St. Viator priest serves 50 years sharing parishioners’ joys, sorrows
Fifty years in the priesthood gives the Rev. Bill Haesaert perspective on the role of the religious life.
"Over the years, I have said that I love what I do and the people love me for doing that," Haesaert says. "What more could I ask for?"
Haesaert, 70, has served at St. Viator Catholic Church for 25 years, and though he considers himself semiretired, he is still heavily involved in the day-to-day operations at the church and its school. In September, the parish at St. Viator honored Haesaert for his many years of service.
"I have been very blessed being here in Las Vegas for the past 25 years," he says. "The St. Viator parish gave me a celebration of my 50 years in religious life. It gave me the opportunity to thank the St. Viator community for their love and support."
Marie Feeney has attended St. Viator since 1975.
"I have known Father Bill for many years and have found him to be a zealous priest always ready to serve God's people," says Feeney, who has attended a Catholic church in Las Vegas for more than 50 years. "Father is kind-hearted, thoughtful and sensitive to the needs of others. He is gifted with the ability to touch the hearts of people of all ages ranging from young schoolchildren to senior citizens. We are blessed to have him in the diocese."
Multifaceted and well-liked, Haesaert loves a good game of golf and in fact, scored a hole-in-one in the early 1980s at Desert Rose Golf Course. He is calm and analytical, seemingly able to handle every challenge and need whether it entails a dog leg on a tough Par 5 or providing a calm word to someone facing tough times.
Two of Haesaert's biggest admirers are John Russell and wife, Carol. While Haesaert is John Russell's golfing buddy, Carol Russell was Haesaert's religious education director at St. Viator for 25 years.
"He has a great personality and love for children of all ages," Carol Russell says. "The kids are able to identify with him. He has such a tremendous personality."
Originally from Moline, Ill., Haesaert's education includes degrees from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, while also attending summer schools in pastoral ministries at the University of Notre Dame. He took his first vows in 1965. In addition, Haesaert graduated from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago with a Master's of Divinity degree in 1980.
Tutored well by his mentor the Rev. Edward Anderson, the former principal of Bishop Gorman High School and former pastor of St. Viator parish, Haesaert has maintained his dedication to the faith into this, his Golden Jubilee year. According to those who know him, he is equally skilled at cheering on a young person or soothing the elderly during their final hours. When it comes to serving as a spiritual cheerleader, there are no bounds to the man's long list of spreading goodwill and retaining hope.
Meanwhile, the church has experienced some tumultuous times during his years of service and Haesaert is forthright in discussing them. One of the most serious was the molesting of young people by Catholic priests in the 1980s.
"I was very hurt when that happened," he says without hesitation. "I was hurt by the dishonesty of the hierarchy and how they tried to hide it all. I am now very happy to say that we have made some wonderful strides dealing with the issues at the present time."
Haesaert refused to let the setback dampen his dedication to the Catholic church.
"I never let it take away from my joy of being religious and being a priest," he says. "I love being able to serve God's people in Las Vegas."
One of Haesaert's biggest concerns now is the shortage of Catholic priests in the valley, but he is heartened by the people who step up to help.
"Being aware of the needs of the church and the shortage of men coming to the priesthood, our community has reached out to our laypeople to become associates of our community," he says. "I'm happy to say at the present time that we have 43 lay associates in Las Vegas that are part of our Viatorian community sharing with us in our various ministries."
"What has made the parish so strong over (its) 61 years is everyone working together, including priests and laypeople who have made the parish what it is today," Haesaert adds.
