Parish Staff Faith Stories | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church | Jackson, Michigan
Discover the personal faith journeys of the parish staff at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Jackson, MI. Read inspiring stories of discipleship, service, and living the Catholic faith.
We invite you to think about your own faith journey. Can you tell someone in 5 minutes or less what life was like for you before you encountered the Lord, when and how you came to know the Lord/draw closer to Him, and what life has been like since? Your testimonial is a powerful tool in sharing the Good News with others!
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Father Randy Koenigsknecht – Faith Story
It is hard to think of more fitting readings for me to have as I celebrate my firstweekend at my first assignment as a priest. Jesus says in the Gospel: “The harvest isabundant, but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborersfor his harvest.” Growing up this Gospel…
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Deacon Dave Etters
Somebody once said to me, “If I could read your mind, it would be a short story.” So, when I was asked to write my faith story, I realized that at least my life is a long, long story. Following our German family tradition, I was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church. However, our…
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Angle Koerkel – Coordinator of Sacramental Preparation
My dad is an atheist and my mom was a fallen-away Catholic. Sadly, the early part of my story is not as unusual as I used to think. My mom had me Baptized when I was a toddler because that’s what you do with children and she had been Baptized in the Catholic Church. We…
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Shayne Slough – Director of Parish Life
“Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope…” 1 Peter 3:15 If I only had 30 seconds to share my faith story, here’s what I’d say: I was born a “cradle Catholic,” and when I hit my mid-40’s or so, Jesus started inviting me in…
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John Richards – Director of Parish Operations from 2020-2022
My faith story started back in the early 1960’s when I was born in the city of Escanaba in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. I was so very fortunate to be born to Catholic parents and to grow up in a large Catholic family. The Escanaba area was a community strong in the Catholic faith, so…
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Todd Gale – Director of Faith Formation
The first memory I have of God was when I was five, my older sister told me that God was stronger than Superman. I couldn’t believe this! “Is he even stronger than Under Dog?” “Yup, even stronger than Under Dog.” Wow! God revealed the mystery of his might through my sister. My Grandfather was a…
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Clare Dewitt – Coordinator of Youth Faith Formation from 2016-2021
Dear St. John families, I have always loved stories, from when I was three years old and made my mother read Cinderella to me for the millionth time, to when I went to college to study journalism. They’ve always fascinated me and excited me as I learned the details of one’s life and interests, joys…
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Ava Marcarelli – Administrative Assistant from 2020-2021
Hello, everyone! My name is Ava, and I’m the new Secretary in St. John’s Parish Office. Allow me to tell you a bit about myself. I grew up in a small town in Connecticut, just outside of New Haven. In 2010, my dad got a new job in Ann Arbor and I’ve lived in that…
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Joseph Gruber – St. John Parish FOCUS Missionary, 2018-2023
Joseph Gruber: 10/4/20 “What’s your story?” is a question I often ask other people. I love stories—I studied English literature in college, and one of the reasons I love studying the Bible with people now is my love for good narratives. And we all have stories—we all began, did something, and have at least ended…
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Bill Mitch – Director of Parish Operations
A married couple’s primary objective is to get one another into heaven. There are many other responsibilities that come with being married, but all of them should be pointing toward this primary driver. Abby Mitch is going to get me to heaven and I, her. My wife is a big part of my faith journey…