Meet the Catechists

Julie Doral – Director of Faith Formation

Biggest 2024/2025 Goal: This year the children of the K-5th grade Catechism classes picked Saints that they would learn about all year. My biggest goal is for all the kids in the program to recognize ways they can look to the Saints as role models and live the virtues that they teach us!

Favorite Pastime: Spending time with family!

Favorite Quote: “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” ~ St. Catherine of Siena

Kindergarten and 1st Grade – Diana Tomsha

Biggest 2024/2025 Goal: To convey to the children how to become a saint through their words and actions. They should be kind, thoughtful, caring, sharing, and a good example for others to follow.

Favorite Pastime: Spending time with family and friends!

Favorite Quote?: “This the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!” ~ Psalm 118:24

2nd GRADE – Jan Warmuskerken

Biggest 2024/2025 Goal: To prepare the kids for their First Communion & Reconciliation Prayer!

Favorite Pastime: Reading Mystery novels, doing Sudoku and traveling!

Favorite Quote: “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.” ~ Julian of Norwich

3rd GRADE – Barbara Zeer

Biggest 2024/2025 Goal: To provoke my students’ curiosity and provide real-life, simple ways in which they can begin to practice their faith.

Favorite Pastime: Going for a walk – very simple, yet very effective!

Favorite Quote: “Walk by Faith not by sight.” ~ 2 Corinthians 5:7

4th Grade – Jodi Mercurio

Biggest 2024/2025 Goal: For the kids to walk out of class after each lesson knowing at least one new thing about God and our Catholic faith!

Favorite Pastime: Cooking and baking for people I love!

Favorite Quote: “Let go, let God.” ~ Ephesians 3:20 …so much peace in leaving difficult things up to God to handle!

5th GRADE (Wednesdays) – Maria Osinski

Biggest 2024/2025 Goal: To teach the children the power of prayer – both for recognizing the blessings they have and the things they’d like to ask the Lord for.

Favorite Pastime: Cooking, baking, and crocheting!

Favorite Quote: “There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow.” ~ Walt Disney

5th Grade (Thursdays) – Ursula Krause

Biggest 2024/2025 Goal: To show that learning about our faith can be FUN while also acknowledging its sanctity.

Favorite Pastime: Reading, baking, camping, shopping, and exercising!

Favorite Quote: “Be still and know that I am God.” ~ Psalm 46:10

8TH GRADE – HEATHER (and Steve) ZIEGENFELDER

Biggest 2024/2025 Goal: To let the students know how much God loves them! As they prepare to be Confirmed we hope they realize how special our Catholic faith is – to know that it descended from the Apostles of Jesus – those who physically walked with Christ.

Favorite Pastime: Spending time with family especially up at our cottage in Higgins Lake, singing, reading, and attending Mass whenever I can.

Favorite Quote: “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” – Mother Teresa

Ilene Moronczyk – Sunday Children’s Liturgy

Biggest 2024/2025 Goal: To inspire children to be true faithful disciples that are a light to others and talk with Jesus everyday.

Favorite Pastime: Spending time with family either camping or flying to see a new national park!

Favorite Quote: “Do small things with great love.” ~ Mother Teresa

Karen Colley – Sunday Children’s Liturgy

Biggest 2023/2025 Goal: To help our St. Malachy children learn about Jesus, grow closer to God, know stories from the Bible, and learn how to pray.

Favorite Pastime: Hiking up north with my family and collecting rocks off of Lake Huron and Lake Superior.

Favorite Quote: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~ Gandhi