For bios, pictures, and email: Click the staff name below.
| Staff Book Discussions are an ongoing part of broadening our experience. Many parishioners have asked for a list of books that we have discussed. View the Staff booklist. |
Nancy Becker, , - a graduate of Regina High School and attended Bemidji State
University. She is member of St. Joan's, and began her position as parish
secretary in June 1999 and moving to Communications Coordinator in 2003. Communications is in charge of the bulletin, the Arc Angle and the calendar. She also acts as the liason to website.Nancy and her family
returned to South Minneapolis after living in the St. Cloud area for 10
years. Her hobbies include skiing, camping, music and spending time with her
3 daughters and her large extended family.
Fr. Jim Cassidy is a member of the St. Joan's pastoral staff, having served since January 1994. Jim brings a passion for inclusiveness, encouraging and educating SJA and the larger church community to welcome and affirm all people. He has served over 25 years in hospice care ministry. Jim has journeyed to South Africa several times. In helping to create the Arm In Arm In Africa ministry, the door has been opened to many people in the fight against HIV-AIDS. To support local HIV-AIDS beneficiaries, Jim has maintained a leadership role with Team Oz (the SJA "biking team") for the annual Red Ribbon Ride. Being raised in a small Nebraska town, Jim brings an insightful sense of humor to homilies by occasionally sharing a "Post Card from Nebraska".
Fr. Jim Debruycker, , joined the SJA family in December of 2005 after many years as the priest at neighboring St. Leonards and duty as chaplain at Hennepin County Medical Center. Jim worked for the telephone company immediately after college at St. Johns before becoming a priest in 1982. He is an avid reader who also enjoys working with his hands. Jim grew up in St. Paul but now makes his home in South Minneapolis.
Cathy Doyle-Burris, , has been the Director of Youth Ministry since June 2007. She coordinates programs at SJA for students in grades 7-12 including recruiting and training volunteers for Religious Ed, Youth Group and Confirmation. She also guides the Youth Council and plans service learning opportunities, Camps and Retreats. Originally from Owatonna, MN, Cathy earned a BS degree in Physical Education at Winona State University. She has held two other youth ministry positions and has worked in education as a driver ed instructor and substitute teacher. She and husband Ron have been parishioners since before marrying 15 years ago. Their children are Luke and Margaret. Cathy enjoys their large extended families, teen fiction, biking, volleyball, and above all, traveling with kids, her own and everyone else’s!
Peter Eichten, , is the St. Joan of Arc Parish Administrator. Peter, and his
wife Jane, are returned Peace Corps Volunteers (Iran 1970-72). They have five
children. Peter spent ten years in the retail shoe business and has been
working for the church since 1984. He came to St. Joan of Arc in 1989. He has
a BA in History & Education from St. Thomas and an MA in Theology from St.
John's University in Collegeville. Read Pete's thoughts on "Breaking Out of the Ordinary".
Jody Emmings , and emmings@tcinternet.net (home), is the Preschool/Kindergarten Coordinator. Her job is to coordinate volunteers and organize materials for the Pre/K Program and Camp St. Joan. Jody holds a BA in English and American Studies from the U of St. Thomas, and a welding degree from Dunwoody Institute. Born and raised in Maple Plain, MN, Jody joined SJA in 2001 and joined the staff in 2005. Jody lives in St. Paul with husband, Eric, and four children, Edith, Truman, Otto, and Fred. She especially enjoys metalworking, drawing portraits, learning with her kids (homeschoolers), and working on Sundays at SJA.
Steven Friedrichs, , coordinates the Nursery, Shared Ministry, and Special Events. The cooperative nursery is for children, ages of birth to three and a half years during liturgies and relies on a Nursery Advisory Board and many volunteers. Shared Ministry includes surveying, compiling and communicating with thousands of parishioner volunteers for the plethora of ministries at SJA. Special Events includes the Parish Picnic, Seder, PrimeTimers events, and New Parishioner parties. Steven has been actively involved in youth development from coaching hockey and soccer to pre-school religious education teacher. His previous work includes Residential Real Estate sales and marketing, and as a Home Improvement small business owner. Steven and his wife, Amy, have been parishioners since 1985, and were married at SJA in 1990. They have two delightful children.
Becky Grover, , is the Evening Receptionist, greeting callers and visitors, scheduling communion ministers and doing other tasks as needed. She grew up in Minneapolis, graduating from Marshall High School and the University of Minnesota
with B.S. and MEd degrees in elementary education. Becky is an early retiree, after teaching 30 years in the Minneapolis. She spends time gardening at her SW Minneapolis home (22yrs), doing crossword puzzles, golfing, and traveling.
Kathy Itzin , , is the Director of Elementary Religious
Education and Sacraments.
She graduated from the College of St. Benedict with a BA in Pastoral
Ministry and got her MA in Pastoral Ministry with an emphasis in Social
Justice from the College of St. Thomas/St. Paul Seminary. She has four
children and has also parented four foster children with special needs.
