Parish Staff

I was ordained as a deacon in 2002 and served at St. Mary’s in Hales Corners prior to coming to Our Lady of Lourdes in 2024. My primary ministries included baptisms, weddings, funerals and weekend Masses, including preaching. I have also travelled on a mission to Haiti twice and have a special heart for LGBT+ outreach. I directed weekly Catholic services for the women at Franklin Correctional Center for years.

I have been married to my wife, Jeanne, since 1980 and we have three adult children and four grandchildren.

From 1961 to 1998, I was a student then a member of a religious community, the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (commonly called Trinity Missions). The charism of this community is to collaborate as laity, religious and clergy in preserving the faith. In those 37 years I served in the Watts area of Los Angeles; a Puerto Rican Community in Ohio with culture and language studies in Puerto Rico; as the director of vocations in Silver Spring, MD; as staff member of Ministries Center for the Laity in Brooklyn, NY; and Trinity Ministries Center in Sterling, NJ.

In every assignment, I learned to work together with a diversity of races, socio-economic levels, cultures, denominations and types of people. I was given the chance to develop skills in public speaking, facilitation of groups, collaborating on retreat and parish missions. I came to believe that an inclusive community is essential to be Church.

In 1992, my dad became very frail and I came back to Racine to care for him. Since my ministries for years had demanded that I continually travel and not have a stable community, the chance to be a parish priest at St. Edward’s was an eye opening experience. I loved celebrating liturgy and becoming a member of a stable group of parishioners. When my dad died, I realized that being in a parish is what I needed. After a year’s sabbatical and a 3-year incardination process at St. John Vianney, Brookfield, I became an Archdiocesan priest.

I became a member of Our Lady of Lourdes in 2005. At that time, I was studying at St. Francis De Sales Seminary and taking classes at Cardinal Stritch University all in hopes of becoming a priest. My spiritual director knew me well enough to encourage me to check out Our Lady of Lourdes, thinking it would be an excellent fit for me as a place of worship. He called that right!

I never did become a priest – feeling that I could make more of an impact within the church without being ordained. I graduated from Cardinal Stritch, majoring in Religious Studies, minoring in Philosophy – but ceased the seminary path. Instead, I went the corporate world route, doing payroll and accounting for over 20 years. All this time I volunteered in several ministries. I have done everything from cleaning restrooms for the church to being the emcee at a weekend liturgy. I have served as a lector, Eucharistic minister, server, sacristan. I have planned parish retreats and missions. I have served on council, the Discipleship Institute and Gay & Straight in Christ. I firmly believe that we all have gifts to share, and no task or need is too trivial.

In my role as Director of Worship Ministries, I get to use my gifts in a full-time capacity and serve a faith community I love. I look forward to working along with the Director of Music Ministries to continue the tradition of amazing liturgies and all forms of worship here at Our Lady of Lourdes. However, this role is not mine alone – it is community based. The weekend liturgies and all the forms of worship we do is not solely mine alone. Part of my role will be to tap into the gifts all of you have to offer. I am looking forward to doing just that. Together, in our diversity and unity, we will continue to provide amazing liturgies and wonderful worship opportunities here at Our Lady of Lourdes.

In the late 80s, while a student at Alverno College, I walked to a nearby church one weekend to attend Mass. There was so much life in that community—everyone was singing like crazy, there was a dramatic presentation, they held hands during the Lord’s Prayer and clapped during the closing song. I seriously thought I had accidentally entered the wrong building (like, perhaps a Baptist church?) and immediately checked the sign out front when I left. Our Lady of Lourdes CATHOLIC Church! How grateful I have always been for that first day. Shortly after that, I became active in music ministry, drama ministry, liturgy committee, social events, served as the Coordinator of Music Ministries from 1996-2005, shared this community with my family, got married here, left for 15 years to be a freelance musician, and now am blessed to back in the capacity of director of music ministries.

During my 15-year sabbatical, I discovered an incredible love for musical theatre, opera, vocal coaching, and accompanying anything and everything. I delighted in working with people of all ages and all abilities, helping them to take risks and discover skills they didn’t even know they had. I tapped into my background in Psychology to help foster confidence in others and encourage them to throw caution to the wind and just go for it. Since I still worked at a small church during that time, I quickly discovered how similar my work was in these two environments. Performance? Prayer? I coined the phrase “Prepare a performance; present a prayer,” which has become my motto and my goal in serving this community.

In my current role, I work closely with our music ministries associate and the director of liturgical ministries to plan and create all of our worship events, including weekend liturgies, weddings, funerals, and additional seasonal offerings. I oversee the cantors, instrumentalists, and vocal groups, to help ensure that our music ministry is prepared well, that we pray with our community and that all of this is done with the love of God ever present in our heart. If we sincerely enjoy our ministry, we will help others pray better. And our community, our faith family and our personal spirituality will all be blessed. God is indeed good, and I’m so glad to be home!

