Staff

I began my ministry as pastor of St. Perpetua Church in July 1997. I am a member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, a religious congregation of priests and brothers. My religious order is headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, which is also my hometown. Founded in 1871 and modeled on the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales (1576-1622), the Oblates serve the church and society by spreading the spirit of St. Francis de Sales which is one of optimism, humility, gentleness and Christian humanism.

I’ve served the Diocese of Oakland in pastoral ministry for the past fourteen years at St. Joseph Basilica in Alameda, at Corpus Christi Church in Piedmont and here at St. Perpetua. One of the attractions for me of being pastor is the great variety of activities priestly ministry offers – counseling, education, artistic creativity, music, pastoral care and organizational planning. As St. Perpetua Church prepares to celebrate its Golden Anniversary (1952-2002), I look forward to new opportunities for growth and expansion, and new ways for us to witness to the Gospel of our Lord.

I came to St. Perpetua in July of 1997, coordinated the religious education program for 2 years, and then became the Pastoral Associate in the summer of 1999. My responsibilities include the Infant Baptism Preparation program, Children’s Liturgies (once a month), Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW), Adult Faith Formation (including Small
Christian Communities, RCIA and adult confirmation), coordinating the Social Justice and Stewardship Committees, and other duties needed for the pastoral well-being of the parish.

I was born and raised in Zurich, Switzerland where I was an elementary school teacher before deciding to study theology. That desire brought me to the U.S. and GTU at Berkeley, where I met my wife, Kate. After receiving my Masters in May of 1993, I became the Director of Religious Education at St. Jarlath in Oakland. The sudden and unexpected death of the pastor left the parish in a state of uncertainty. As such, I moved to St. Mary’s in Walnut Creek, where I served as Parish Coordinator for 3 years. Up until October 2003, my wife was the Youth Minister and Confirmation Director at Christ the King in Pleasant Hill. We have three children, Andrew, Brian and Maureen.

I came to St. Perpetua in August of 2002 and have grown to love the people I have been called to serve here in my ministry. I bring to St. Perpetua the experience of serving as a Pastoral Associate, a Director of all parish ministries and a Director of Religious Education. It has been my pleasure to minister at both St. Mary's Parish in Walnut Creek and St. Stephen Parish in Walnut Creek.

I have spent over 30 years in education and preparation for this ministry.  Through our own Diocese I became a Master Catechist, participated in the Jordan Institute (currently the Pastoral School Of Ministry), Shepherds Care, and currently Pastoral Associates Workshops for leadership, as well as working as an Apprentice in faith formation.  

I grew up in Washington State and attended the University of Washington where I  met my husband Dale.  We have three children who are married with families. Jeff, Denise, Jessica, Michael, Mikala and Travis in San Antonio Texas; Brian, Laura, Paul, Justin, Andrew and Kyler in Everett, Washington; Mark and Heidi Glassmeyer, awaiting the birth of their first child, in Houston Texas. Dale and I reside in Brentwood and have chosen St. Perpetua as our parish of worship.

 

picture and bio coming soon

 

picture and bio coming soon

I am the Business Manager and have served the community of St. Perpetua since 1982. As Business Manager, my responsibilities fall into the areas of finance, personnel, insurance and facilities management. It has also been my privilege to work with our Senior’s Activities Group for the past ten years. My education was received locally at Chabot College, Diablo Valley College, and Cal State Hayward.

I was born in the state of Washington but have lived most of my life in California. I grew up in San Leandro, where my family still lives, and have lived in Contra Costa County since 1971.

I am the mother of two grown daughters, Christy and Andrea, both graduates of St. Perpetua School. Christy, Justin and their children live in Concord. Andrea and her husband, Stephen, make their home in Lynnwood, WA.

I have been a secretary at St. Perpetua’s since June of 1987. When you call or come to the parish office, I am usually the person who greets you. I am there to answer questions and to refer you to other staff who can help you. My weekly job is to create the bulletin. I am responsible for the calendar and for scheduling the use of parish facilities. I also keep the parish records of baptisms, weddings, and other sacramental information.

I was raised in Minnesota. After high school I moved to Colorado, where I graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder. After teaching for 5 years in Littleton, Colorado, I found my way to California and eventually to the Bay Area. Lafayette has been my home for many years. I have four grown children who all live in California. My grand daughter, Julia Pearl Tobias, is the joy of of my life. Walking the Lafayette Reservoir is one of my favorite pastimes. In my other life, I love to dance, sing and listen to music.

I am the principal here at St. Perpetua School. I have been living out my ministry as a Catholic School educator in the Diocese of Oakland for ten years but this is my first assignment as a principal.

I received my BA in Speech Communication and my teaching credential from Cal State Hayward. My Masters in Catholic School Administration is from the University of San Francisco. I truly feel that it is my calling to work in Catholic education, and I feel tremendously blessed to be here at St. Perpetua School. I am a proud second generation principal for the Oakland Diocese. My mother served the Diocese for 25 years.