Man Who Set Fire in Shrewsbury Park Was Seminary Student
By Kevin Killeen
The man charged with setting fire to playground equipment in Shrewsbury was preparing to become a Catholic priest in the undergraduate program at Kenrick Seminary in Shrewsbury. William C. Holmes, 23, of the 300 block of Hoener Street in Waterloo, is accused of setting fires that ruined playground equipment and a picnic table at Brinkop Park in Shrewsbury on March 8. He is charged with two counts of knowingly burning, a Class-D felony, and was released after posting a $10,000 bond. Shrewsbury police say Holmes had been drinking beer at the park and reading a book on philosophy at the time of the fire.
“There was some alcohol and some boredom involved,” says Shrewsbury Police Spokesman Lt. Brian Catlett. “He was going through a rough stretch and trying to figure out his future.” The Archdiocese released a statement saying Holmes was a senior at Cardinal Glennon College, the undergraduate school of Kenrick Seminary. “Recently, both his home diocese of Belleville and the administration of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary had determined that he was not going to be advanced next fall to the graduate school of Theology where men are prepared for the priesthood,” the statement says. Fr. John Horn, President-Rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, states, “The charges against William, if true, would of course violate the code of conduct required of all students at Kenrick-Glennon. We have reached out to Shrewsbury officials to assure our assistance in restoring the playground. We will keep all those involved in our prayers.” Shrewsbury police say at the time of his arrest Holmes was “remorseful and upset about the situation.” Police could not recall what book on philosophy Holmes was reading at the time of the fires.
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