Father Keith Burney's life story weaves together his origins in St. Mary's County, a career shift, and a strong calling to the priesthood.  His father was raised in Colorado, but his mother's family has deep roots going back generations in St. Mary's County.

His father met his måother when he was stationed as an enlisted sailor at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station.  Although Father Keith was born in Northern Virginia, his family settled in his mother's hometown of Hollywood, Maryland, when he was five years old.

As a young man, Father Keith actively participated in St. John Francis Regis Church in Hollywood, where he served as an altar server, a master of ceremonies, a lector, and an extraordinary minister of the Holy Eucharist over the years.

He attended the parish's elementary school from kindergarten through eighth grade, and later he graduated from Leonardtown High School.  Father Keith went to college at what was then called Salisbury State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Systems Management from the Franklin Perdue School of Business.

After graduating from college, Father Keith worked as a systems analyst for eight years for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, a diverse labor union representing workers across various industries.

Although he thought about becoming a priest when he was younger, choose a counter-cultural way of life can be difficult for a young person. After wrestling with feeling called for the priesthood for a number of years, Father Keith quit his job and entered the seminary for the Archdiocese of Washington in 2010.  His priestly formation took place at the Theological College at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he earned a Master of Divinity and a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology.

On June 25^th, 2016, he was ordained to the priesthood at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Father Keith served as the parochial vicar (associate pastor) of St. Jane de Chantal Church in Bethesda, Maryland, from 2016 to 2019. Subsequently, he became the parochial vicar of the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda from 2019 to 2022. He then took on the role of administrator for two parishes in Charles County: St. Catherine of Alexandria Church in McConchie and St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Hilltop. In 2023, Cardinal Gregory appointed him as the pastor of these parishes.

Since July 2024, Father Keith has joyfully served as the pastor of St. Michael's Church in Ridge, where he is also the administrator of St. Michael’s School, coming full circle to return to his roots in St. Mary’s County.