I was born in a small town called Ashford in the county of Kent, England. We were 60 miles from London and 16 miles from the coast where on a good day you could see over to France. From as young as I remember church was a part of my life and I always loved everything liturgical. I attended Catholic primary and secondary Schools, being taught first by the Sisters of Mercy and then by the Sisters of the Society of the Faithful Virgin.

As a child and a teen I was very much into sport and art. My best sporting achievements were in field hockey and judo. In my teens I began to also fall in love with scripture and the challenges that the Gospel offered. I knew early on that I was being called to a life of ministry.

I studied Religious Studies and Sociology for my Bachelors degree in London. I undertook Post-Graduate studies in Adult Religious Education at Surrey University. My earliest church ministry was mainly with young people: Youth work and Catechetical work. I also began to develop an interest at this time in ministry with women.

As time went on I took a position as Lay Chaplain at Lancaster University in the North of England. This was a wonderful and challenging time, walking with students as they negotiated the path of faith open before them. We were part of an ecumenical team trying to find ways to share together in community, education and worship. I remember as part of our work opening a restaurant within our inter-faith chaplaincy, as a focus for community and a place where we could serve Halal meat to welcome our Muslim brothers and sisters to eat with us. During my time at Lancaster I began to take the MA summer course in Pastoral Ministry in Boston, MA. I also served at this time on the National Board of Catholic Chaplains.

After five years at Lancaster I asked my Bishop, John Brewer, if he had any more exciting work for me to do. After we discussed our mutual passions he offered me a job in an inner city parish as a Youth and Outreach Worker. This was one of the poorest wards in the North West of England and struggled with the effects of high unemployment and drugs. My work there involved many things: offering opportunities for city kids to take walks in the countryside; developing links with neighborhood organizations; developing catechetical materials for those with very low literacy; gathering women together in groups for social interaction. At this time I was also part of a creating a Diocesan renewal program called “New Start with Jesus”. As time went, felt a desire for a change of setting and decided look to other places for opportunities for ministry.

I literally applied for positions all over the world to give the Holy Spirit a good choice. I came to the USA to complete my MA at Boston and was interviewed for a job at St John the Evangelist in Humboldt Street. During this time my love for Scripture and Liturgy continued to grow and there were many opportunities to minister in particular to the women in the parish. This was also the time when I first took part in an area planning group as we worked on the clustering of the Winton-Culver Churches. I worked at St John’s for 4 ½ years and then was asked to take a temporary assignment as Temporary Pastoral Administrator at St John the Evangelist in Spencerport.

The role of a Pastoral Leader is a wonderful one of watching parishioners and staff grow through the joys and struggles of life, and then celebrating together those same joys and struggles in the Liturgy. Attention, of course, is also needed for finances, buildings, records, and other administrative issues – all part of the welcome of a caring community. The support the diocese gives to those in this role is invaluable.

Next, I moved on to Tompkins County in the Southern Tier. I served as Pastoral Associate in Holy Cross Church in Freeville/Dryden. This was a very small parish, but full of life. My work there was a little bit of everything. The highlights were: liturgies, women’s retreats; a visit to Santiago, Chile, to witness the ministries of the Sisters of Mercy; serving as a Fire Chaplain; and working with a very collaborative Pastor, Fr Scott Kubinski.

Now I am enjoying my time at St Mary’s this is a wonderful community filled with gifted caring people. My ministry here involves pastoral and administrative leadership of the community, encouraging a staff and a community as we move forward in discipleship. I am the one to contact if you are seeking to arrange baptism or marriages or have general questions about the life of the parish.

Blessings,
Anne-Marie

Tom is a native Rochestarian, growing up in St. Anne Parish. His ancestors came from Schull in County Cork, Ireland, Spieka in northern Germany and Vadney, Bohemia. He holds a BA in Sociology from St. John Fisher College, an MA in Liturgy and Systematic Theology from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Colgate Rochester Divinity School in Social Justice. Tom and Michele have four adult children, Brendan, Kevin, Padraic and Aisling. Tom has worked in several parishes including St. Louis in Pittsford, St. Jerome, East Rochester, St. John's Spencerport and Holy Family, Wayland. Tom is a life-long Yankee fan, a lover of bluegrass music and a student of the Holocaust.

Father Scott Caton is one of a comparatively few married Catholic priests in the United States, having received permission from Rome to be ordained, through a canonical process available to former Protestant ministers who had at a certain later point become Roman Catholics. He is a life-long resident of Spencerport (except for two years in graduate school), the village where both sets of his grandparents lived and where his own parents grew up, and where he met his wife, Bonnie, who also grew up there. He and his wife have six children. Their oldest daughter is married and attends Peace of Christ parish here in Rochester. Their second-oldest attends Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, and the other four live at home, including their only boy, Alexander. His wife Bonnie teaches English at Charlotte High School in Rochester. Father Caton is an alumnus of Roberts Wesleyan College (B.A. in Religion and Philosophy), where he has been teaching in the History Department for 22 years. He is also a founding faculty member of Northeastern Seminary, an ecumenical seminary located on the campus of Roberts Wesleyan. He received a Master of Arts in Religion (Theological Studies) from Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia and his Ph.D. in History from the University of Rochester. While he has continued his full-time work at the college and seminary since being ordained in June 2011, he now serves as a part-time assisting priest not only here at St. Mary’s, but also at St. Boniface, Blessed Sacrament, and Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Brockport. He enjoys camping and hiking in the Adirondacks, attending Red Wings baseball games with friends and family, and enjoying Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra concerts. Among his favorite authors are G.K. Chesterton, Blessed John Henry Newman, Hilaire Belloc, and Henry James.

