Few things can match the new life a young priest brings to his community, parish, and diocese. He is everywhere; the hospital, the school, or the home of a sick person. A good priest is as at ease around the kitchen table as he is the Eucharistic table. He equally dispenses wise counsel and wise cracks. He helps the suffering bear their burdens, as well as celebrate the joys of people’s lives: weddings, baptisms, anniversaries. He is the pride of his community who appreciates the gift of his vocation as a reflection of their own vitality.
Imagine then, the pain of a parish who loses a beloved young priest. Such is the profound loss that the Catholic dioceses of Duluth, Minnesota and Davenport, Iowa are experiencing this month.
Beloved Father Ben
Father Ben Hadrich, aged 41, a priest from the Diocese of Duluth, passed away on October 31, 2025, after a long battle with stroke-related complications.
This outcome seems unfathomable for a priest who ran 20 marathons and completed many triathlons—including an Ironman! His racing was a ministry and a source of inspiration to many.
Catholic Extension Society was proud to support the education of this bright young man prior to his ordination in 2012. During his priestly ministry, Father Hadrich served in six different communities within the Diocese of Duluth.
Zeal and endurance
In sports terminology we say a person performing at high level is “on fire.” Father Richard Kunst of St. James Parish described Father Hadrich with a different kind of fire, saying the late priest was “just on fire for Christ and on fire for the Church. That’s his zeal and that’s his legacy.”
His toughest race was still to come. Father Hadrich suffered his first stroke in 2015 which led to a long battle with amyloid angiopathy and still more strokes, which slowly robbed him of his physical strength and mental ability, but never his will to carry on as a priest of Jesus Christ.
As Father Hadrich’s obituary said, “When he could no longer run, he walked. When he could no longer walk, he relied on a wheelchair. And when memory and words began to fade, he still lifted an unsteady hand to impart a blessing in the powerful name of Jesus.”
In Hebrews 12, St. Paul writes, “Let us run with patient endurance the race that is set before us.” One can only guess how Father Hadrich’s toughest race helped so many others to bear their burdens with patient endurance. He was an Iron Man to the end.
Catholic Extension Society was honored to support his funeral expenses so that Father Hadrich’s life could be celebrated by his community and he could run as quickly as possible, unimpeded, to God’s waiting arms.
A priest for laborers and immigrants
On the same day, in a neighboring state, another beloved priest was lost.
Father Guillermo Trevino, aged 39, passed away on October 31 as well, only hours after returning from a trip to the Vatican as part of the World Gathering for Popular Movements.
Father Trevino was becoming a national beacon of hope and advocacy. And his sudden and unexpected death due to a stomach perforation that turned into fatal sepsis has left his community in shock and grief.
He was pastor of St. Joseph Church in Columbus Junction, Iowa, as well as St. Joseph Church in West Liberty serving the meatpacking and farming communities there. His remarkable authenticity endeared him to the hearts of his people. He loved movies, Star Wars and professional wrestling, but it was his love for people on the margins that was his true passion.
Father Trevino was the founder, board president and chaplain of “Escucha Mi Voz Iowa,” a group aiding Latino workers and immigrants.
Father Trevino’s commitment to this ministry was personal. His godson, 18-year-old Pascual Pedro, was deported this summer by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) despite his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status. His story is the story of thousands. And Father Trevino believed that all deserved the care of the Church.
As Pope Leo XIV writes, “The Church knows that in every rejected migrant, it is Christ himself who knocks at the door of the community.” Father Trevino was always there to answer.
Bishop Dennis Walsh of the Diocese of Davenport said, “Father Guillermo’s heart was consistently with those in need.“ Likewise his former bishop in Davenport, now Archbishop Thomas Zinkula of Dubuque, also remembered him fondly, saying that he remembers he was “passionate about serving and advocating for immigrants.”
“I was inspired by his total commitment to seeking justice and mercy for people on that particular margin of society,” he added.
One of the parishes he served, St. Joseph, was a simple double wide “trailer” in a rural community.
Yet, it was the beauty of the people, the powerful bond of their families, and their love of God that made the humble Church so sacred to him. That is why he partnered with Catholic Extension Society during the last two years to invest in programs that would help parents pass on the faith to their children. He knew that as a priest, the best way to build up the Church was to strengthen the “domestic church” in people’s homes.
Father Trevino was the recipient of the Cardinal Joseph Bernardin New Leadership Award. This award recognizes a young, faith-filled Catholic who has demonstrated leadership against poverty and injustice in the United States.
Month of Remembrance
These two priests happened to pass on the eve of the month of November in which we commemorate all of our faithful and beloved departed. Father Hadrich and Father Trevino were the pride and joy of their faith communities in Duluth and Davenport. They will be forever young in our hearts.
Catholic Extension Society extends our deepest sympathies and prays that their exemplary lives, their bravery, and the memories of their virtue will continue to be a blessing to those they served so faithfully.
