Confirmation Saint: Rebecca
Favorite thing to get at Ted Drewes: A Chocolate Chip Strawberry Concrete

I am a lifelong Catholic and have been involved in parish, diocesan, and apostolate-based ministries for most of my adult life. I had the gift of growing up in a family where our lives were deeply intertwined with the life of our parish and through my participation in the life of the Church as a volunteer, staff member, and community member I have striven to help foster a similar sense of connection, engagement, and meaning for others. I hold Master's degrees in Social Work (SLU) and Pastoral Ministry (Aquinas Institute of Theology), and will begin a Doctor of Ministry program in June of 2025. In addition to my work in and around the Church, my faith has guided my work in the fields of public policy advocacy and non-profit leadership.

I have spent the past two years working with parishes around the country as a Leadership Consultant with the Catholic Leadership Institute. My primary role was to lead pastors and teams of parish leaders through a strategic envisioning and planning process aimed at parish vitality. While I learned so much through that work and was grateful to meet so many people doing wonderful things in their parishes, I had a strong desire to put those skills and experiences to work in the context of a singular parish (or two, in this case!) I feel so privileged to be able to join the Epiphany and St. James communities as you strive to grow closer to one another and to our Lord.

My husband Jay and I live in Benton Park with two crazy orange cats and three of our five kids: Lucas, a senior in High School heading to the University of Iowa to play football in January '25; Maxwell, a junior in High School at MICDS who loves Lacrosse and anything related to F1 car racing; and Mary Lucille, an 8 year old who loves reading and drawing. My oldest son Jack graduated from college in May of '24 and works as an industrial designer in Kansas City, MO  and my older daughter, Mary Margaret, is a senior at Missouri State University working on a degree in Fashion Design! We all look forward to getting to know you!