After 34 years of service as a chaplain, Father John Petrich’s retirement was celebrated at the St. Louis County board meeting on Tuesday, November 11.

Father Petrich started working as a chaplain in 1990 and he was one of the first people in this position.

“It’s a great recognition, the work we do is behind the scenes, people don’t really know what we do,” said Father Petrich said. “We sit with officers during trying times and help them with their personal lives during difficult times working with the public.”

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St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay was there to recognize and honor the work of Father John Petrich and all of the chaplains they work with.

“A lot of people don’t realize this, but chaplains do much more than just work with us inside the wall of law enforcement, they also help with very sensitive things like death notifications,” said St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay. “They are a great resource for helping people on the worst days of their lives.”

Father John Petrich expressed appreciation for being recognized for his work as a chaplain.

St. Louis County is working to expand their chaplain program.