A native of Whitefish Bay, Fr. Patrick Behling was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in 2016. He has served as associate pastor at St. Charles in Hartland, St. Teresa of Calcutta in North Lake, and St. Mary’s Visitation in Elm Grove, and has provided long-term help-out assistance to St. Stanislaus in Milwaukee, and to the four parishes near Union Grove.
In addition to his parish work, Fr. Behling is an academic theologian by training. Recent research interests include Christology, ecclesiology, and the theology of the priesthood. He holds degrees from St. Olaf College, Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, and the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. He is a candidate for the doctorate in sacred theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
Fr. Behling is a knight commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre and a magistral chaplain of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. These two orders of knighthood date back to the Crusader period and today provide generous material and spiritual support to Christians in the Holy Land and to the poor and sick, respectively.
Prior to becoming a priest, he served as a US Senate Page and member of the Senate floor staff. He is a devoted Brewers fan, an avid reader, and a hobbyist woodworker. Someday, he will complete his quest to visit all thirty major league baseball stadiums.