Meet the Staff

Please join us in welcoming Monsignor Larry Bakke as Parochial Administrator!

Monsignor Bakke is a native priest-son of our parish, a long-serving pastor in the Diocese of Madison,  and a respected leader who has many natural relationships and connections here at QP. He has graciously stepped out of his very recent retirement to join us and will remain the Director of the Apostolate to the Handicapped.

He shares, “From childhood, I have wanted to be a priest, so I entered the seminary as a freshman in high school, first in Illinois, then transferring to the newly opened Holy Name Seminary, Madison in 1964. After completing two years in college there, I finished college and four years of theology at St. Mary's Seminary, Houston, TX. I was ordained for the Diocese of Madison by Bishop O'Donnell on May 23, 1975.” With Monsignor Larry growing up in our QP Parish, his ordination was cause for a celebration here!

Monsignor Bakke’s pastoral assignments include: 

• 1975-1977: Associate Pastor, St. Bernard Parish, Madison
• 1977-1984: Diocesan Director of Youth Ministry, Religious Ed. Office, Madison
• 1979-1993: Director of Camp Gray, the Diocesan Summer Camp & Youth Center, Reedsburg
• 1984-1991: Associate Pastor, St. Albert the Great Parish, Sun Prairie
• 1991-2000: Pastor of St. Albert the Great Parish, Sun Prairie
• 2000-2004: Catholic Chaplain at UW Hospital & Clinics, Madison
• 2000-2002: Pastor at Holy Redeemer Parish, Madison
• 2004-2011: Parochial Administrator of St. Joseph Parish, Baraboo
• 2011-2021: Pastor at St. Clare of Assisi Parish, Monroe & Director of the Apostolate to the Handicapped

He was born and raised in Madison, WI, the son of the late Ted and Nelle Bakke. He has three siblings: Ted (Sonya) live in Baraboo; Mary lives in Denver, Brian (Rhonda) in Arizona.

Father Rich is a Dominican priest, ordained 15 years. He's served at Newman Centers at Indiana University, the University of New Mexico, and is coming to QP from the University of Missouri Newman Center in Columbia, Missouri.

Father Rich was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, with his four brothers and sister. He attended Catholic grade school and a Jesuit high school there. After a year in seminary, he left, got married, and had two children and four grandchildren. He lived and worked in the “real world” as a juvenile corrections counselor, a probation officer, and a community corrections counselor. After a divorce and subsequent annulment, the Dominicans accepted him, and he returned to seminary at age 47. Although he is a Dominican, he says that it is more about becoming a Dominican. They are always in formation, studying, learning, growing, ministering, and praying.

His journey has now brought him to QP, where he is looking forward to the challenges, excited about learning about Madison, and living in a larger Dominican community. The opportunity to work with an energetic group of school children will be a wonderful new experience for him too. Welcome, Father Rich!

We are pleased to welcome Deacon Mark Zwolski not only to our parish community, but also for his ministry as an ordained Deacon in the Church. Deacon Mark was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate in April 1989 - having been called to ministry by the people and staff of St. Mary of Vernon Parish, near Vernon Hills, Illinois. He was based at SMV until he and his wife moved to Wisconsin a year ago. He has been involved in a wide range of ministries before and after ordination. His focus in recent years - in addition to Sacramental duties - has been facilitating the RCIA program and running an unemployment ministry. Mark is looking forward to working with Msgr. Larry, Fr. Rich, and the pastoral staff to identify and assist in areas of need.

Mark and his wife Carol live in Fitchburg and have three adult children. Mark works at John Crane, Inc., a manufacturer of mechanical seals, rotating equipment couplings, and gas/liquid filtration systems. His focus is the development and delivery of technical product training for sales representatives and customers. He currently works from his home office. 

What is a Deacon?

Deacons serve the Church, but also live and work in the secular world. The majority of deacons are married, have families, and hold regular jobs. Every day a deacon strives to integrate family, work, and ministry into his life. The deacon has a threefold ministry of the Word, the Altar, and of Charity.

Ministry of the Word involves the teaching mission of the Church: preparing adults who wish to become members of the Catholic Church, helping engaged couples prepare for marriage, helping new parents prepare for the baptism of a child, sacramental preparation, religious education classes, leading Bible studies, and other evangelization efforts.

Ministry of the Altar involves assisting at Mass: proclaiming the Gospel and preaching, presiding at baptisms, weddings, and wake services, leading prayer services and Benediction, special blessings, etc.

Ministry of Charity is a deacon's primary responsibility. All deacons are called to care for the poor and forgotten whether it's ministering at homeless shelters or food pantries, visiting jail inmates, the elderly in nursing homes and the sick in hospitals, or being a witness for Christ at work. Deacons also sometimes serve in various administrative duties in or outside of the parish with agencies such as Catholic Charities or a diocesan position. The deacon should call others to ministry by his witness and his example.  

A deacon is one of the three orders of the sacrament of Holy Orders: deacon, priest, and bishop. A man is ordained a deacon following the laying on of hands by the bishop during the ordination liturgy. At ordination, deacons make a promise of obedience to their bishop, demonstrating they are ordained for the whole church and not just a parish. Deacons are vested with a stole, which is worn over the left shoulder and is a sign of their office and role.