Sean Agniel

Sean Agniel graduated from Truman State University (Kirksville, Missouri) in 2000 with a BA in Philosophy and Religion. After college he served in the Jesuit sponsored Alum Service Corps teaching high school for a year. Sean spent a total of four years at Rockhurst High School (Kansas City, MO) teaching Theology, running retreats, and coaching Ultimate Frisbee (!). He earned a Master of Divinity at Notre Dame in 2007 and now serves as the Provincial Assistant for Social Ministries and the Director of the Alum Service Corps for the Jesuits of the Missouri Province. Sean lives in St. Louis with his wife Susie and son Theodore.

Rhodora Beaton

Rhodora Beaton is New Hampshire native currently living in South Bend, IN. She is a doctoral candidate in Systematic Theology, writing a dissertation on the sacramentality of words in Roman Catholic theology since Vatican II. After completing an M.Div. from Notre Dame in 2002, Rhodora served as Campus Minister and Theology Instructor at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Terre Haute, IN. She has been working with STEP on and off since 2001. In her spare time Rhodora enjoys traveling, entertaining friends and family, and the occasional hiking trip.

Allison Blay

Allison Blay hails from Gainesville, Florida where she spends most of her time caring for her young son and helping to run Friends Across the Ages, a nursing home volunteer program that she and her husband started in 1999 (www.acrosstheages.org). She graduated from the University of Florida in 1998 with a BA in English and minors in religion, music, and secondary education. In 1999 she earned her M.Ed., also at UF. She then spent four years working at St. Augustine Church and Catholic Student Center in Gainesville, primarily as a
youth and campus minister. In 2003, she began working full time as Executive Co-Director of Friends Across the Ages. She completed her MA in theology from the University of Notre Dame in late 2004, and has continued to pursue her passion for theology through reading, writing, scripture seminars, and STEP classes.

A native of Florida, Mike graduated from the University of Florida with a BA in History in May 2002. He received the Master of Divinity degree in May 2006 from the University of Notre Dame. Currently, he works as Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Ormond Beach, FL. Mike has 8 years of experience in youth ministry, including involvement in a number of Catholic schools, parish youth ministries, and retreat programs. Mike has spent time as a catechist in RCIA, and has a particular interest in liturgical theology. He also teaches catechist education courses for the Diocese of Orlando. He, his wife Megan, daughter Anna and son Joshua are happy to live in Daytona Beach.

Andrew Casad

Andrew Casad is Director of Liturgy and Catechumenate at St. Thomas More in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He holds a Master of Theological Studies in Liturgy from the University of Notre Dame (2003) and a Master of Arts in cultural anthropology from the University of California, San Diego (2005). He has served for many years on catechumenate teams and written on issues of implementation of the RCIA. His academic interests focus especially on ritual studies and Eastern Christianity. He and his wife live on a small farm, where they are active in social justice ministries, raise animals, and brew beer.

Dan Cebrick

Dan Cebrick lives in northeastern Pennsylvania. Since completing the Master of Divinity degree at Notre Dame in 1994, he has taken a few different paths with work and life experiences in education, the corporate world and ministry. Upon completion of the M.Div. Degree he taught in the Religious Studies department and worked in Campus Ministry at Stonehill College in Easton, MA for one academic year. During the next several years he worked as a computer analyst and programmer in the health insurance industry in Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, PA. Over the past five years he has combined his computer skills and love for education as the Registrar at another Holy Cross sponsored institution of higher education, King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA. In addition to his administrative responsibilities he teaches part-time in the Theology department. Over the past 10 years he has been actively involved in ministry in the parish, college, hospital and hospice settings working primarily in RCIA, retreat and ministry to the sick and dying. As his journey continues, he looks forward to being a part of the STEP program through Notre Dame, learning from and with others.

