Staff Directory

Born in the Philippines, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Divine Word University located in Tacloban. Then, I graduated from the University of Santo Tomas Central Seminary. Next, I completed a diploma course of Pre-marital and Marital Counselling at Ateneo Loyola University in Quezon. Finally, I was ordained November 21, 1998 for the Diocese of Naval, Biliran, Philippines.

Moving to the Phoenix Diocese in 2008, I have been Parochial Vicar at St. Mary’s in Chandler, Queen of Peace in Mesa and San Francisco de Asis in Flagstaff. I was assigned as Parochial Administrator here at Our Lady of Joy in 2013. I was incardinated as clergy of the Diocese of Phoenix and appointed Pastor of Our Lady of Joy on July 29, 2014. It is a blessing to be your pastor!

I am from Makurdi, the capital of Benue State in Nigeria and have nine brothers and sisters. My journey to the priesthood began in 2002 when I gained admission to the Via Christi Society. I then trained at St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary in Makurdi and at the National Missionary Seminary of St. Paul in Gwagwalada, Abuja. I was ordained a Deacon in 2009 and in 2010 I was ordained a priest.

I have a postgraduate diploma in Education and an M.A. in Philosophy. After seven years of service in Nigeria and then Flagstaff, AZ, I arrived at Our Lady of Joy on December 30, 2017. I love meditation and I play soccer, ping pong and volley ball. I love reading, listening to good music and traveling.

What a privilege it is to be here and to serve at OLOJ. I was born and raised in Michigan and I am a HUGE Wolverine fan.

I have been married for 42 years to my lucky and beautiful wife Debi. We have three children. Our daughter who also has two beautiful children and twin sons. I became a Deacon in 2010 and I been here at OLOJ since 2015. I am involved with Marriage Preparation, Baptisms, Funerals, Altar Servers and most importantly making sure that you feel “Welcomed” here at OLOJ.

You will see me here on most weekends in the courtyard. Please stop by and say hi and let me know how I can be of service.

I am looking forward to working among the community of Our Lady of Joy Parish. I am from Ireland originally. I joined the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate after being in the United States for twelve years. I love our charism of door-to-door evangelization and our contemplative spirit. For most of my religious life I have done door-to-door evangelization. I have worked in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Oklahoma, California and Arizona. I, with one of our Sisters, opened a mission in Nigeria, West Africa, where I spent eleven years. Since I have been in the Phoenix Diocese I spent six years working at St. Vincent De Paul Parish, Phoenix, where I led the RCIA program for the English speaking; taught in the RE program; started an adult group who wanted to learn more about the Faith, and; with the help of parishioners, visited over five thousand homes. For the past two years I have been spiritual director for “Maggie’s Place”. I am praying for all I will meet in my new mission at Our Lady of Joy Parish. Pray for me, too!

It is a blessing to be part of this wonderful community at Our Lady of Joy! I have been a Parish Visitor of Mary Immaculate for over 20 years. I love being a Sister!! I get to be all-His and serve His people with a spiritual mother’s heart. The Lord has blessed me in every mission with beautiful opportunities to be an instrument of His Holy Spirit in bringing many to experience His personal love for them and embrace His wonderful plan for their lives, so precious to Him.

Most recently, I served as Chaplain at All Saints Catholic Newman Center, serving ASU students, for the past six years. During my time at Newman, I have spiritually guided many students and young adults. I directed the RCIA and Confirmation programs, the young adult group for 20’s & 30’s, women’s discernment groups, and taught “Catholicism 101” on campus. Before that, I was the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry at St. Raymond’s, Bronx, NY, for seven years. I also served as Youth Minister and Confirmation program director at St. John the Baptist, Rome, NY, for seven years. Our Community is dedicated to the works of evangelization and catechesis. We seek out those who are far away and help them come back to Jesus and His Church. We teach our beautiful Catholic Faith to all ages.

I am originally from Long Island, New York, however my immediate family resides in Florida, where we moved when I was a teenager. I have a brother and a sister, both married. Fun fact: My nephew, Justin Kelley, is in formation with the Jesuits in their southern province! Please pray for me as I will for all of you daily!

I am very fortunate to hold the position of Coordinator of Stewardship and Communications at Our Lady of Joy. My goal is to make sure that every parishioner knows we offer a wealth of opportunities and support with the intention of increasing awareness and participation in our Catholic faith. Our three daughters attended Notre Dame Prep where I served as Communications Coordinator for 12 years. Born in Tucson but raised abroad, I earned a B.A. in Journalism from the U of A and a master’s degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

It is an honor to be the Director of Faith Formation here at Our Lady of Joy. In 1992, I joined the National Evangelization Teams (NET) and have been either volunteering or working full time for the Catholic Church throughout Arizona and California ever since. I have written for the Catholic Sun, been interviewed on Immaculate Heart Radio, guested on The Broken Halo radio show and facilitated hundreds of retreats.

I live in Maricopa County with my wonderful wife Maryrose and my amazing daughter Georgiana. Together, they put up with my support of the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Diamondbacks.

I have been an Administrative Assistant at Our Lady of Joy since 2007. It has been my pleasure to work with the Staff, Parishioners, and the beautiful community of Carefree. I grew up in Scottsdale and live here with my wonderful husband, Vince, and my son Franco and daughter Marissa.

I am blessed to be the Director of Preschool at Our Lady of Joy Catholic Preschool. I have been in education for 17 years in both private and Catholic schools. A positive, engaging and safe learning environment is the setting here at OLOJ Catholic Preschool and I am proud to lead our great school in academic excellence in a faith filled surroundings.

My family has been parishioners at Our Lady of Joy for over 25 years and we love being a part of the Cave Creek community. I enjoy being a part of the community in which I was raised, growing up in Cave Creek has been wonderful. Our two children, ages 11 and 8 attend Annunciation Catholic School in Cave Creek.

Credentials

• M.ED Administration and Supervision/University of Phoenix
• B.A Science /University of Arizona
• Arizona Certified Principal
• Arizona Teaching Certificate/Highly Qualified Biology
• Structured English Immersion Certificate
• Catechist Certification

I am so grateful to be joining Our Lady of Joy as Coordinator of Children’s Catechesis. I first fell in love with children’s catechesis when I discovered a book called the Religious Potential of the Child that told beautiful stories about the deep relationships with God children as young as three years old were exhibiting. Their deep joy, wonder and awe at our amazing God and His great love for them was something I wanted to participate in as fully as they seemed to!

Last summer, I moved to Phoenix from Denver where I had worked in the Catholic Schools for eight years. I have a Master’s in Theology and Christian Ministry with an emphasis in Catechetics from Franciscan University of Steubenville. I am originally from Wisconsin, and I have eight siblings and 30 nieces and nephews. When I have free time, I love to do amateur art projects, read, get outside for some exercise (when possible here!) and spend time with friends and family. I look forward to growing closer to Jesus and Mary this year with you and the children of the parish!