February 16, 2026 // Diocese

Father Bob Van Kempen, Pastor of St. Mary of the Annunciation, Dies at Age 66

Lisa Kochanowski

Freelance writer

A few days short of his 67th birthday, Father Robert Van Kempen, pastor of St. Mary of the Annunciation parish in Bristol, passed away on Thursday, February 12, with his family by his side at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Mishawaka.

Father Van Kempen was born on February 25, 1959, in South Bend to Henry and Mary Grace Van Kempen. He was baptized, received his first holy Communion, and was confirmed at Christ the King Church in South Bend.

He attended seminary at St. John’s Theology Seminary in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1989 to 1993, was ordained a deacon on January 2, 1993, at St. Matthew Cathedral in South Bend, and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend on November 27, 1993, at St. Matthew Cathedral by Bishop John M. D’Arcy.

During his ministry, he served the faithful in parishes across the diocese, including at St. Jude in Fort Wayne, St. Joseph-Hessen Cassel and St. Matthew Cathedral. He has been pastor of St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in Bristol since 2004.

Known fondly as “Father Bob,” he was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2016 and, in 2020, was told he needed a kidney transplant and began dialysis. The last few years were wrought with health issues, but Father Van Kempen didn’t give in to the pain and continued to minister to the Bristol community.

Bryan Finkelstein, director of sacred music at St. Mary of the Annunciation, met Father Van Kempen in 2007 when he inquired about the position as musical director.

“I had very little liturgical experience at that time but had decades of musical experience in the secular world of restaurants, hotels, and bars. Long story short, Father Bob took a chance and hired me, a liturgical gatecrasher,” Finkelstein told Today’s Catholic. “Over the years … he always gave me a great deal of creative freedom, which made it a joy to work for him.”

While past retirement age at 74 years old, Finkelstein has continued to work with joy and enthusiasm because of the supportive and loving environment created by Father Van Kempen.

“Over the past two decades, St. Mary’s and Father Bob have become synonymous,” Finkelstein said. “It’s difficult to imagine one without the other. Everywhere you look at our parish you can see Father’s influence, whether it’s the holy artwork on our walls, the beautiful Christmas decorations, the fabulous dinners that he organized, the many events offering opportunities to grow in faith, or the people and their love for one another. The people of this parish have had the privilege of being the recipients of his love, fathomless generosity, and strong leadership. We love him, and he will be missed.”

Father Van Kempen influenced those he encountered with a heart that was full of love. He had a wonderful sense of humor and a hearty laugh that brought joy to everyone who heard it. Generations of families have been inspired by his faith, received Sacraments under his guidance, and smirked at his love of snow.

“Father Bob was the kindest, most generous individual,” said Becky Monnin, a close friend of Father Van Kempen’s, who met the priest in the late 1990s while he was serving as associate pastor at St. Matthew Cathedral. “He was an amazing parish priest, and everyone he met loved him. He absolutely loved Christmas and snow and even kept a Christmas tree up year-round in the rectory. He loved to take annual bus trips from St. Mary’s to Frankenmuth to collect more Christmas decorations. He made the best monster cookies and made sure we had plenty to take home after a get-together at the rectory. He kept totes of candy in the sacristy for the servers and made sure he never ran out,” Monnin added.

For years, Monnin and her husband, Tom, have shared travels with Father Van Kempen, including on several cruise vacations. Their first cruise was aboard the Liberty of the Seas in 2010, a tradition that continued for 14 years.

“I have so many memorable moments with Father Bob, but one of the most memorable was when we cruised the Hawaiian Islands in October of 2019 to celebrate Tom and my 25th anniversary,” Monnin shared. “Although he would have preferred snowy Alaska, he enjoyed seeing the people and culture of Hawaii. … Every minute I spent with Father Bob was memorable, and I will miss our weekly chats and dinners together. Father Bob was a faith-filled servant of God and displayed this on a daily basis. He was nonjudgmental and served as a mentor for the seminarians of the parish. He taught us how to carry the cross without complaining, as he suffered many health issues throughout his life.”

Father Van Kempen is survived by his sisters, Linda Fleese of South Bend and Kathryn Belich of Granger; nephews Nick Belich, Ian (Amanda) Belich, and Matthew Fleese; and his niece Amy (Scott) Czarnecki; great nieces and nephews, Madison, Logan, Ethan, Anthony, Eli, and Aidan. He was preceded in death by his mom, Mary Grace (Scott) McCaw, and his father Henry (Margaret) Van Kempen.

Visitation will be from 3-7 p.m. on Monday, February 16, at St. Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church, 411 West Vistula Street, Bristol. A vigil service will be held at 6:45 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, February 17, at Christ the King Catholic Church, 52473 State Hwy 933, South Bend, where visitation will be held one hour before Mass at the church. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Memorial Park in Granger, where he will be laid to rest next to his mother.

Memorial donations in memory of Father Van Kempen may be made to the church, the retired priest fund of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, P.O. Box 390, Fort Wayne, IN 46801, or the American Diabetes Association.