Jane Cors Smith

Jane lives in both Mishawaka, IN, and Harpers Ferry, WV. Her husband, Barry, and she have been married for 26 years. They have two grown sons, Ben and Jeff. She presently serves as Executive Director of Pastoral Services for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, WV. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Masters in Divinity in 2004. Her hobbies and interests include enjoying the beauty of the outdoors, dogs, cats, sculpting, painting, crafts, writing, boating, fishing, traveling, and collecting fossils.

Annie Crew-Renzo

Annie Crew-Renzo hails from sunny California. Annie’s undergraduate work was at St. Mary's College of CA in the San Francisco Bay Area, and she completed the Master of Theological Studies program in May of 2003. She worked for STEP her second year in the Master's program, and after graduation, she went to work for STEP and enjoyed working at ND and facilitating several courses. During the 2004-2005 school year she worked for Saint Mary’s College (IN) in Campus Ministry. Now back living in her home state of California, Annie is teaching theology at St. Francis High School in Sacramento and enjoying keeping current on her reading. Her husband Clayton is also working for the Diocese of Sacramento in a local Catholic grade school. She looks forward to again being connected with STEP and fellow students across the country.

Catherine Crino

Catherine Crino is the Pastoral Associate and Director of Religious Education at St. Alphonsus in the Lakeview neighborhood
of Chicago. Her responsibilities include oversight of the religious education and formation of adults and children, sacrament preparation, annulment ministry, coordination of outreach ministries including Peace and Justice and the Ministry of Care and responsibility for parish communications. She has worked at various parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago for over twenty years, as well as having experience as a classroom teacher, in retirement home administration and employment counseling. In addition to parish ministry, she has also been a faculty member in various archdiocesan institutes for ministry training and formation. She is originally from Tucson and lived in Los Angeles for some time. She has a BA in History from UCLA, as well as completing the Graduate School in education there. She holds a Masters of Divinity degree from Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Chris Culver

Chris Culver completed his Masters of Divinity in 2000 from the University of Notre Dame. He has over ten years experience as a catechist, and he is currently working as associate director in the Fort Wayne/South Bend Diocesan Office of Youth Ministry where he has been for the past three years. He loves the work and challenges that come with youth ministry. He has completed a national certificate in youth ministry. He is married and has three children, Ben, Sophie and Joshua. Chris is also an officer in the Unites State's Naval Reserve and a chaplain for a local fire department.

Kelly Culver
Assistant Director, STEP

Kelly Culver graduated from Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, IN in 1996, and from the University of Notre Dame with a Masters of Divinity in 2001. After graduation she worked on an extensive sociological study of the implementation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in six parishes and co- authored a book based on the research, Real Stories of Christian Initiation: Lessons for and from the RCIA, published by Liturgical Press, 2006. She joined the STEP program in July 2002. Most importantly, she is the mother of three small children, Benjamin, Sophia, and Joshua.

Tom Cummings
Director, STEP

Thomas C. Cummings graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1988. He served four years in the United States Marine Corps as a Logistics officer. After his military service, Mr. Cummings entered the Congregation of Holy Cross and began his theological studies. After two years Mr. Cummings left the Congregation of Holy Cross and taught scripture at St. Stanislaus High School in Bay St. Louis, MS. In 1996 he entered the Master of Divinity Program at the University of Notre Dame and worked in the Office of Student affairs as an Asst. Rector and Rector of an undergraduate hall. Mr. Cummings completed his M. Div. in May 1999. He began work on STEP during the 1998-99 academic year and has worked full time in the Institute for Church Life since June 1, 1999.

Chris Daley

Chris Daley was born and raised in Cleveland, OH. He was in the U S Coast Guard Reserves from 1985-1993 and graduated from Moorhead State University in Moorhead, MN in 1995 with a Bachelors degree in History. Chris attended Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC and graduated in 1999 with a Masters of Arts in Religion. He taught at Cleveland Central Catholic High teaching Junior and Senior Theology from 2000-2003, also heading the Theology Department. He currently works as an insurance agent while trying to get back into teaching. Chris lives in Cleveland with his wife Bridget and actively works with the Cleveland Diocese Young Adult Ministry. He is excited to be a part of the STEP program and looks forward to his role as a facilitator.

