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The Staff of SJTW witnesses to the presence of Christ cultivating disciples for the Kingdom of God.
Father Mike Sullivan
Pastor
763-400-7201
frmike@sjtw.net
Fr. Mike Sullivan was born in western Minnesota and raised in northwestern Minnesota. He was ordained a priest in January of 1981 for the Crookston Diocese of Minnesota. He received a Canon Law degree in 1991 and served as the Judicial Vicar for the Crookston Diocese until 2000. He became pastor of St. Joseph the Worker in 2000.
Father Bob Hazel
Ordained in 1966, Fr. Bob has served our Archdiocese for over 57 years. In addition to serving various parishes, Fr. Bob served in Chaplaincy at the University of Minnesota as well as in foreign mission service in Bombay, India, and Venezuela. Upon his retirement from full-time ministry in 2006, Fr. Bob has been assisting local parishes in need of weekend presiding help. We are pleased to welcome Fr. Bob our parish family where he will assist Fr. Mike with weekend presiding at Masses and other sacramental celebrations. Fr. Bob resides locally so the commute to SJTW will be an easy one for him. He will begin the weekend of September 2-3.
Kevin O'Connor
Deacon, Haiti
763-425-6505 ext. 101
DeaconKevin04@gmail.com
Deacon Kevin grew up in Chicago, and came to Minneapolis with his bride Ann in 1975. Kevin and Ann really enjoy visiting with their 4 children and 6 grandchildren. Kevin was ordained a deacon in 2001,came to St Joseph the Worker in 2004. He is delighted to serve the people of St Joseph and the people of our sister parish, St Catherine of Alexandria in Bouzy Haiti. Kevin says deacon and grandpa are his dream jobs. He enjoys daily walks in the woods, birdwatching, reading and baseball.
John Wallin
Deacon, Marriage Preparation
612-751-6284
deaconjohnwallin@gmail.com
Mike Lentz
Parish Administrator
763-400-7203
Mike@sjtw.net
Mike Lentz serves as SJTW’s Business Administrator. Mike previously served as Parish Administrator at St. Pascal Baylon Catholic Church in St. Paul. He and his wife Katy live in Elk River and have 5 children.
Marc Stockert
Director of Worship
763-400-7209
mstockert@sjtw.net
Marc serves as Director of Worship. Marc comes to us with over 20 years of Liturgy and Music experience in our Archdiocese, most recently at St. Katharine Drexel in Ramsey.
Tarri Nelson
Associate Worship/Music
763-400-7205
tnelson@sjtw.net
Tarri Nelson is the Associate Director of Worship and also one of the accompanists here at St. Joe’s. She grew up in Bemidji in northern Minnesota, graduated from the College of St. Catherine’s and along with her husband Mark, and children Matt and Andrea, have called St. Joe’s home since 1991. They live in Maple Grove where she also teaches piano.
Monica Liebl
Director of Child, Youth, and Family Ministry
763-400-7214
monical@sjtw.net
Monica serves as Director of Faith Formation Grades 1-8 and Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist. Monica, her husband Jeff and 2 children have been members of St. Joseph the Worker since 2007.
Barry Shay
Director of Discipleship and Mission
763-400-7213
bshay@sjtw.net
Barry transitioned in July of 2021 to the role of Director of Discipleship and Mission. He provides adult formation opportunities building upon our call to discipleship and mission, while now teaming with Theresa to provide justice education, advocacy, and community involvement so we can fulfill our parish mission to "Be the change. Be Christ". Barry and his family have been parishioners at St. Joseph the Worker since 1987. Barry was active in many ministries before joining the the staff as Faith Formation Coordinator in 2007. Barry is currently working on a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry at St. John’s University School of Theology.
Scott Kieffer
Director of Discipleship: Senior High and Young Adult Ministry
763-400-7212
scott@sjtw.net
Scott oversees our youth ministry program, OneWith program, Confirmation preparation, and initiate young adult ministry within the parish. With 14 years of parish experience in Faith Formation and Youth Ministry, Scott joins us with exceptional wisdom, innovative ideas, and a wonderful passion for young people. He is a member of the parish and resides here in Maple Grove.
Nichola Schoenfelder
Administrative Assistant for Faith Formation
763-400-7210
nichola@sjtw.net
Nichola and her family (Matt, Daniel, Zoe and Abigail) have been parishioners since 2006. Nichola was a stay at home mom for 16 years and has been involved at SJTW through Faith Formation, Vacation Bible School and Moms’ Group. Nichola has a BA in Sociology and Psychology and loves reading and traveling.
Megan Manzke
Sunday School Coordinator
763-400-7200
megan@sjtw.net
Jeanne Smith
Office Manager and Receptionist
763-425-6505
jeanne@sjtw.net
Jeanne serves as Office Manager and Receptionist in the parish office. Jeanne provides a wonderful sense of welcoming and hospitality which is so vital to us as we welcome members, guests, and visitors to our parish. You will soon see her smiling face in the front office and hear her cheerful voice on the telephone. Jeanne has years of catechetical experience, both here at SJTW as well as in her former parish in the Fargo diocese. She has a strong desire to serve our community and work with children. Jeanne will work approximately 10 hours per week with most of that happening on Sunday mornings during the FF programming year.
Theresa Warden
Coordinator of Outreach and Shared Ministry
763-400-7208
theresa@sjtw.net
Theresa has served as our Office Manager and Receptionist for SJTW for the last two years. Since June, she has also been providing support and direction to various parish outreach efforts. We are happy to have Theresa transition into a full-time role as Coordinator of Outreach and Shared Ministry. Her passion for service and community engagement, coupled with her organization skills, will make her the perfect fit for this role at SJTW.
Ann Bergmann
Bookkeeper
763-400-7206
ann@sjtw.net
Ann grew up in Wisconsin and moved to Minnesota to attend the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. She didn't leave her favorite team behind though and is a big Green Bay Packer fan. She married her high school sweetheart Brian in 1992 and they have two adult children, a son Alex and a daughter Lauren, who are twins. After working for many years in medical equipment marketing, Ann was a stay-at-home mom. When she decided to go back to work when Lauren and Alex were in 2nd grade, she began working at St. Joseph the Worker in 2007 as the parish bookkeeper on a very part time basis. Ann has always appreciated the flexibility her job has given her while raising her children and her job has grown with her family. Now that her children are adults, Ann and her husband Brian are resurrecting hobbies that were put on hold while raising the kids. They enjoy reading, biking, and hiking, as well as traveling with their kids.
Madison Liebl
Communications Specialist
madison@sjtw.net
Growing up in the Maple Grove area, Madison has been a part of the SJTW parish since 2007. This past May, she graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 2023 with a BA in Digital Media Arts and Strategic Communication. She joined the staff as a Communication Specialist in June, using her skills and knowledge to promote the parish and its events.
Mark Kuhl
Director of Communications
763-400-7202
mark@sjtw.net
Mark lives in Sartell and has been married to his wife Kathy for over 38 years. They have three grown children and 5 beautiful grandchildren they love spending time with.
Dean Olson
Director of Building Operations
763-400-7219
dean@sjtw.net
Dean grew up in Crystal, MN. where he attended St. Raphael Catholic School. He and his wife Heather reside in Ramsey, Mn., they have 2 daughters. Dean enjoys being a hobby beekeeper, landscaping the yard, driving the Zamboni, and fishing at the family cabin. Dean is a Firefighter for the City of Ramsey.
Abeba Tekle
Custodian