BATAVIA – After 12 years at Holy Cross Catholic Church, Monsignor Daniel Deutsch is leaving the parish to become the vicar for clergy and vocations for the Diocese of Rockford.

Deutsch will leave the church at the end of February and start new responsibilities Feb. 25. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but discussed his departure on the church’s website.

“Let me start by saying that the last 12 years have been the best of my priesthood and my life,” Deutsch said in his “From the Pastor’s Desk” column. “The experiences that we have had to draw closer to Christ together have shaped me in ways that I will always marvel at and for which I will always be grateful. I simply have fallen in love with all of you as we have learned to love Jesus more.”