Sitting in the office he's occupied for more than two decades, Father William Etheredge, who will begin his new role as pastor of St. Mary Parish in Sycamore this month, talks about his 22 years as principal of Aurora Central Catholic High School. (Denise Crosby / The Beacon-News)

When I heard the Rev. William Etheredge was leaving Aurora at the end of the month to take over a parish in Sycamore, my first thought: This community is losing yet another gem.

It might sound odd to tie the Aurora Central Catholic High School principal’s departure to the loss of SciTech Hands-on Museum, which has been shuttered to make room for a potential downtown brew-pub, or to the fact Luigi’s Pizza and Fun Center is closing its doors after a 60-year run as the go-to place for kids’ birthday parties and local fundraisers.

But just as SciTech and Luigi’s were about children’s education and/or fun and bringing together families and communities, Father Etheredge, too, will be missed, not only for his strong leadership of this highly-regarded Catholic school but for his charismatic yet humble personality that made him so beloved in his 22 years at the helm of ACC and as superintendent of the city’s parochial schools.

That’s why the announcement to his more than 500 students at the Ash Wednesday Mass that the Rockford Diocese was moving him to St. Mary’s in Sycamore was met with dismay and prompted several online petitions that quickly resulted in thousands of signatures begging the diocese to reconsider this move.

At age 66, Father Etheredge had hoped to end his career at ACC. But he also understands the realities of the Catholic Church that historically transfers priests every six to 12 years in most cases. He also knows that when the call comes, there’s little that can be done to change hierarchy minds.

Still, when he sat down with Bishop David Malloy, who he’s known since their seminary days, Etheredge shared his preference to stay at ACC, especially with a $3 million building project so close to starting that would add a much-needed STEM wing onto the school campus on North Edgelawn Drive in Aurora.

As the only priest/principal in the diocese, and likely the last in the state, Etheredge also understands, however, that with a shortage of Catholic vocations, serving parishes must be a top priority. And so, for the next few weeks he “will be bounding back and forth” between Sycamore and Aurora, where he not only will be finishing up administrative loose-ends at ACC but officiating at some weddings and baptisms and attending a few family reunions that he’d committed to before receiving that call from Rockford.

Part of the long good-bye took place at Aurora Central Catholic’s recent graduation, and Etheredge will say farewells again with his last ACC Mass Sunday morning in the high school gymnasium, an event the office staff “demanded” he do because, perhaps more than anyone, they’ve had front row seats to the impact this priest, with his hearty laugh and ever-present smile, has had on so many lives.

“There have been a lot of tears,” admitted Peggy Smith, who has occupied the administrative assistant’s desk outside Etheredge’s corner office since he arrived at ACC in 2000.

“Everybody is heartbroken … it’s hard to find the words,” she said, referring not only to the “passion and commitment he brought to Catholic education,” but the way he interacted with “all people,” whether students, parents, staff, alumni, other education administrators and clergy or the community in general.

“Father is such a genuine person, honest, truly caring,” Smith said. “He treated others, no matter who they were, how he would want to be treated.

“He is one of a kind.”

Indeed. Because Etheredge frequently helped out in surrounding parishes for weekend Masses, I’ve witnessed that uniqueness on multiple occasions. For example, rather than stand behind the lectern and read the Gospel, he steps step down from the altar, and while strolling closer to those in the pews and looking directly into their faces, recites those holy verses, no matter their length, by memory.

That casual - and many would say, more effective - style of delivery “happened as a mistake,” Etheredge admitted. While on a retreat with students from Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford, where he served before coming to ACC, the priest realized “the book of Gospels was missing from my Mass bag,” which left him little choice but to wing the Word of the Lord.

Speaking of the good news, Etheredge may be leaving Aurora at the end of this month, but he will join ACC’s board of directors. Which is music to the ears of so many who are struggling with this move.

And there are, for sure, plenty in mourning.

“He’s simply been the face of ACC for decades,” wrote one Change.org commenter.

“He made ACC what it is today,” added another, likely referring to the fact the school has benefited from a significant increase in enrollment and national recognition since his arrival.

Other comments described him as “universally loved,” as “an exemplary role model” and as “one of the most inspirational leaders.”

And one supporter rightly summed up what so many feel, that his shoes “would be tough if not impossible to fill.”

In her 18 years as the cheerleading coach at ACC – her daughter was a 2008 graduate - Bonnie Kehlringer insists she’s never heard one negative comment about Father Etheredge, who is “so respected and beloved ... if you looked up the definition of ACC in the dictionary, you would find Father’s picture there.”

And under that photo you might find this quick summary of his life so far:

The oldest of five children, Frank William Etheredge was raised in a strong Catholic household that put education front and center. His mother Joan, who will be celebrating her 90th birthday in July, was a teacher and counselor at Madonna High School. His late father Forest founded Rock Valley College, was founding president of McHenry County College, became the second president of Waubonsee Community College and, after serving as a state senator for 12 years, taught at Aurora University and served on many important Fox Valley boards before his death in 2004.

Their eldest, in the meantime, graduated from West Aurora High School, and while attending WCC with an eye on a career in law or medicine, got involved in religious education at Holy Angels Church and began attending daily Masses.

After earning a degree in philosophy at Catholic University, Etheredge studied in Rome at Gregorian University and was ordained as a deacon, along with the current Rockford bishop, at St. Peter’s Basilica by the Cardinal Archbishop of New York.

A year later, in 1983, he was ordained a priest at Holy Angels and helped pastors in several parishes before becoming an assistant principal and spiritual advisor at Boylan.

His last two decades in Aurora have been filled with tragedies and triumphs and plenty of everyday in-betweens. Etheredge rejoiced as ACC’s population nearly doubled to over 600 students and its mortgage paid off eight years before schedule, only to watch enrollment go down again – he says there are now “well over 500 students” – which follows a national trend in both private and public schools, he noted.

The pandemic was also a “unique” challenge to navigate, as was helping to guide a diocese consolidation plan that led to the emotional closings of a few elementary schools in Aurora.

But perhaps that darkest hour, Father Etheredge told me, was having to give last rites to two students who were killed in a car accident on the way to a basketball playoff game in Rochelle in March of 2015, then try to find the words to comfort a grief-stricken ACC family the following morning at an all-school Mass and in the long weeks that followed.

“Those were very dark days,” he said, eyes cast downward and shaking his head in remembrance. “But we managed to get through it.”

Because “that’s what families do,” continued Etheredge, who has watched the children of some of his early students work their way through Aurora’s Catholic schools and who has attended countless fundraisers and baptisms and funerals and weddings and marriage vow renewals and so many other events that bring together those who love one another.

“Not seeing him walk down those halls or attend games …. we will miss Father so much,” said a tearful Kehlringer. “Even on his worst day, it was his good day.”

No surprise, Etheredge is “very humbled” by these heartfelt reactions, but quickly goes on to praise his replacement, Paul Mayer, who was assistant principal at ACC the past half-dozen years.

Now set to begin his first role as a parish pastor, Etheredge says he will miss the education component of his long career, as well as “all the kids and their families.” Still, he’s grateful St. Mary’s has an elementary school. And he’s already offered to work the morning drop-off line, or even the lunchroom because “you learn a lot about the needs of children” while they are eating their noon meal.

“It’s going to be tough. No doubt,” he said of this next chapter. “But change is part of life. As a priest I am called to serve. And I have been called to Sycamore.”