Bishop Braxton resolute in moving priest

Parishioners fail to persuade bishop

East St. Louis parishioners are preparing to say goodbye to their spiritual leader of the past 30 years after Bishop Edward K. Braxton rejected petitions for the Rev. James Voelker to remain at St. Joseph.

Voelker, 62, will be reassigned in the Belleville Diocese before his parish merges with three others -- St. Patrick, St. Philip, St. John Francis Regis -- to form St. Augustine of Hippo in March. The Rev. Carroll Mizicko, a Franciscan who lives in East St. Louis, was named pastor of the church.

Parishioners had rallied behind Voelker and asked Braxton to let their pastor serve in the new parish, possibly as an associate pastor to Mizicko. Braxton sent a letter in response that said the priest shortage in the diocese required Voelker be reassigned to "a parish that urgently needs a priest." Braxton could not be reached for further comment.