I live in Muskego with my husband Jim and our dog Coda. I enjoy doing theatre on the side, accompanying and coaching singers and instrumentalists, and spending time with family and friends.

After graduating from Mount Mary University in 1991, I stayed in Milwaukee and was searching for a church where I felt I belonged. One day, I attended a wedding for my second cousin at Our Lady of Lourdes. I still remember my uncle—who wasn’t Catholic—remarking that it was the first Catholic wedding where he felt comfortable. That comment stayed with me. It made me wonder what was different about this parish, so I decided to explore further and started attending mass on the weekend.

In 1992, at the invitation of Fr. Tom Suriano, I officially joined the parish. From the very beginning, I felt a deep sense of belonging. Later, I discovered that the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes falls on my birthday—a sign that this connection was truly meant to be.

Over the years, my involvement in parish life has grown in so many meaningful ways. I’ve served in liturgical roles as a lector, Eucharistic minister, AV minister, and most recently, an emcee. Beyond the Mass, I’ve embraced leadership opportunities on Parish Council, the Community Commission, Welcoming Committee, Haiti Outreach group, and Oktoberfest.

My heart has always been drawn to faith formation. I taught Confirmation for 18 years, led Children’s Liturgy of the Word, assisted at youth and women’s spirituality retreats, and directed the Archdiocesan program Reach Out Reach In, which brought teens and adults from our parish together in service. I’ve also participated in programs like Beyond Racism and the Discipleship Institute, served on the Worship Team, provided monthly recorded table reflections, and am a member of the Art Guild.

Through all these experiences, one thing has remained constant: building relationships within this community is deeply important to me. Our parish is alive with so many good things and being involved has been a beautiful way to connect with others.

I am thrilled to join the parish staff as director of formation ministries. This role feels like the culmination of a long and winding journey—one guided every step of the way by the Holy Spirit. My spiritual director often asks, “Where do you see God in all of this?” For me, the answer is clear: I see God in every part of this story.

Outside of parish life, I am an artist and an active member of the West Allis community. I cherish time spent with my extended family and friends, and I look forward to continuing to grow in faith and service alongside all of you.

I am part of the Faith Formation Team along with Maggie Russell and Jenni Sladky. My primary responsibility is to co-coordinate and implement our whole community faith formation program – GIFT (Generations in Faith Together) with the rest of the Faith Formation Team. My specific duties include coordinating the preparation for the sacraments of baptism, reconciliation, and first Eucharist for the children and their parents of our parish. In addition, I develop the curriculum for GIFT up through the six grade, and oversee the Children’s Liturgy of the Word program.

I first experienced Our Lady of Lourdes in the early 1990’s during Lent. Years later when looking for a new parish closer to our home, I suggested to my wife Rebecca that we investigate OLOL. I mentioned that OLOL had moving liturgies when I attended. We immediately felt a sense of community here that we hadn’t at other parishes. Rebecca and I have two children, Tommy & Ryan, who were both baptized and celebrated first reconciliation and first Eucharist at OLOL.

My path to working at Our Lady of Lourdes was circuitous. I started college as a forestry major, with the hope of being Smokey the Bear. Along the way, I worked at a residential treatment facility for at-risk youths, and a non-profit law firm for low-income clients. Eventually I went back to school for my teacher certification. I taught social studies at both the high school and middle school levels, and religion at the middle school level. I enjoyed connecting with students and facilitating their understanding of what it meant to be a follower of Christ. I tried to emphasize Catholic Social Teaching with my students, as that helped them to understand how we need to live our faith.

I had been exploring a change of direction in my career when I heard about the opportunity to work at Lourdes. The idea of working at OLOL with the GIFT program, which had been so helpful to me as a religious educator, felt like the Spirit calling me. The responsibility of helping to facilitate our community’s children’s understanding of our faith is truly a blessing.

I have lived in Wisconsin for so many years now that my “home state of Pennsylvania” is only a brief time period in my life. I have spent most of my career in health and human services, specifically with vulnerable populations. I had a life changing experience at 16 years old that pointed me into the service of those with disabilities and I loved every minute of that service. I have also run an assisted living facility, worked on housing and homelessness concerns, and ADA/accommodations and employment.

I have been telling everyone that this role will allow me to support “every mission I have engaged in and serve my faith more directly all at the same time!” I am overjoyed to have found a parish to support that is so full of joy, generosity of spirit, and welcoming to all.

