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Fr. William James Axe was ordained on October 12, 1974 by Archbishop Ignatius J. Stricker in Kansas City, Kansas. Born August 7, 1946 in Wetmore, Kansas, Fr. Axe is the only child of the late William and Thelma Tudd Axe. He has an undergraduate degree from Kansas State University and a graduate degree from the Washington Theological Union.
Fr. Bill entered the Trinitarians in 1968, but returned to Kansas to help care for his parents. He returned to the Trinitarian community in 1981 and completed his formation, making his final vows in 1989.
He was appointed pastor of St. Lawrence in 1994. He also served on the Provincial Council of the Trinitarians; on the Board of Directors of DeMatha Catholic High School, Hyattsville, Maryland; Redeemer House, a shelter for homeless men in Baltimore; and The Lasting Connection (TLC), an ecumenical social service outreach of the churches in the Jessup area.
Prior to his assignment at St. Lawrence, Fr. Axe served in parishes in Kansas, New Jersey, and Louisiana. In addition, he has taught and was chaplain in various high schools, including DeMatha Catholic High School, and has also taught at Xavier Universtiy and Loyola University, both in Louisiana. HIs ministries have also included prison chaplaincy in Jessup, work with the gay and lesbian community in Kansas City, and programs for people with AIDS in New Orleans.
He transferred in 2004 to the Ave Maria Retreat Center in Crown Point, Louisiana.