Mandy Dillon

Mandy Dillon graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2000 with a B.A. in psychology and theology and again in 2005 with a Master of Divinity degree. Her work in ministry has included youth ministry, retreat work, RCIA, social justice advocacy, high school religious education, and campus ministry. Mandy is currently a Pastoral Associate at Church of the Holy Spirit in Schaumburg, IL, where she serves as the director of liturgy and coordinator of young adult ministry. She is also a Co-Director of the NW Suburban Young Adult Ministry Network, a regional young adult ministry program in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Greg Doyle
Associate Director, STEP

Greg Doyle is originally from the Virginia suburbs of Washington DC. After completing undergraduate degrees at Notre Dame, he served in the Navy as a submarine officer in Charleston, SC and then worked at a commercial nuclear power plant in Maryland. He returned to Notre Dame for theological studies, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree. Greg began working with STEP while a graduate student during the first year that STEP e-Courses were offered and started full-time work there upon graduation. He and his wife have two sons.

Colleen Dunne

Colleen Dunne facilitates STEP courses from the mountains of Western Montana.
Colleen's undergraduate degree is in speech communication theory and public relations from Carroll College in Helena, Montana. She completed her Master of Divinity at Notre Dame in 2003. After finishing at Notre Dame she returned home to work as the Associate Director of Campus Ministry for Carroll College. In addition to her campus ministry work she is the director of Legendary Lodge, Helena's diocesan summer youth camp. Colleen also teaches a course each fall in the freshman experience program at Carroll College and helps with parish RCIA programs and the diocesan CCHD committee. In her spare time, Colleen likes to mountain bike, ski, go to movies and spend time with friends and family.

Monica Frazier

Monica Frazier is a native Texan who returned to her home state after completing a Master of Divinity at the University of Notre Dame in 2002. She also holds a Bachelors in Theology from the University of Dallas. Monica currently serves as the Director of Adult Formation and Liturgy at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Wichita Falls, TX. Her recent ministry experience includes coordinating family retreats for a diocesan retreat center and training parish ministers in family-centered catechesis. Monica also spent four years with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps directing the formation of young adults serving in poor communities throughout the South. In her spare time, Monica enjoys exercise, road trips, and being "the cool aunt" to her six nieces
and nephews.

Kevin Gary

Kevin Gary hails from El Paso, TX, son of an army family who traveled North and East, South and West in the US. Eventually he ended up at Notre Dame, studying political science and pre-medicine. After graduation he decided to enter Moreau Seminary at Notre Dame to explore a possible vocation to the priesthood. Though deeply impressed by religious life Kevin realized his calling was to be open to family life. From Notre Dame he received a bachelors in political science and a masters in systematic theology. He left Notre Dame in 1996, landing a high school teaching position at Loyola Academy, where he is presently. At Loyola Academy he has been teaching Ethics to Juniors and Scripture to Sophomores. In teaching and family life (Kevin and his wife Heather had their first child, Evelyn Clare on December 9, 2004) he has found his vocation. In his picture he is holding little Evelyn on Dec. 10 in her Mayan sling. In the meantime he has pursued graduate studies at Loyola University, completing a masters in education in 2001 and a Ph.D in the philosophy of education this past spring. Kevin has been a part of the STEP community for the past three years and says it is a privilege to gather in an online community and reflect on the riches of the Catholic tradition.

Betsy Glasenapp

After growing up in Florida, Betsy graduated from Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX) with a BA in Religious Studies in May 1999. She received her Master of Divinity degree in May 2003 from the University of Notre Dame.
Currently, she works as Director Religious Education at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Port Orange, FL. Betsy has 15 years of ministry experience including youth ministry, religious education and catechist formation as well as brief but informative times in hospital chaplaincy and RCIA.

