Salina, Kansas – June 2, 2023 – Saint Francis Ministries is delighted to welcome Reverend Andrew T. O’Connor as our new Executive Officer for Mission & Ministry. In his capacity, Fr. O’Connor will offer pastoral care to our staff and clients, cultivate strong relationships within the communities we serve, and collaborate with various faith groups.
Fr. O’Connor comes to Saint Francis from Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Wichita, Kansas, where he served as rector for nearly 14 years. Canonically resident within the Diocese of Kansas, he has also led a multi-parish collaborative effort focused on mission and ministry in the city of Wichita. Prior to his work in Wichita, Fr. O’Connor served as priest-in-charge at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Altadena, California, and as associate rector at All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Montecito, California. He is also an instructor at the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry in Topeka, Kansas.
“We are thrilled to have Fr. Andrew join our Saint Francis family,” said Saint Francis President and CEO William Clark. “We are fortunate to be able to add his talents and leadership to our staff and to the families we serve. I am confident that Fr. Andrew will be instrumental in helping us fulfill our mission of providing healing and hope to children and families.
“I’m excited and grateful to begin this new kind of work,” added Fr. O’Connor. “I’m excited to learn and grow and be part of the mission of Saint Francis, to live out the Gospel in a direct way. I’m thankful that God has brought me here.”
Fr. O’Connor received his undergraduate degree from Boston College and attended Virginia Theological Seminary. He was ordained in January 2005 in the Diocese of Los Angeles. Alongside his wife, Heather Killpatrick-O’Connor, he is a proud parent to five children.
About Saint Francis Ministries
Saint Francis Ministries work encompasses foster care, therapeutic foster care, adoption, family preservation/intensive in-home services, residential care, and community outreach services. Strongly rooted in the Episcopal tradition, SFM was founded by an Episcopal priest in 1945 in Ellsworth, Kansas. The organization now serves more than 11,000 individuals through child and family welfare services in Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas, and Arkansas. Additionally, Saint Francis provides supervised living and employment services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Mississippi. The organization is headquartered in Salina, Kansas. For more information, visit www.saintfrancisministries.org or call 800.423.1342.
