Catholic Parish of St. Thomas More

210 Haddow Close, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6R 2P3, Ph: (780) 434-6313, Fax: (780) 438-2088

PASTORAL COUNCIL BIOGRAPHIES

	Father Andrew Bogdanowicz (Pastor) Photo and bio pending.
	Father Eduardo Santo Photo and bio pending.
	Andrew Spak (Chair) Andrew was born and raised in Edmonton, attending St. Joseph's Cathedral (and then Basilica) as a child and young adult. Andrew became a member of St. Thomas More parish in 1995, when he married his wonderful wife Michelle. He is a family physician and has been in practice for 7 + years. Andrew and Michelle have been active with the marriage preparation team since 2005 as one of the facilitating couples and Andrew has benefitted greatly from the Men's Wednesday Night Scripture study. Michelle and Andrew have three children aged 12, 10, and 7. Andrew likes whisky of all types, but dislikes speaking about himself in the third person.
	Brian Vail (Past Chair) Brian was welcomed into the Catholic church at Easter 1985. He is married to Meg and is the proud father of three adult daughters. He serves as a lector and a catechist in the Rite of Catholic Initiation of Adults (RCIA). He is a member of the Knights of Columbus. He is a litigation lawyer practising in Edmonton whose practice focuses on insurance defence, criminal and education law. He loves HBO dramas, single malt scotch, chocolate and winter weather and hates brussels sprouts.
	Matt Oryschak Matt has been an active parishioner of St. Thomas More since moving to Edmonton in 2003. He is an active member of the Knights of Columbus where he has served as Lector and Church Director. Matt also serves as a Lector at Sunday masses. He and his wife, Clover, have sponsored adult inquirers of the Catholic faith through involvement in RCIA both at St. Thomas More and in Saskatoon. After finishing a M.Sc. in non-ruminant nutrition, Matt worked as a Livestock Instructor at Fairview College and later as an Environmental Program Specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Food. He is currently the Biosecurity Coordinator at the University of Alberta’s Poultry Research Centre. In his spare time, Matt enjoys playing with his two little girls, Hannah and Gracie.
	Bosco Dias Bosco Dias has been an active parishioner of St. Thomas More since 2005. He serves the parish ministries as an Acolyte, Lector and Holy Communion minister. He immigrated to Canada from the Middle East (Qatar) and has settled in Edmonton. He and his wife were actively involved as Lectors and with the children's music ministry in the Middle East. Bosco is happily married to Olivia, who is also a Lector and Holy Communion minister, and they have two lovely daughters, Kesia and Delilah, who are Altar Servers and attend Ecole St. Stanislaus School. Bosco is a professional engineer who works in the oilfield as an applications engineer. He enjoys spending time with family and friends. His other interests include playing the guitar, dancing, playing chess and golfing. He is eager to serve the Catholic community of St. Thomas More Parish and this is his first year with the Parish Pastoral Council.
	Klaus Klein Klaus Klein has been attending St. Thomas More Parish since immigrating to Canada with his family from Gernany, where he was born. Klaus and his wife Ellen have been married for over 33 years. They have two children – their son Jan (28) and daughter Joana (25). Klaus qualified as an architect and engineer in Germany, where he worked for several years for architectural firms and with his own practice. In Edmonton, he is employed by a local architectural firm and has been responsible for the detailed design of several building projects in Edmonton and Northern Alberta. Klaus currently serves the parish as Holy Communion Minister. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus. For the last five years he has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Active Mission to Guatemala. Klaus loves living in Canada. He has become an ardent fan of the NHL and CFL. On warm summer evenings you may find him out on a golf course with Ellen.
	Jane Bereznicki Jane was born and raised in Saskatchewan, moving frequently with her RCMP father and family. She is married to Henry and they have 3 daughters, Catherine (22), Darlene (20) and Caroline (19). Over the years she has worn many hats as school teacher, piano teacher, and coach, and she is most grateful to have been able to stay at home while raising their girls. Jane has been involved in parish ministry over the past 30 years, serving in the music ministry of OLPH in Sherwood Park, St. Agnes, and now St. Thomas More, as well as parish council at St. Agnes and St. Thomas More. She is a board member of Camp Encounter, a board member and longtime singer of Edmonton's Greenwood Singers, an avid curler, runner, and water sport enthusiast, and loves live theatre, walks in the river valley, and family dinners around her table. On parish council she has learned alot about the very busy life of Fr. Sylvain and St. Thomas More Parish!
	Louise England Louise grew up in Australia but spent a year living here in Edmonton as a teenager. After many return visits, she immigrated to her ‘second home’ in 2003. In Australia, Louise graduated from three universities including Australian Catholic University. Her studies in education included librarianship, music and religious education. Louise worked for many years in schools, public libraries and with the disabled. Her passion is helping youth discover the love of literature and learning. She currently works as a school library technician while undertaking more study to gain teacher certification in Alberta. Louise became an active member of St. Thomas More parish in 2007 when she moved to the south side. As an adult ‘convert’ to Catholicism, she loves sharing in the faith journey of others. Consequently, she serves as a catechist and sponsor in the RCIA program receiving much inspiration from all participants! Louise loves living in Canada. She also treasures her personal experience of how Catholics are connected the world over as the Body of Christ. In contrast to the cold winters, she appreciates the warmth of community at St. Thomas More. Although she misses her family of origin, she feels right at home with her Canadian ‘family’ and friends.
	Tom Gust Tom Gust is a native Albertan, born in Camrose and raised in Bashaw. Tom has been an active parishioner at St. Thomas More Parish since 2007. Tom, his wife Kathy and their two boys Michael (16) and Stephen (14) came “home” to the Catholic Church when they were received at the Easter Vigil 2007. Tom has since joined the Knights of Columbus and is serving in his third year as a catechist with the RCIA program. The Gust family continues to be awed by their journey into the Catholic Church and remains profoundly grateful for the gift of Christ’s Church. In his work life, Tom is a professional engineer (mechanical) having received his degree from the University of Alberta in 1983. In his spare time Tom enjoys the game of golf.
	Kim McLennan-Robbins Kim is a new member to the St. Thomas More Pastoral Council. She has been an active parishioner in our parish since 2004. Before coming to St. Thomas More, she was very involved at St. Joseph’s College Chapel as a lector, Eucharistic minister, acolyte and member of the music ministry. She was also a member of the parish council there for many years. She has been working at the University of Alberta Hospital as an Operating Room nurse since 1984. She is currently the part-time Clinical Nurse Educator for that department, as well as working part-time as the Team Leader for the Operating Room at the Cross Cancer Institute. She is also an on-line/lab instructor at Grant MacEwan University for the Perioperative Nursing Program. She has been married to Gordon for almost 17 years and they have one seven year old daughter, Mikayela. In her spare time, Kim enjoys scrap booking, cross-stitching and traveling with her family.
	Dan Forest Photo and bio pending.

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