Carol Guenther

Carol Guenther is a consultant with The Reid Group, a consulting and mediation firm based in Seattle, Washington. Carol served in parish ministry for twelve years as the Pastoral Associate. Carol’s ministry focused on formation and support of parish leadership groups, adult faith formation, liturgy planning, stewardship development and administration. Before locating to the Pacific Northwest, Carol served at campus ministry centers in Boston, Massachusetts and at the University of Notre Dame, serving in young adult ministry and marriage preparation programs. Carol has been an Instructor with Loyola, New Orleans for 4 years, teaching courses in Stewardship and Presiding Skills. She is also a member of the National Association for Lay Ministry (NALM) and served two terms on the Executive Board for the Association for Lay Ministers in the Archdiocese of Seattle (1995-1999). Carol is married and the proud parent of four children, whom she considers one of her greatest sources of continuing education. She also holds a Masters of Divinity degree from the University of Notre Dame and certificates in Diversity Training, Mediation Services and Bereavement Ministry.

Hannah Hemphill

Hannah Hemphill was born in New Orleans and raised in the Midwest. She graduated from Taylor University in 2001 with a B.A. in philosophy. She spent 2002-03 in St. Andrews, Scotland, working with Rotary International and studying for an M.Litt. in philosophy. She then moved to Notre Dame to study theology, receiving the M.T.S. in August 2005. Currently she lives in South Bend, IN, and teaches for the philosophy department at Indiana University-South Bend. She also works with the RCIA program at St. Pius X Church in Granger, IN. She looks forward to working with STEP and its course participants.

Liz LaFortune

A native of Texas, Liz LaFortune graduated from the University of St. Thomas, Houston, in 1987, with a Masters of Religious Education. She moved to Ohio in 1992, and on to Granger, IN, in January of this 2005. Over her years of ministry to the Church, she has served as a youth ministry director, high school theology teacher and department chair, campus minister and and as a parish social action coordinator for the Diocese of Cleveland. She brings a love of teaching to her role as a STEP facilitator. Liz resides in Granger with her husband Mike and their son, Matt, a sophomore at Marian High School in Mishawaka.

Diana Matthews

Diana Matthews has roots as a “Valley girl,” having grown up in Southern California. After graduating from UCLA with a B.A. in Mathematics-Applied Science, she spent time as a lay missionary in northern Sweden before engaging in work as a Youth and Campus Minister in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, later transitioning to the business world. She earned an M.A. in Religious Studies from Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles in 1990. An avid folk dancer, Diana met her husband in an international dance company. A series of moves eventually carried them to Montréal (Canada, eh?), Cleveland, OH and Knoxville, TN, where they currently reside. Diana also holds an M.A. in Ministry from Ursuline College in Cleveland, as well as Diocesan Certification in Lay Ecclesial Ministry. She is currently completing a spiritual direction training program offered by the Ursulines in Maple Mount, KY. Most recently, Diana has been serving as chair of the “Home Mission Network” of the National Association for Lay Ministry, coordinating the networking efforts of NALM members across the country who minister in predominantly rural dioceses. Introduced to STEP on one of the Network’s conference calls(!), she looks forward to extending that collaboration with the online learning community.

Caesar Montevecchio

Caesar Montevecchio graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, DC in
2000 with a bachelor's degree in theology and psychology. He then attended Harvard Divinity School and earned a Master of Theological Studies degree in 2002. From 2002-2005 he taught and did campus ministry work at North Cambridge Catholic High School in Cambridge, MA, a member of the Cristo Rey network of schools started by the Chicago Province of Jesuits. In 2005 he moved to Erie, PA and taught theology for two years at Villa Maria Academy. Currently he resides in Erie with his wife, Arlene, and son, Andrew, and is a member of the religious studies faculty at Mercyhurst College.

