Parochial Vicar
Phone: 952-929-3317 x9033
Email: frutecht@olgparish.org
Fr. John Utecht was ordained for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on May, 28 2022 at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Fr. John is very excited to begin his first assignment here at Our Lady of Grace.
Fr. John was born in Saint Paul where he attended St. Paschal Baylon Catholic School through fourth grade and then moved with his family to Hastings where he attended Hastings Public Schools through High School. He is the second oldest of five kids: one older sister, two younger sisters, and one younger brother. He loves spending time with friends and family, cooking, playing sports, golfing, hunting, fishing, spending time at the cabin, and generally doing anything outdoors.
While in High School, Fr. John had a powerful conversion that pushed him to grow in his relationship with Jesus and called him on to a life of holiness. Spurred by this conversion he decided to serve as a missionary for a year with NET Ministries. During this year he grew in his prayer life and first heard the call to priesthood. After his year on NET, Fr. John entered the Saint John Vianney College Seminary at St. Thomas, majoring in both Philosophy and Catholic Studies. After his time at SJV, Fr. John completed his seminary studies with a Masters in Divinity at the Saint Paul Seminary in the spring of 2022.
Fr. John is already very happy to be a priest and looks forward to serving God’s people at Our Lady of Grace.