Click to view Catholic Courier audio interview.

Read Catholic Courier article on ordination of Fr. Caton.

Barb began working in Youth Ministry as a volunteer in 1982 and began professional Youth Ministry in 1984. Since then Barb has worked in single and multi-parish settings in rural and suburban parishes in both the Diocese of Buffalo and the Diocese of Rochester. Recently Barb transitioned to the Monroe-Clinton Parishes while completing her degree. Now, having graduated, Barb is delighted to devote her full attention to our three active parishes and their Youth Ministry needs.

Barb directs programs for youth and advocates for all programs that interact with young people. The goal of Youth Ministry is to help young people grow personally & spiritually, to equip them with the skills to live as disciples of Jesus Christ, and to draw them into participation in the Catholic faith community. Our young people help plan a wide variety of programs from service projects, collaborative events with the City of Rochester and participation in regional & national Catholic youth conferences. While we have active high school and middle school youth groups, we also focus on small groupings of young people and increasing the number of times that our faith communities connect with the life of our young parishioners.

Contact Barb if:
You’re interested in High School Youth Group
You’re interested in Middle School Youth Group
You want to know more about Service Opportunities for young people
You want to sharpen your leadership skills within the faith community or within the larger community
You want to participate in large gatherings of young people such as the Diocesan Youth Convention or the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC).
You want to be a part of regular Youth Ministry E-Dates
You have a concern about your young person
You have an idea for a small grouping of young people, like dancing, book clubs or even skateboarding!

Sister Kathleen Wayne, RSM, serves as the Director of Faith Formation for the Monroe Clinton Planning Group. A native of Elmira, Sr. Kathleen is a Sister of Mercy and has ministered in the Diocese for over 25 years. Contact Sr. Kathleen if: • You are interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith and our RCIA process. • You have a child ready for First Eucharist/Confirmation or First Penance. • You would like to enroll your children in religious education. • You would like to assist in our Faith Formation programs. • You want to know more about becoming trained to lead Liturgy of the Word for Children on Sunday mornings. • You have thoughts about adult faith formation, or family learning programs.

Katie is a native of Rochester, attended our Our Lady of Mercy High School, and completed undergraduate and graduate degrees at John Carroll University in Cleveland.

She worked as a communications professional and as a classroom teacher in the Rochester City School District for four years. In 2006, she began her role as Coordinator of Social Justice for St. Mary's.

In addition to her professional work in social justice, she is and has been an active volunteer with L'Arche Cleveland and New Life Community in Cleveland. In Rochester, she has been personally involved with Adopt-A-Classroom, Bethany House and Catholic Worker House of Hospitality.

Katie is married and the mother of two lively children and a recently acquired Chocolate Lab/ German Shepherd mix.

Michele grew up in Good Shepherd Parish in Henrietta, where she met Tom when she brought her guitar to join the folk group. She holds a BS in Art Educaion and MS in Education (Concentration in Art) from Nazareth College. She works in the Primary School in Victor, and enjoys reading historical fiction, knitting, quilting, and researching family history. Tom and Michele have four adult children: Brendan, Kevin, Padraic, and Aisling, and have welcomed 3 daughters-in-law: Mandy, Kim, and Ellen. Michele previously served as wedding coordinator at St. Louis Church for 9 years.

Thatcher Lyman graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance in 2005. He also received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from Oberlin College. While there, Thatcher studied organ with Haskell Thomson and James David Christie. He won First Prizes in both the Cleveland Chapter and Region V levels of the AGO Regional Competition for Young Organists in 2005. An early music enthusiast, Thatcher is a founding member of the five-voice ensemble Uncloistered, which has performed concerts in the United States, England, and Italy. In October of 2005, Uncloistered traveled to England together to study with John Potter, formerly of the Hilliard Ensemble, and Anna Maria Friman, of Trio Medieval. Thatcher joined the choir of York Minster as an Alto Choral Scholar, singing Evensong six days per week. He received a Master of Arts degree in Ensemble Singing with distinction from the University of York, England. Thatcher earned a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance in 2008 from the Eastman School of Music, where he continues to study in the doctoral program with Professor Hans Davidsson. In 2009, Thatcher received Eastman’s Gerald Barnes Award for Excellence in Pipe Organ. He was also a finalist for the 2010 John R. Rodland Memorial Scholarship. He has performed extensively in and around Rochester, NY, including performances for the 2009 EROI Festival and the Candlelight Concert Series at Christ Church, Rochester, NY. In addition to his duties at St. Mary’s, Thatcher is Assistant Director of the Schola Cantorum of Christ Church, Rochester, NY. He loves spending time with his wife Isobel, their two cats, Cotton and Magic, and his nearly-rust-free 1987 Saab.