Father William B. Schardt, pastor of St. Thomas à Becket Church in Reston, will retire to a private residence effective June 29. Father Richard E. Dyer, parochial vicar of St. Veronica Church in Chantilly, has been appointed pastor of St. Thomas.
Father Schardt was born May 16, 1949, in El Paso, Texas, the son of Bruton B. and Florence (Pat) Gargan. He graduated from Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington in 1967, Ohio State University in Columbus in 1971 and The Catholic University of America in Washington in 1975. He was ordained a priest Nov. 29, 1975, by Arlington Bishop Thomas J. Welsh.
He served as parochial vicar of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington (1975-78); St. Michael Church in Annandale (1978-79); St. Mark Church in Vienna (1979-82); and St. Ambrose Church in Annandale (1982-83). He was in residence at St. Rita Church in Alexandria (1983-84) and St. Philip Church in Falls Church (198485). He served as parochial vicar of St. Mark Church in Vienna from 1985 to 1989, and pastor of St. Ann Church in Arlington (1989-2005). In 2005, he was appointed pastor of St. Stephen the Martyr Church in Middleburg, where he served for nine years before becoming pastor of St. Thomas in 2014.