Kathy has worked in the diocese since 1982 and has been employed at St. Joan
of Arc since 1989. There is no place she'd rather be!
Jean Jachman is a Part Time Receptionist. After serving as a volunteer receptionist for many years at SJA, in mid 2006 Jean agreed to work as a receptionist on Saturdays, evenings and as a substitute. Jean hails from Kittanning, PA, and has lived in four other states prior to settling in Minneapolis. Since serving in Thailand refugee camps, she has "provided a foster home for a bunch of refugee kids" and stays connected to the refugee community. These days she enjoys playing Scrabble, but especially enjoys "doing Grandmother stuff" with four beautiful grandchildren.
Tom Johns has been a part-time maintenance worker since 1999. Apart from general buildings maintenance, a key task is management of trash and recycling. Tom lives in Minneapolis and says he enjoys working at SJA "because the people are good".
Pam Oleson-Kremer , , a long time member of St. Joan of Arc, has served in many ways since joining the SJA staff in 2004. These days she is the Sunday Receptionist in the Parish Center, supports the Youth Minister, helps prepare the Sunday music and announcement slides, works on prayer service programs, and codes the Sunday bulletin and readings for the SJA website. She is married to Steve Kremer (SJA musician). They have two delightful daughters, Kristen and Leah.
Doug Lohman, , is SJA's Director of Maintenance and his wife Catherine and son Martin have been parishioners since 1993. Doug oversees and schedules the maintenance staff and is responsible for making sure the physical plant is running smoothly. As a side job, Doug runs the sound during most Sunday Masses. Doug has played in several bluegrass bands in the Twin City area. For more on Doug, see this feature.
Julie Madden, , took over the Peace & Justice Ministries job in September 2000. She is the staff liaison for SJA WAMM/Peacemakers, the SJA Peace network, ISAIAH, the GLBT group, Sister Parish, International Ministries, the Housing Ministry, the PEACE Foundation partnership, Prayer Partners, SJA Women's Group and the SJA Communications Committee. Julie has a diverse background including work with Catholic Charities in the Office for Social Justice and in Volunteer Coordination. She is also a theatre and commercial actress with local theatres including Theatre Latte Da, Actor's Theatre and Hey City. Julie was a participant in the 1997-98 RCIA group and made her Profession of Faith at St. Joan of Arc on Easter, 1998. She continues to be an active member of St. Joan of Arc along with her husband, Michael, and son, Joshua. According to Julie, working in peace and justice ministries with the community of St. Joan of Arc is the best of all possible jobs!
For more on Julie, see this feature.
George Maurer joined the St. Joan of Arc staff in January 2007 as an Associate Music Director. He'll be the primary Sunday keyboardist with other duties including music directing and arranging. Born in St. Louis Park, he found his way to SJA via Western Pennsylvania and Southern Wisconsin. At age 8, he sang in the Metropolitan Boys' Choir of the Twin Cities and started his piano studies. A graduate of St. John's University, Collegeville, MN, with a major in music composition and a minor in business, George has performed nationwide - from the Ordway Theater, for members of Congress, to the United Nations, and the White House. Apart from SJA, George performs locally with the George Maurer Jazz Group and Collective Unconscious. Learn more about George from his introductory feature article.
Mary McDonough, , is the Receptionist and Baptism Coordinator. She loves being a resource person, providing a variety of services and connecting people with the staff and information they need. Minneapolis has always been her home. She grew up as a member of St. Stephen’s parish and attended high school at the Academy of the Holy Angels. Mary graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA in Photojournalism and Mass Communication. After a long career as a photographer and video producer, life’s journey led her to working as a Special Education Assistant for Minneapolis Public Schools and now SJA. Mary enjoys movies, theatre, music, traveling and her daughter Olivia continually fills her life with joy and wonder.
Nancy McPherson, has been SJA's bookkeeper since 1988. Amongst many tasks she coordinates and administers the parish membership and contribution database, and maintains the parish financial records.
Cristine Patlan, has been on staff working with the preschool/kindergarden
faith formation program since August 2000. She organizes the Children's
Christmas program, Camp St. Joan, Children's Sunday and various children's
special events. She and her family have been parishioners for over 12
years; husband Michael Fearing, Sabrina(9), Gabriel (6), Cecilia (4) and cat
Kirby (14).
Previous to St. Joan, Cristine spent 15 years working in the youth
development field at two local non-profit organizations.
A native Californian ... it wasn't the winter that lured her to Minnesota. She
attended the University of Minnesota and after graduation hasn't left.
When not working or trying to keep warm she homeschools her children, reads
and runs.
Richard Penland, has been a maintenance worker since 2001. Apart from general buildings maintenance, a key task is set-up and take-down for many events, ”especially for hospitality". Richard lives in Minneapolis and says his family is a "lovely group of people".
