revealed the foundations of our faith, that God truly died for us so we could be with Him in heaven, and made them real.”

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