Fr. John Horan

Pastor

Praised be Jesus Christ – Now and forever!

I am very excited to be here and to serve you as your parish pastor in the name of God and on behalf of Bishop Ronald Hicks. I know that I have a lot to learn as I get to know you (all of you – the best I can!) and discover the love and responsibility of being your shepherd for Christ the Good Shepherd. Let’s keep each other in prayer.

Here is a little information about me: I grew up close by in Naperville (just off Plainfield-Naperville Rd, in fact). My family attended St. Raphael Catholic Church, and I graduated from Waubonsie Valley High School and then the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana with a major in Spanish.

My family has been an essential support in my life, and my vocation to the priesthood was nurtured in their love and generosity. My parents (Ray and Kay) still live in Naperville, and my sister (Laura) now lives in Germany. I felt called to discern a call to priesthood in my final year at college. For me, I was excited about the opportunity to share Jesus’ love and mercy through the sacraments.

I started seminary in 2012 and was ordained as a priest in May of 2018. Some of the parishes where I served during seminary years were St. Mary in West Chicago, St. Alexander in Villa Park, and St. Andrew in Romeoville. I learned a lot from each community and continued to see God leading me to a life of service and prayer as a priest.

After priestly ordination, I was blessed to spend seven years in Kankakee at St. John Paul II Parish. From 2018-2021, I served as a parochial vicar at St. John Paul II while also offering Spanish Mass and ministry at Immaculate Conception Parish in Gilman. From 2021-2025, I was a full-time high school religion teacher while also serving as chaplain at Bishop McNamara Catholic School in Kankakee (and continuing to help with Masses at St. John Paul II Parish).

I have heard very good things about the life of faith and the good work for God’s kingdom at St. Mary Immaculate Parish. Let’s give thanks to God for the service and care of Fr. Pat Mulcahy and Fr. John Regan, and let’s pray for them on their next steps. As Fr. Ternan and I join Fr. James as your parish priests, please keep us in prayer as we will be praying for you!

Yours in Christ,

Fr. John Horan

Fr. Ternan Monteiro

Parochial Vicar

Fr. Ternan is a priest who until recently belonged to the Bombay Province (India) of the Society of Jesus. He is the only child of his parents. He was born in Nairobi, Kenya and moved to Mumbai with his mother after the loss of his father at the age of 2. He grew up in a joint family who played an important role in his battle with leukemia at the age of 5. He joined the Congregation in the year 1997 and was ordained a priest on November 19th, 2011. His deep interest in counseling in his early years of formation led him to completing his diploma in counseling psychology. A special field of interest for him is grief and bereavement counseling. Fr. Ternan has served as pastor and administrator of a parish, was a visiting lecturer at the Bombay Archdiocesan seminary, and has directed many Inner Healing retreats. He is passionate about psychospirituality and integrates this into his retreats to help people experience healing and growth. He has also been involved with the Engaged Encounter movement, that prepares couples for marriage. He recently completed his Masters in Pastoral Counseling at Loyola University Chicago.