Bishop Ricken installed Fr. Bradley as pastor of St. Bernard Parish on Saturday
By William Van de Planque | On Mission
Photography by Benjamin Wideman | For On Mission
GREEN BAY, WI — Bishop David Ricken installed Fr. Adam Bradley as pastor of St. Bernard Parish in Green Bay on Saturday, March 7, 2026.
Bishop Ricken was the main celebrant of the Mass, and concelebrating priests included Fr. Bradley and Fr. Mark Vander Steeg, the vicar for priests and pastoral leaders who served as the pastor of St. Bernard Parish for 11 years until 2023.
Taking over for Fr. Vander Steeg, Fr. Bradley had served as an administrator of the parish since July 2023.
Fr. Bradley’s mother and father were present at the pastor installation as well.
Bishop Ricken explained to those gathered that a priest’s role is based on sacrificial, prayerful, and governing elements that come from the life and ministry of Jesus.
“A priest is someone set apart by God and by the Church to serve God’s people, and it is based upon three elements that come from the life and ministry of Jesus,” he said. “The priest is configured to Christ, changed from the inside out, to reflect Christ, who is priest, prophet and king.”
On the day of his ordination, Fr. Bradley echoed this idea of reflecting Christ in an interview with The Compass.
“Everything my brother priests and I have gone through or will go through and the ministries we perform are really an extension of Jesus’ ministry,” he said.
Bishop Ricken ordained Fr. Bradley to the priesthood on July 1, 2017, at St. Mary Parish in Ledgeview.
“Fr. Adam is a man of integrity and of prayer,” Bishop Ricken said. “I’ll never forget the day he was ordained… that class has given (the diocese) so much hope.”
Fr. Bradley’s seminarian class — which included Fr. Zach Weber, Fr. Mark Mleziva, Fr. Matthew Rappl and Fr. Jon Thorsen — has been the largest class to be ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Green Bay in over 35 years.
Fr. Bradley’s first assignment after being ordained was at St. Pius X Parish in Appleton, and during that time, he also served as the chaplain for Xavier High School in Appleton.
As a high school chaplain, Fr. Bradley saw “the need for good formation and the desire for more,” he said in an interview with On Mission Media. “Everyone has a desire for more. I don’t think most people understand that the desire for more actually comes from God. The reason they desire more is because God wants to give them more, more of himself, more of that which is truly good.”
Before coming to St. Bernard Parish, Fr. Bradley worked in the Office of Vocations as the director of the Kairos Year, the year of formation that young men discerning the priesthood receive before fully entering the seminary.
“I have a desire for good formation,” Fr. Bradley said. “In the Kairos Year, that’s essentially what I did. I was the first formator for men discerning the priesthood in our diocese.”
Fr. Bradley sees a need for formation in the community at St. Bernard Parish, especially those who have fallen away from the Church.
“One of the things we are focused on now is helping our young families come back to Mass, and helping those who find themselves away from the Church come back to Mass,” he said.
His focus on young adults and young families centers around people who “know that the Church is a good thing, but they don’t necessarily know that it’s the thing that they need to be planning their lives around or incorporating into their lives,” he said.
Fr. Bradley and parish leadership are trying to help bring people back to Mass by offering them “authentic Church teaching” and “an understanding of their fundamental identity,” that they “are who they are in relationship to God, not in relationship to their sins,” he said.
He said he is grateful for his new role at St. Bernard Parish.
“Becoming pastor is a real gift because there is a presumption that I’m going to remain here for a little bit of time,” he said. “We can have a real focus on the future.”
Fr. Bradley is inspired by Fr. Charlie Hoffman, who was the longtime pastor of St. John Parish in Antigo, Fr. Bradley’s childhood home parish.
“(Fr. Hoffman) really taught me not to sweat the small stuff,” he said. “I really appreciated his priestly ministry once I became a priest. Fr. Charlie was always there. He was a fixture in the community.”
Fr. Jim Jugenheimer, pastor of St. Pius X Parish in Appleton and the first pastor under whom Fr. Bradley served as an associate, and Fr. Tom Farrell, pastor of Stella Maris Parish in Baileys Harbor, are two other priests Fr. Bradley looks up to and admires for their leadership, he said.
“I still feel new, but I feel like we’ve got a good vision and we’re praying that the Lord fills up our pews. We’re trying to foster vocations and foster the things of the Church like sacramental life, authentic Church teaching.”
Fr. Bradley wants those who are suffering or struggling with doubt to know that their questions do have answers and that their sufferings “do have a place where it can make sense,” he said.
“For those of you who live in our parish boundary, or even abroad, there is a place for you to encounter God here at St. Bernard (Parish),” he said. “We want you to really know that he loves and cares for you, and he is the one who can walk with you through all of life’s ups and downs.”
After his pastor installation Mass, Fr. Bradley thanked all those who helped organize and serve during the event. He also thanked all the parishioners gathered that day to celebrate him.
“I want to thank all of you for welcoming me here and for allowing me to come here to be your priest for the last two and a half years,” he said. “I am profoundly moved and humbled by your faith, by your love for Jesus Christ, and by your desire for more.”
After Fr. Bradley read off a list of parish announcements and thanked everyone, Bishop Ricken added a final comment.
“Now, with all those announcements and thank yous, I think Fr. Adam has really become a pastor, don’t you think?” he said.