Epiphany – November 15, 2023

Fr. John Maksym from St. Peter Catholic Church is our Parish of the Week. Peter Herbeck encourages us continue to be light in the darkness. 

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Fr. John Maksym from St. Peter Catholic Church is our Parish of the Week.

Father Maksym is a Michigan native.  He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in May 2018. He is a retired Commander in the United States Navy having served for thirty-one years. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan (1983) (Concentration in British Imperial History) where he served as President of the Mortarboard Society.  He received a Juris Doctor degree from the Detroit College of Law in 1986.
Father Maksym was commissioned in the JAG Corps Student Program in 1983.  From 1986-1991 Commander Maksym served as a trial and defense counsel in Pearl Harbor; as staff judge advocate onboard USS Hunley (AS-31) and SUBRON 8; as staff judge advocate for U.S. Naval Forces South and U.S. Naval Station Panama Canal.

From 1991-99 Commander Maksym served in various reserve billets.  During this period he was a partner in a civil litigation firm where he represented clients in matters spanning construction liability, products liability and civil rights related litigation.  He garnered four jury verdicts in excess of one million dollars on behalf of clients.

In 1999 Father Maksym was recalled to active duty to defend the Department of Defense Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program (AVIP).  After winning a precedent setting case in defense of the Secretary of Defense in Federal District Court, he was augmented into the regular Navy.  He then served as Deputy Director, General Litigation Division, OJAG until 2002 when he was assigned as military judge for the Southeast Judicial Circuit in Pensacola.  He next served as Circuit Military Judge, Western Pacific Judicial Circuit from 2004-2006, based in Japan.  In July 2006 Judge Maksym was assigned as Deputy Chief Trial Judge, Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary.  In 2007, Commander Maksym served as the Major Crimes Litigation/Investigations Team Chief at the Law and Order Task Force in Iraq.  There Commander Maksym worked with Iraqi jurists and investigators, as well as U.S. Law enforcement agencies investigating and prosecuting crimes against the Iraqi people by government officials.  He coordinated the prosecution of a former Minister of Health and his primary aide on charges of mass murder, kidnapping and corruption.  This constituted the first major prosecution of Iraqi officials after the restoration of sovereignty.  In July 2008, Judge Maksym was assigned to the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals where he was ultimately designated a senior judge leading one of the Courts three panels.  In August 2012 Judge Maksym was again assigned as the Circuit Military Judge for the Western Pacific.  In August 2014 Commander Maksym retired after 31 years of Naval Service.  Father Maksym has served on the adjunct faculty of the National Judicial College, Reno, NV.  In August 2014, Father Maksym  began priestly studies at Pope Saint John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, MA.  He received his Master of Divinity degree in May 2018, and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood for the Archdiocese of Detroit by Archbishop Allen Vigneron on 18 May 2018.  Thereafter, Father Maksym was assigned as Parochial Vicar at Saint Joseph Catholic Church and School in Lake Orion from July 2018.  While still serving at Saint Joseph, Father Maksym was appointed Temporary Administrator at Saint Daniel Catholic Parish in Clarkston.  Having already been appointed to part-time remote study in Canon  Law in 2019, Father Maksym was directed to full-time studies in Canon Law at The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. in May 2020 .

Father Maksym’s personal decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal (Six awards), the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards) and the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards).  Father Maksym enjoys skiing, golf and boating.

Visit St. Peter Catholic Church here: St. Peter Mt. Clemens