Rev. Felicjan Sierotowicz – Parochial Administrator (effective 10/16/20)
Rev. Jeffrey Chichester – Parochial Vicar
Katie Childs – Parish Secretary
I have been the parish secretary at St. Michael’s Church since 2006 and am a lifelong member of this parish. I live in the village of Newark with my husband, Chris, and our three children, Sarah, Evelyn and Liam. My family is actively involved in our parish, as well. I was a stay-at-home mom for 10 years before coming to St. Michael’s, and hold a degree in Business Administration.
Some of my duties as secretary are editing the weekly bulletin, doing payroll, recording Sacraments and inputting Sunday’s collection into the computer. I fill in as bookkeeper when needed. The most enjoyable part of my job is meeting new and old parishioners that come in or call for different things and being able to help them with whatever they need.
When I am not working, I enjoy baking and spending time with my family and friends. You can usually find my family and me in the first pew at 10:30 am mass on Sunday.
I feel so blessed to be a part of St. Michael’s where the rest of the staff and the parish are an extension of my family. I hope to continue to assist St. Michael’s to the best of my ability for many years to come.
Mary Capone – Finance Director
Mary Capone started in parish work with our diocese in 2014 covering three parishes in Wayne County. She came with a B.A. in Accounting, 20 years experience in banking and 10 years experience in accounting. In 2016, she added the Finance Director duties for St. Katherine Drexel. With the addition of our parish July 1, 2018, she is now the Finance Director for all Catholic parishes in Wayne County. As Mary Capone has already been serving as Finance Director at the other Catholic parishes in Wayne County, she has been involved in regional pastoral planning described on the previous page. As part of that process, she began learning about our parish.
With the shared services model mentioned above, Mary will be at each parish office one day a week (our day will typically be Wednesday). She will be assisted by Michele Maier who is the Business Manager for all the Catholic parishes in Wayne County. Michele works at the Ontario church office.
Tim Schramm – Music Director
Hello everyone. I hail from Rochester, NY and I started playing the piano at the age of five and the organ a couple of years later. However, it’s the organ that has become my passion. I played my first church service at the age of 11. Since then I’ve been playing church services, weddings, funerals, organ dedications and theatre organ concerts. I have a long and rich history in the music field. My life is diverse, to say the least. After high school I found myself in piano and organ sales specializing in church organ installations. While in sales I would gig on the side. I am also a graduate of the Simmons Mortuary School in Syracuse, NY although I make my living as a full-time musician. For the past fifteen years I’ve held the position of Accompanist for the Rochester City School District. I am frequently hired to play the 4 manual Aeolian pipe organ at the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film and I am extremely proud to have been named organist for the Walnut Hill Carriage Driving Competition in Pittsford, New York. I am the vice president of the Rochester Theatre Organ Society and serve as their program chair. My Theatre Organ concert career has been rapidly growing.
I’ve played concerts for the Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda, Shea’s Buffalo, the Susquehanna Valley ATOS chapter, Syracuse and Lockport theatre organ groups. I love giving concerts in homes where pipe or electronic theatre organs are installed. Since 2005 I have traveled to England on numerous occasions as an artist in the Byron Jones Organ Festivals and to concertina on the restored Compton in Bristol. I’ve also concertized for the Kingston Theatre Organ Society in Kingston, Ontario. These concerts have taken my career international. My “baby” though is the annual RTOS Christmas show at the Auditorium Theatre which I produce using many local musicians.
Sister Kay Schwenzer – Hispanic Liaison
How much I have enjoyed ministering in rural areas! In 2007 I began ministry to Hispanics in Newark and the surrounding areas which today take in parts of Wayne, Yates, Ontario and Seneca counties. I have learned much from the different Latino ethnic groups, each with its special flavor and beauty. My ministry began in Elmira as a teacher for twelve years at Notre Dame High School. Then a Fulbright grant for teachers to study and travel in India awakened my desire to serve among people of a different culture, so I responded to the Spirit to serve for thirteen years with other Sisters of Mercy in Santiago, Chile. There the university of daily life was added to my formal education at Nazareth College, Xavier University and St. Bernard’s Institute. My life was changed as I discovered our loving and just God among those in need living under a harsh dictatorship. The small Christian communities gave strength to its members; the gospel message took on real meaning for their lives. After returning to the U. S. I continued ministry with Latinos at St. Michael Parish, Rochester where for sixteen years I enjoyed serving both the English and Spanish-speaking as a pastoral minister and/or pastoral administrator. Immediately before coming to Newark I served as pastoral administrator at Our Lady of Lourdes in Brighton.
My roots began in Webster, NY where we five siblings grew up. My sister still lives in Webster, while my oldest married brother is in S. Carolina, my priest brother is in Texas, and my youngest brother is in Connecticut. I got to know the Sisters of Mercy as a student at Mercy High School Rochester. How I love being a Sister of Mercy; the name bespeaks what I desire for so many: God’s and my mercy for others.
Nature and its beauty capture and enthrall me; I enjoy walking, sitting by any body of water and letting it draw me into God. Learning captivates me, and I find reading or listening to books to be great sources of knowledge and enjoyment. I also get nourished by getting together with family and friends. You can email me at kschwenzer2@aol.com or call 315-277-0302.
Dominic Vitaro – Custodian
I am a life-long member of St. Michael’s Parish and have lived in Newark my entire life. After retiring from a State position a couple of years ago I began to do a bit more of my “handy man” jobs. I often volunteered my time at St. Michael’s School when my daughter was a student there, and it was an easy transition into becoming the maintenance man here at St. Michael’s. I work Monday – Friday from early morning until 12 noon, giving me my afternoons to work on some of my other hobbies, one of which is repairing lawn mowers. I also have served for many years as a volunteer fire fighter for the Marbletown Fire Department. I am married to Kerry (Hartman), and we have a 12-year-old daughter, Meghan, as well as 2 dogs, cats and many rabbits, which we breed and my daughter shows.