Bishop Barry C. Knestout has appointed 15 priests to serve as deans across the diocese. Each of the three vicariates is split into five deaneries.
The formal title for a dean is “Very Reverend” and when that title is used, the priest has the initials “V.F.” following his name, which stands for his title as a dean: vicar forane.
According to the Code of Canon Law, a vicar forane’s duty is to make sure religious functions are celebrated in keeping with the prescripts of the sacred liturgy, and that churches and rectories are properly maintained. The vicar forane visits parishes in his deanery, coordinates pastoral activities, and makes sure that the spiritual, material, and physical well-being of priests in his deanery are cared for.
The appointments take effect Oct. 1, 2024, and the three-year term ends in 2027. This is the first appointment for most of the deans; those returning for another term are noted with an asterisk (*).
Eastern Vicariate
Deanery 1
Father Augustine Lukenge, pastor, Christ the King, Norfolk
Parishes: Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Norfolk; Blessed Sacrament, Norfolk; Christ the King, Norfolk; Holy Trinity, Norfolk; Sacred Heart, Norfolk; St. Andrew the Apostle, Chincoteague; St. Charles, Cape Charles; St. Matthew, Virginia Beach; St. Peter the Apostle, Onley; and St. Pius X, Norfolk.
Deanery 2
Msgr. Raphael Peprah, pastor, St. Luke, Virginia Beach; and chaplain, Holy Apostles, Virginia Beach
Parishes: Anglican/Roman Catholic Community of Holy Apostles, Virginia Beach; Church of the Ascension, Virginia Beach; Church of the Holy Family, Virginia Beach; Church of the Holy Spirit, Virginia Beach; St. Gregory the Great, Virginia Beach; St. John the Apostle, Virginia Beach; St. Luke, Virginia Beach; St. Nicholas, Virginia Beach; and Star of the Sea, Virginia Beach.
Deanery 3
*Father Anthony Morris, pastor, Church of the Holy Angels, Portsmouth; Church of the Resurrection, Portsmouth; St. Mary, Chesapeake; and St. Paul, Portsmouth
Parishes: Church of St. Therese, Chesapeake; Church of the Good Shepherd, Smithfield; Church of the Holy Angels, Portsmouth; Church of the Resurrection, Portsmouth; Prince of Peace, Chesapeake; St. Benedict, Chesapeake; St. Jude, Franklin; St. Mark, Virginia Beach; St. Mary, Chesapeake; St. Mary of the Presentation, Suffolk; St. Paul, Portsmouth; St. Stephen Martyr, Chesapeake; and Shrine of the Infant of Prague, Wakefield.
Deanery 4
*Father Daniel Beeman, pastor, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Newport News
Parishes: Immaculate Conception, Hampton; Our Lady of Lavang – Vietnam, Hampton; Our Lady of Lavang – Vietnam, Norfolk; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Newport News; St. Jerome, Newport News; St. Joseph, Hampton; St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Tabb; St. Mary Star of the Sea, Fort Monroe; St. Rose of Lima & Korean Martyrs, Hampton; and St. Vincent de Paul, Newport News.
Deanery 5
Father Johnny Mintah Mensah, pastor, Church of Francis de Sales, Mathews; and Church of the Visitation, Topping
Parishes: Church of Francis de Sales, Mathews; Church of St. Therese, Gloucester; Church of the Visitation, Topping; Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, West Point; St. Bede, Williamsburg; St. Joan of Arc, Yorktown; and St. Olaf, Norge.
Central Vicariate
Deanery 6
*Father Anthony Marques, rector, Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond
Parishes: Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond; Church of the Redeemer, Mechanicsville; Holy Rosary, Richmond; St. Elizabeth, Richmond; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Quinton; St. John, Highland Springs; St. Patrick, Richmond; St. Paul, Richmond; St. Peter’s Pro-Cathedral, Richmond; and St. Timothy, Tappahannock.
Deanery 7
*Father Michael Renninger, pastor, St. Mary, Richmond
Parishes: Church of the Vietnamese Martyrs, Richmond; Our Lady of Lourdes, Richmond; St. Ann, Ashland; St. Benedict, Richmond; St. Bridget, Richmond; St. Mary, Richmond; St. Mary of the Annunciation, Ladysmith; and St. Michael the Archangel, Glen Allen.