Cindy Muenchrath

Cindy Muenchrath is originally from Iowa and now lives and works in North Platte, Nebraska. Cindy is Director of Resources and Associate Director of Religious Education for the Diocese of Grand Island, Nebraska. Cindy has her bachelors in Management and Religion from Simpson College in Indianola, IA (1995). From there she went to Iliff School of Theology in Denver, CO to obtain her Masters of Divinity in 1998. After working in a down-town parish for five years she journeyed half way home to North Platte to begin her current position. Cindy is working on her Doctorate of Ministry from Drew University. Her dissertation and project is focused on Lay Ministry. She anticipates graduation in May 2007. Cindy's greatest joy are her eight, soon to be 9, nieces and nephews. Cindy's hobbies include wine, cooking, tennis, martial arts, and movies. Fall of 2006 is Cindy's first time facilitating for STEP and she is honored to have this opportunity and to learn with the Notre Dame community.

Josh Noem

Josh Noem is originally from the Black Hills of South Dakota. He met his wife, Stacey, as an undergraduate of Notre Dame; they both graduated in 1998. After spending a year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Alaska, they worked for the Church in Florida, where Josh served as editor of the diocesan newspaper in Venice. Josh returned with his wife to Notre Dame, where they earned their Masters in Divinity degrees in 2005. Josh serves with Stacey in campus ministry at the University of Portland, Oregon. They have two sons.

Lisa Orchen

Lisa Orchen is a native of Southern California. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a BA in 1988 and pursued a career in corporate life in Hartford, Connecticut. After feeling a deep call to serve the church she returned to Notre Dame where she earned a Master of Divinity in 1994. She is a certified Chaplain with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains and has served as a hospital chaplain, Director of Campus Ministry and most recently as a Pastoral Associate for a parish in Connecticut for the past eight years. She is married to John Baker. Lisa and John and their two children live outside of Hartford, Connecticut.

Benjamin Peters

After graduating from St. Hyacinth College and Seminary in 1996, Ben joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, teaching in Kingston, Jamaica and Omaha. Next, Ben came to Notre Dame and graduated with a Master of Divinity in 2001. Ben then spent a year working with street children in Nairobi, Kenya, and another year working at a soup kitchen in Baltimore. Ben returned to South Bend in 2003 to start the St. Peter Claver Catholic Worker House and join the staff of the Catholic Peace Fellowship. Ben was also the facilitator of the Fall 2004 Long Loneliness discussion.

Trish Powers

Trish Powers resides in Cleveland Heights, OH, where she is a Research Scholar at the Center for Genetic Research Ethics and Law (www.cgreal.org) located in the department of Bioethics in Case Western Reserve University's school of medicine. Trish was graduated from Notre Dame in 1990, with a BA in Government and International Relations. After 5 years as an Air Force officer, in command and control, and search and rescue, she returned to Notre Dame to enter the MDiv program. Trish completed the MDiv in 1998, and remained at Notre Dame as the director's assistant at the Institute for Church Life (ICL), where she assisted with the development of STEP. Since then, Trish has worked part- and full-time at ICL while completing a PhD in Theology from Loyola University Chicago, in Moral Theology (Christian Ethics). Specializing in the area of medical ethics, her dissertation is on the topic of human vulnerability.

Amanda Roberts

Amanda Roberts grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina and moved to Massachusetts with her family after graduating high school. She completed her undergraduate degree at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester MA and her M.Div. at Notre Dame a few years later. After finishing her degree, she spent two years in Gresham, OR working as Director of Adult Education and RCIA before returning to
Massachusetts to live closer to her family and friends. She is the Faith Formation Director at St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Andover MA and the author of Saints Off the Pedestal: Real Saints for Real People.

Tracy Rodenborn

Tracy Rodenborn graduated from Bellarmine College (Louisville, KY) in 1996 with an English major, Theology minor and certification to teach high school. After two years of teaching religion at St. Xavier High School in Louisville, she went to Notre Dame to complete her studies for her Master of Divinity. Since, then, she has been working as a Pastoral Associate at St. Clement Church in Chicago, IL where she coordinates the adult education and formation for the parish - especially in RCIA, the young adult community, ministry of care, baptism preparation, and various faith exploration programs. She lives in Chicago, IL with her husband, Steve.