I love to garden and make creative “upcycled garden art”—spending time in my perennial gardens is how I meditate. I also enjoy getting creative in the kitchen. One of my grandmas moved in with my family when I was three years old. She was Italian and grew up on a farm in northern Wisconsin. As a child I was always amazed at how she could make four loaves of bread appear as if by magic—she scooped and poured rather than really measure! I set a goal for myself when I started living on my own to learn to make bread as good as grandma’s! Admittedly, I need to measure, but it is one of my favorite fall and winter weekend things to do.

My role in the parish is to take care of all aspects of communication be it through print or technology. In this era, technology is the preferred medium for many people to communicate, so a major part of my job is to keep Our Lady of Lourdes up to speed with these methods; however, keeping in mind that there are many parishioners who favor more traditional forms of communication and continuing to use those means of passing on information as well.

I have been a member of Our Lady of Lourdes my whole life. I am very excited to be sharing my skills with the parish that has been such an integral part of shaping who I am and my relationship with God.

I earned my Master’s degree in Religious Studies from Cardinal Stritch University in 2005. I have over 25 years working and volunteering experience in Catholic youth ministry, liturgy planning, and music ministry. Part of my ministry profession was working for a non-profit organization, the TYME OUT Youth Ministry and Retreat Center in Nashotah, WI, for 8 years. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Law Studies from Marquette University in 1992 which provides me a prospective into understanding ethics and safety in regards to technology.

In addition, I have a certificate in Project Management from Cardinal Stritch University. I have also earned a certificate in Web Design from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and completed the Advanced Courses in Internet Marketing from the eMarketing Association.

I am the Administrative Assistant at Our Lady of Lourdes. I join the staff in the administrative needs of the Parish and will happily greet you in our main office. Come and see me!

My family and I made Our Lady of Lourdes our home during Covid and are grateful to have found such a place. We immediately felt welcome and thrive on the openness and example of Jesus that this parish makes their priority.

My husband, Rob, and I have two daughters. In raising them I have held various jobs along the way. I have a background in education and have taught in many settings from the classroom to museums to religious education. I also have experience in office settings where I worked mainly with retirees. The thing I enjoyed the most in these positions were the people I worked with and for. That is again why I have started at Our Lady of Lourdes, a wonderful community of people.

May God bless our days here together and on the paths we walk.

My husband David and I have been members of Our Lady of Lourdes since late in 2018. We felt so welcomed by others in the “pews” who immediately recognized us as new to the community, introduced themselves, and made themselves available to answer any questions we had. The initial warm welcome and a continued demonstration of inclusiveness in the pews, in the Mass preparation, and musical choices made the decision to become members an easy one. We feel we found the nourishment we had been longing for in a parish community. 

As a stewardship associate, I am responsible for record keeping of parish contributions, deposits, and accounts payable as well as providing other administrative support. Having worked 36 years in the financial services industry, I am happy to exercise some of my skills to serve the parish. I could not have asked for a better opportunity to enrich my awareness and understanding of our parish organization and community. 

In our free time, David and I cherish being able to maintain relationships with our two grown sons, Kevin and Bryan, as well as other family, friends, and neighbors. We also enjoy cheering on our local sports teams and spending as much time as possible outdoors enjoying all four seasons.

I have been in this position for twenty years. This position is full-time and requires me to be here 40 hours per week, though I often find myself putting in overtime. My responsibilities are varied and require a vast amount of technical knowledge. I can be found simply changing lightbulbs around the building, cleaning up spills, or repairing furniture. You may also find me repairing plumbing in the restrooms, repairing equipment in the kitchen, or outside mowing the lawn and tending to our gardens. Of course, there is also work that you may not actually see me doing, on some of the equipment in our basement or on the roof. I clean, repair and operate our boiler to keep our facilities warm in the cold months, and maintain our air conditioners to keep everyone cool in Summer.

Some other tasks I perform, include ordering paper products for all of our groups functions, and the necessary supplies for our kitchen, custodial staff, and maintenance needs; wiring our building for phone and internet as needs change; and contacting vendors for more complex repairs on our facilities. Some of my work requires late hours, as I may need to turn off the water or power to the building to perform some tasks, without interrupting our staff or group functions.

I am in constant communication with parish groups and the staff to be sure everything is working properly and meeting their needs. I meet most regularly with Maryroes Wolf, Director of Administrative Services, to discuss what needs to be done and how best to facilitate completion of projects. I also meet monthly with our Buildings & Grounds Committee to review major projects; determining project scope, setting timelines, and selecting vendors.

Paul is our full-time custodian. His position is primarily responsible for providing janitorial services for the parish. Sets up, takes down and provides cleaning services for parish activities within facility. Paul works primarily 2nd shift, with frequent evening and occasional weekend hours.