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Doug Lohman Maintenance and Bluegrass

If Doug Lohman’s name sounds familiar, you are either a St. Joan of Arc parishioner keeping up on who’s who…or you’re a local bluegrass fan.

Doug is one of St. Joan of Arc’s newer staff members, having joined as Director of Maintenance in April of this year. Doug is responsible for overseeing and scheduling the maintenance staff and making sure all of the jobs that go into getting and keeping the campus in a clean and well-maintained manner get done. Some of those projects include cleaning, vacuuming, washing windows, cleaning carpets, waxing floors, scheduling floor refinishing in the church & gym, changing light bulbs, fixing faucets, changing filters, and installing air conditioners. This summer’s major task was thoroughly cleaning all the classrooms, top to bottom. Doug arranges to have things that can’t be done in house fixed by outside sources.

You may also know Doug as a regular presence on the local acoustic/bluegrass scene. He was a member of Stoney Lonesome and the Bone Tones. These days he’s working with 3 notable local bands: The New Riverside Ramblers, playing traditional Cajun music mostly at area dances; The Buffalo Gals, who play western-cowgirl-yodel, Irish, Cajun, swing, old-time and folk music. They mostly play for dances and were at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis on Friday evening last week. They also just completed 4 days at the MN State Fair. Doug is also in a newer band, Tangled Roots, so named, says Doug, “because we all come to bluegrass from different backgrounds and try not to do the standards, but borrow songs from other sources and make them fit the bluegrass style. It's a hot band with great singing and instrumentals.”

Doug also does sound and lighting for about 8 or 9 weekend acoustic music festivals through out the year. He’ll be cutting back his outside sound work over the next year, but starting in mid-September he’ll be serving SJA with his sound expertise, handling sound duties for the 9 and 11 a.m. gym Masses.

An 8 year member of SJA along with his wife, Catherine Pususta and son, Martin, Doug sees his role at SJA as his way in participating in the church’s spirit of collaborative ministry. “I thought back to my 20s when I tried a janitor job. I remember not liking it. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was an opportunity for me to be a part of a community that is making a difference in our world by helping people develop the skills and the presence of mind to make a difference. I am a fairly handy person and keeping the physical plant in clean and good working order was a job that is very important to the parish. It is a way that I can contribute my skills.”

Writer, speaker, consultant, administrative professional, Wendy Vickers, has been an active supporter and encourager of local musicians in the Twin Cities music community for several years. Her online newsletter on local coffeehouse performers and other music-related activities can be found on her website at www.wendyv.com .

Doug truly enjoys the challenge of maintaining the new and well-used Parish Center and working with and getting to know the staff. “I know they are driven in their love for God and for the members of this parish. They even got me in a book club; I haven't read books (other than an occasional technical manual) since college about 30 years ago. I am feeling very appreciated and my job satisfaction is off the scale.”