Roseann Shaughnessy Rogers, , is Director of Pastoral Ministries. This title includes Funerals and Memorials, Mental Illness Ministry (MIM), BeFrienders, Pastoral Visits, Marriage Preparation, Annulment Process, Grief Support Groups, Separated and Divorce Support and Caregivers. Rosie's husband is Bill Rogers, and they have 3 daughters and 6 delightful grandchildren. She and her family have been parishioners for 21 years. During the same 21 years she has enjoyed many other staff responsibilities.
Tom Smith-Myott, , is the SJA Adult Formation Director. Tom provides staff support for the Life-Long Learning Board and its committees, the Small Christian Community Board, and the Adult Catechumenate. He also is responsible for hiring the Sunday speakers. Tom has MAs in Theology from St. John’s University in Collegeville and the University of Notre Dame. Tom has thirty-five years of experience in religious education and ministry. He began by teaching religion at Derham Hall High School in the 1970's and has been working in Twin Cities parishes since. Tom is married and has three adult children. Tom has been at St. Joan of Arc since 1996
Mark Scannell, gasscann@bitstream.net, and his wife, Elaine, have been
members of Joan of Arc Parish since 1999. Mark is a member of the Parish
Retreat Team and Prayer Partners. He's a staff member on the SJA team that
coordinates the Sunday morning liturgies. Originally from Oak Park, IL,
Mark migrated to MN in 1977. Mark holds several degrees from several
academic settings. Now he's retired and loves the freedom that comes with
retirement. He especially enjoys being an adult softball umpire,
involvement in neighborhood activities, and tutoring in a grammar school.
Anna Mae Vagle, , is the St. Joan of Arc Director of Ministry & Liturgy. She
grew up in rural, central Minnesota with strong family and church community
ties. She graduated from the College of St. Benedict with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in music, voice performance and education. Anna sang professionally
for 15 years with her husband Fred concertising, recording and publishing
their original music. As a member of the SJA music staff for over 25 years,
Anna has acted as consultant on children's and adult liturgies and designed
and coordinated special, creative services. She now directs the music
program, coordinates liturgies and has a special responsibility for directing
the "Family Mass", the adult choir and the yearly St. Joan of Arc Concert
Series. Anna Mae and Fred live in South Minneapolis, have five children and
six grandchildren. For more about Fred and Anna, see this feature.
Kevin Weiser has been a maintenance worker since 1996. His job is basically to "watch over things" to be sure the buildings and grounds are "safe and clean".
| Staff Book Discussions are an ongoing part of broadening our experience. Many parishioners have asked for a list of books that we have discussed. |
St. Joan of Arc Staff Book Discussion
- Armstrong, Karen. A Brief History of Myth.
- Armstrong, Karen. The Spiral Staircase.
- Armstrong, Karen. The Battle for God.
- Berry, Thomas. The Great Work: Our Way Into the Future.
- Borg, Marcus. The God We Never Knew.
- Brueggemann, Walter. The Prophetic Imagination.
- Campbell, Joseph. The Power of Myth.
- Chittister, Joan. Called to Question.
- Cozzens, Donald. Sacred Silence.
- Crossan, John Dominic. Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography.
- Crossan, John Dominic. The Birth of Christianity: Discovering What Happened in the Years Immediately After the Execution of Jesus.
- Crossan, John Dominic. In Search of Paul.
- Dreyer, Elizabeth. Earth Crammed with Heaven.
- Eisler, Riane. The Chalice & the Blade: Our History Our Future.
- Farrell, Jim. One Nation Under Goods.
- Hanh, Thich Nhat. Living Buddha, Living Christ.
- Hawkins, Paul. The Ecology of Commerce.
- Hertz, Noreena. The Silent Takeover.
- Johnson, Spencer. Who Moved My Cheese?.
- Joyce, James. Ulysses.
- Kennedy, Eugene. The Unhealed Wound.
- Kidd, Sue Monk. Secret Life of Bees.
- McFague, Sally. Super, Natural Christians: How We Should Love Nature.
- Moorwood, Michael MCS. Tomorrow’s Catholic: Understanding God and Jesus in a New Millennium.
- Nelson-Pallmeyer, Jack. Jesus Against Christianity.
- O’Murchu, Diarmuid. Reclaiming Spirituality.
- O’Murchu, Diarmuid. Religion in Exile.
- O'Murchu, Diarmuid. Evolutionary Faith.
- Quinn, Daniel. Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit.
- Quinn, Daniel. The Story of B: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit.
- Russell, Peter. The Global Brain Awakens: Our Next Evolutionary Leap.
- Russell, Peter. From Science to God: The Mystery of Consciousness and the Meaning of Light.
- Stienfels, Peter. A People Adrift.
- Various Authors. America's Role as Superpower.
- Wallis, Jim. God's Politics.
- Walsh, Roger. Essential Spirituality.
- Wink, Walter. The Human Being.
- Wink, Walter. The Powers That Be.
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