meet father dean

We are thrilled to have Father Dean Probst from St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church joining us on our August Catholic Pilgrimage. He will be providing daily mass and other services throughout the journey. Father Dean is no stranger to the Holy Land, having visited several times before. We are confident that he will bring a unique perspective to our experience and we look forward to his guidance. 

Father Deans Bio: I will become pastor emeritus of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Newton, Illinois and St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Sainte Marie, Illinois on July 1, 2023 while retaining my duties as Diocesan Judge on the Tribunal of Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. I have served as pastor the past seven years of these two parishes, along with serving as the Vicar Forane of the former Effingham Deanery and temporary administrator of St. Anthony of Padua parish in Effingham, IL for a brief period. I was ordained in 1981 for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois by Bishop Joseph McNicholas, (deceased), and has been assigned to St. Charles Parish, Charleston, Illinois and Co-Chaplain of Eastern Illinois University Newman Community 1981-1986; St. Bernard Parish, Wood River, IL 1986-1990; St. Jerome Church, Troy, IL 1990-1996; SS. Mary and Joseph Church, Carlinville, IL 1990-2006; St. Jude Parish, Rochester, IL 2006-2016. 

A 1974 graduate of the University of Illinois with a BA in Liberal Arts and a 1975 graduate of Eastern Illinois University with a BS in Business, I worked as an accountant before entering the seminary in 1976. I received his Masters of Divinity Degree in 1981 from Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis, MO. I completed the Jurisprudence in Canon Law at the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, in 2006.

I grew us in a small rural town of 600 population in Dieterich, Illinois, and graduated from Dieterich Grade and High School. I am the first son and third child of five of the “late” Raymond “Bud” and Gertrude Probst. I have two older sisters, a twin sister and a much younger brother. My father was a licensed plumber and electrician and has his own business with three employees, while my mother was the administrator of the business and our appliance store. 

“What goes around, comes around!” I went to a vocations extravaganza by the Sacred Heart Fathers in Sainte Marie when I was in the 5th grade; and was taught Saturday religious classes by Dominican Sisters from Newton, IL. My last official assignment was an appointment to the two parishes in those towns.

I have traveled much, touring most of Europe; China, Turkey, and Israel in Asia; and Egypt, Kenya, and Morocco in Africa, along with cruise to Panama Canal with stops at various South American countries. I have been to Guatemala, Mexico, and Canada and have traveled to all 50 states of the U.S.A.

I enjoy sports and playing cards. I play racquetball regularly with a friend (former parishioner) whom I baptized 15 years ago. My favorite non-religious movie is “Ordinary People”, the book “A Catcher in the Rye,” and the song “Unchained Melody”. I am a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees baseball team. Religiously, of course, the best book is the Bible, the movie, “Jesus of Nazareth,” and the song “We Belong to You, O Lord of our longing.” 

My Favorite Scripture is a combination from the Gospel of John: The prologue, “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. The word became flesh and dwelt among us… 3:16, God so loved the world that He sent forth His only begotten Son… 6:48 (Jesus said) I am the bread of life…. 6:54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.”



This will be my sixth trip to the Holy Land, and I look forward to praying and experiencing the Scriptures with you in these Holy places of our Lord Jesus Christ.