Msgr. Gerald P. Kobbeman, Pastor of St. Rita's, was born on November 22, 1941, the third oldest child of eleven born to Harry Joseph Kobbeman and Mary Burke. Monsignor Kobbeman was born on a farm south of Rock Falls that the family still owns. Fr. Kobbeman had seven brothers and three sisters; one brother and one sister have already died.

Msgr. Kobbeman attended St. Andrew's Catholic Grade School in Rock Falls, Newman Catholic High School in Sterling, and St. Ambrose Catholic College in Davenport, Iowa. It was there that he made his decision to transfer to the Seminary Department and completed four years, majoring in philosophy and minoring in Latin. From there Bishop Loras Lane sent Msgr. Kobbeman to the Gregorian University in Rome for theological studies. Residence during those four years was at the North American College in Rome. Those were truly exciting years from 1963 to 1967.

The Vatican Council was going on at that time, and it was quite an experience to be present with the bishops when they met in some of the General Assemblies in St. Peter's Basilica. Msgr. Kobbeman was ordained on December 17, 1966, at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and again that was an awesome experience.

As a priest of the Diocese of Rockford, Msgr. Kobbeman was assigned for five years to St. Bernadette Parish in Rockford as an associate from 1967 to 1972. During four of those five years, Msgr. Kobbeman also worked as the secretary of the Matrimonial Tribunal and as the director of Family Life for the Diocese of Rockford.

It was during Monsignor's time as director of Family Life that Marriage Encounter was introduced to the Diocese of Rockford. In 1975 Msgr. Kobbeman was transferred to St. Patrick's Church in St. Charles as an associate until 1977. In 1977 Msgr. Kobbeman was appointed pastor of St. Patrick's in Dixon where he enjoyed a ten-year pastorate until 1987 when he was appointed pastor of Holy Angels in Aurora, Illinois, until July 2000.

Msgr. Kobbeman was assigned to St. Rita Church on July 1, 2000, and was elevated to monsignor by Bishop Thomas Doran at St. Peter's Cathedral in 2008.
 

Reverend Matthew Camaioni, parochial vicar of St. Rita Parish, was born on October 22, 1971. He is the middle child with an older brother and younger sister. He grew up in Geneva and attended St. Peter Parish. He was first attracted to the priesthood as an altar server. Father Camaioni developed an interest in biology in high school and received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago. While attending UIC, he became active in the Newman Center and also took up Catholic apologetics as a means of understanding and maintaining his Catholic faith. 

After working for a year, Father Camaioni returned to science, receiving a masters in biology from Illinois State University. His involvement at the ISU Newman Center helped him to continue growing in faith and his relationship with God, and provided him with the atmosphere to open up to a vocation to the priesthood. Father Camaioni graduated from Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, with a Master of Divinity and was ordained a priest on May 19, 2007.

He enjoys hiking, camping, praying for the Cubs, swing jazz, and classic movies of the 30's to early 60's - especially anything with John Wayne, Abbot and Costello or Cary Grant.

Msgr. Michael A. Kurz, J.C.L., was ordained in the Diocese of Pueblo, Colorado, on August 25, 1975.  He was assigned as Resident to St. Rita Parish on July 1, 1997.  He currently serves as Judicial Vicar for the Diocese of Rockford.

Father Michael G. Lavan was ordained in 2006.  He is currently the Director of Vocations for the  Diocese of Rockford.