Staff Introductions
This week we welcome our two new administrative assistants working in the parish office.
Donica: Here’s a little bit about me: 23 years ago my fraternal twin sister and I were born in Guatemala and adopted by our wonderful parents at 10 months old and brought to the U.S. I was raised Catholic— attending Catholic school Pre-K through high school (ASA & West Catholic). After high school I went on to meet my husband Tony through working at a distribution center. Two years later we were engaged and began looking for a parish to call home. I was previously from St.Isidore and he from Blessed Sacrament. Saint Alphonsus Parish felt like such a warm atmosphere and very inviting so in 2019 we became parishioners. The following year on July 4th, 2020, we were married right here at St. Alphonsus. This date also happens to be husband Tony’s birthday! We enjoyed newlywed life for about a year before welcoming our first baby, Xander into the world. He was born in late October 2021. We attend Sunday 11am mass so perhaps you’ve seen us around or heard us—Xander let’s out an occasional screech here and there! When I’m not spending time with my family, I enjoy baking bread, spending time in prayer, enjoying the outdoors, exercising, browsing Pinterest and shopping! I’m really excited to get to know the parish more and serve the community. I hope to meet you all soon!
Catherine: The St. Alphonsus mission statement – All Are Welcome – drew my husband, Neil, and me to the church at Leonard and Lafayette. After visiting for a while, we were compelled to join because we witnessed the mission statement lived out within the parish community. Thanks to St. Al’s, we have experienced Jesus in a new way. In turn, that has changed the way we live out our faith. Our family moved to Grand Rapids in 1996 and from the start, it felt like home. For the last 20 years, I have worked in corporate wellness within the Spectrum Health System. Just as in church life, in wellness we are charged with changing lives. I am proud of all we did over the past two decades to create a healthier workforce. But I am even more proud of my 43-year marriage to Neil and our 4 children – Ellen, Locke, Maureen and Erin. Now for a few fun facts about myself: I have 7 siblings; I practice yoga regularly and even have my 200-hour teacher training certificate; I have a love/hate relationship with golf but I play all summer long; I graduated from the four-year Catholic Bible School of Michigan in 2021 and I am an alumnae of The Ohio State University. O-H-I-O. I am honored to be a part of the St. Alphonsus’ staff and hope to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere in a ‘professionally fun’ way for all who visit or call the office.