This article was originally pubished in the fall 2025 issue of The Vincentian, the quarterly newsletter of the Congregation of the Mission Western Province.
Fr. Kevin Fausz pastors three San Antonio parishes
Fr. Kevin Fausz, C.M., seldom seems to slow down. The energetic Vincentian is pastor of three parishes in San Antonio, Texas, just for starters, and really brings the liturgy to the congregation, walking out and engaging his congregants, whether speaking to a packed Sunday Mass or a weekday service with a dozen people.
“You have an hour to feed people with music and liturgy,” Fr. Fausz said. “I think any of our parishioners would say they feel welcome.”
The Perryville, Missouri, native said he started thinking about the seminary in second grade. He signed up to go to the seminary high school in Cape Girardeau but ultimately decided to attend St. Vincent High School in Perryville, after which he attended DePaul Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis. He spent eight years working as a nurse, but thoughts of the priesthood never left him.
“People would say to me, ‘You would make a good priest,’” he said. “I thought I should at least see.”
He entered the seminary at age 27 and was ordained in 1991. His second assignment was a 14-year stint as pastor back home in Perryville, and during an ensuing sabbatical, he studied in San Antonio, where he discovered Holy Redeemer Parish, the only Black parish in the Archdiocese. Having studied at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies in New Orleans, he was drawn to the parish, and over time things began to fall into place for him to stay. Parishioner, Carol White, who had worked at the archdiocese, recommended him to the archbishop.
“She was the one who really kept the office going,” he said. “When I arrived, they had had nine pastors in 24 years.”
That was 17 years ago, and five years later, he was asked to take over Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a Hispanic parish. Five years after that, he was asked to take on St. Michael’s, also Hispanic, with more recent immigrants than those at Perpetual Help.
“Over the years, I think I have a good pulse on the people in the parishes,” he said. “I try to be as present as possible, knowing I can’t be at all three places at once. The important thing is that the people know that I love them.”
Fr. Fausz also serves on some community boards, is spiritual moderator for the St. Vincent de Paul Society, ministers to the imprisoned, is state chaplain for the Knights and Ladies of Peter Claver, and is chaplain at Our Lady of the Lake University. In addition, he took on the role of treasurer for the Western Province last year.
“It’s crazy, the energy that it gives me,” he said. “I feel really blessed to be doing what I’m doing. I want to do it as long as I can.”
Photo caption: Fr. Kevin Fausz, C.M., conducts at baptism at Holy Redeemer Church, one of his three parishes in San Antonio.
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