Joel Schorn

Joel Schorn is an editor and writer living in Chicago. He has a master’s degree in theological studies and has taught at the Catholic Theological Union’s summer institute. With Alice Camille he is the coauthor of A Faith Interrupted: An Honest Conversation with Alienated Catholics from Loyola Press as well as two forthcoming books from Servant Books/St. Anthony Messenger Press. He has worked in religious publishing for 15 years, including stints as associate editor of U.S. Catholic magazine and managing editor of Martin E. Marty’s Context newsletter. His ministry and service experience has involved work with a parish RCIA catechumenate team, ESL tutoring, the Catholic Peace Fellowship, and the metropolitan tribunal of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He is married, and is a cooperating member of the Teresian Association, a Catholic lay association of the Christian faithful.

Vicki Schwab

Vicki Schwab was born in Indianapolis, IN and moved to South Bend in 1984. She has been married 22 years, and has two children, Dominic (16) and Maria (14). She attended Catholic schools all her life, and completed her Masters of Arts in Theology at the University of Dayton in 1998. She has worked in various capacities within the Church as an employee and a volunteer. She has been a full time Theology teacher at Marian High School in Mishawaka, IN for eight years and the Departmental Chair this year. She is the moderator of Marian's Junior Civitan Club with 164 members who do service on campus and in the community. In the local diocese, she is an Adult Education for the Diocese of Ft. Wayne/South Bend, presenting at institute days as well as Catholic School teachers and also a presenter for the Diocese's two year accreditation program for parish ministers for 10 years. At her home parish, Vicki has served as a RCIA catechist, taught 2nd grade religious ed and sacramental preparation, Spiritual Advisory board, Religious Ed advisory board, part time assistant to DRE, Parish School Board, Lector, Disciples in Mission Group leader, and Minister of the Eucharist to the Homebound.

John Serop Simonian

John Serop Simonian graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 1999 with a BA in English and theological studies. He served a year in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) in Cleveland, Ohio, and not long after began graduate work at Notre Dame, where he earned an MA in theology in 2003. He completed an MFA in writing from the University of San Francisco in 2005. When he's not facilitating STEP courses, John works with emotionally troubled teenagers in Seneca Center's San Francisco Community Treatment Facility. He also teaches creative-writing classes through Tamalpais Community Education in Mill Valley, California, and is an adjunct faculty member in the English Department at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose. John loves to write, especially short fiction, and has thoroughly enjoyed the STEP courses he's facilitated.

Charles Strauss

Charles Strauss is a PhD Candidate in the Department of History at Notre Dame. His research and teaching interests include the
political, diplomatic, and religious history of the U.S., particularly in the post-World War II period. Charles was born and raised in suburban Pittsburgh, PA. He ventured north for college and earned his BA at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. After college, Charles headed south (way south) and completed an MA in Historical Studies at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Charles and his wife Liz, another History PhD Student at Notre Dame, are currently researching and living in Washington, D.C.

Greg Sweeney

Greg Sweeney comes to STEP as a facilitator and co-developer of Youth Ministry 101. With a BA in broadcasting from the University of Northern Colorado, he is completing his MA in Pastoral Ministry from St. Mary's University of Minnesota. An adult convert to the faith, Greg began his journey into the Church through the evangelization of a high school youth ministry program in Colorado Springs. He has spent the better part of the last 19 years ministering to young people as a volunteer and professional. Currently he serves in two parishes near the Notre Dame campus. Greg, his wife and son recently moved to South Bend from Phoenix, AZ.

Regina Wilson

Regina Wilson currently serves as part of the campus ministry staff at Saint Mary’s College. She received her Master's Degree in Music and Worship from the University of Portland and the Master of Divinity from the University of Notre Dame. She serves on the RCIA Committee for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. Prior to working at Saint Mary’s, she worked at St. Joseph Parish, South Bend, IN as Pastoral Associate. Ms. Wilson also served as the Director for the Office of Worship for the Diocese of Superior in Wisconsin. She has served two other parishes in California and Oregon. Ms. Wilson is married and has two daughters.