Deanery 8
*Jesuit Father Shay Auerbach, pastor, Sacred Heart, Richmond
Parishes: Church of the Epiphany, Richmond; Good Samaritan, Amelia; Sacred Heart, Richmond; St. Edward the Confessor, Richmond; St. Gabriel, Chesterfield; St. John Neumann, Powhatan; St. Joseph, Richmond; and St. Kim Taegon, Richmond.
Deanery 9
Father Ernest Bulinda, pastor, St. Ann, South Chesterfield
Parishes: Church of the Sacred Heart, Prince George; Good Shepherd, South Hill; St. Ann, Colonial Heights; St. Augustine, Richmond; St. Catherine of Siena, Clarksville; St. James, Hopewell; St. John, Dinwiddie; St. Joseph, Petersburg; St. Paschal Baylon, South Boston; St. Peter the Apostle, Lake Gaston; and St. Richard, Emporia.
Deanery 10
Dominican Father Walter Wagner, pastor, St. Thomas Aquinas, Charlottesville; and St. George, Scottsville
Parishes: Our Lady of the Rosary, Crozet; Holy Comforter, Charlottesville; Immaculate Conception, Buckner; Incarnation, Charlottesville; St. Francis of Assisi, Amherst; St. George, Scottsville; St. Joseph’s Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel, Columbia; St. Jude, Mineral; St. Mary, Lovingston; St. Thomas Aquinas, Charlottesville; and Sts. Peter and Paul, Palmyra.
Western Vicariate
Deanery 11
Father Matthias Lusembo, pastor, St. Francis of Assisi, Staunton
Parishes: Blessed Sacrament, Harrisonburg; Holy Infant, Elkton; St. Francis of Assisi, Staunton; St. John the Evangelist, Waynesboro; and Shepherd of the Hills, Quinque.
Deanery 12
*Msgr. Patrick Golden, pastor, Our Lady of Nazareth, Roanoke
Parishes: Church of the Transfiguration, Fincastle; Our Lady of Nazareth, Roanoke; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Salem; Sacred Heart, Covington; Basilica of St. Andrew, Roanoke; St. Gerard, Roanoke; St. John the Evangelist, New Castle; St. Joseph, Clifton Forge; St. Patrick, Lexington; and Shrine of the Sacred Heart, Hot Springs.
Deanery 13
Father Herman Katongole, pastor of All Saints, Floyd; Risen Lord, Stuart; and St. Joseph, Woodlawn
Parishes: All Saints, Floyd; Holy Family, Pearisburg; Holy Spirit, Christiansburg; Risen Lord, Stuart; St. Edward Mission, Pulaski; St. Joseph, Woodlawn; St. Jude, Radford; St. Mary, Blacksburg; and St. Mary the Mother of God, Wytheville.
Deanery 14
Father Thomas Lawrence III, pastor, St. Anne, Bristol; St. Bernard, Gate City; St. Patrick, Dungannon
Parishes: Christ the King, Abingdon; Good Shepherd, Lebanon; Holy Spirit Catholic Community, Jonesville; Sacred Heart, Big Stone Gap; St. Anne, Bristol; St. Anthony, Norton; St. Bernard, Gate City; St. John, Marion; St. Joseph, Clintwood; St. Mary, Coeburn; St. Patrick, Dungannon; St. Therese, St. Paul; Church of St. Elizabeth of Holy Family Parish, Pocahontas; Church of St. Joseph of Holy Family Parish, Grundy; Church of St. Mary of Holy Family Parish, Richlands; and Church of St. Theresa of Holy Family Parish, Tazewell.
Deanery 15
*Father Salvador Añonuevo, pastor, Holy Cross, Lynchburg
Parishes: Holy Cross, Lynchburg; Holy Name of Mary, Bedford; Immaculate Heart of Mary, Blackstone; Our Lady of Peace, Appomattox; Resurrection, Moneta; Sacred Heart, Danville; Sacred Heart, Meherrin; St. Francis of Assisi, Rocky Mount; St. Joseph, Martinsville; St. Theresa, Farmville; St. Thomas More, Lynchburg; and St. Victoria, Hurt.