I was born in 1962 in St. Charles, IL. My mom and dad, Pat and Bernie Deutsch and my 5 brothers and sisters and I grew up in St. Patrick Church. Most of my family still lives in the parish with the rest not far away.

Raised and educated in a strong Catholic faith, I graduated from Northern Illinios University with a degeee in finance and economics. I worked in Chicago at the Mercantile Exchange trading Eurodollars for several years. All the while, even from my earliest days I felt a great attraction to the priesthood. Finally, I realized that God was not going to stop pursuing me so I let go of the life of a bond trader and began my journey to the priesthood.

After being accepted by the Diocese of Rockford, I attended the University of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, IL for my formation and was ordained a priest in 1994. Upon serving as a priest in several parishes as an associate pastor and then pastor, I was appointed to lead Holy Cross in 2001. The joy of being the pastor of such a vibrant parish grows every day.