parish staff

Reverend Joseph R.
McCaffrey, Pastor

Email: jmccaffrey@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x22

Father Joseph McCaffrey, known by many of his friends and parishioners as "Fr. Mac," was born and raised in a former mining town of Muse, PA. In 1983 he graduated from Duquesne University and St. Paul Seminary cum laude with a major in Philosophy and a minor in Psychology. He was assigned by the Diocese of Pittsburgh to the major Seminary of the Pontifical College Josephineum in Columbus, Ohio, where he graduated summa cum laude with a master's degree in Biblical Studies and a masters in Divinity in 1987. In the same year he was ordained by Bishop Anthony Bevilacqua at St. Paul Cathedral, a Priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. His first priestly assignment was as Parochial Vicar at St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin Parish in Whitehall, Pennsylvania. He was only to serve for 11⁄2 years in that position before the new Bishop of Pittsburgh, Donald W. Wuerl, assigned him to be his personal secretary and master of ceremonies in 1989. Fr. McCaffrey remained in this position for two years before requesting to return to parish ministry at which time the Bishop assigned him to St. Benedict the Abbott Parish in Peters Township, Washington County, and soon after also appointed him the first Chaplain to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the City of Pittsburgh. In 1995 Fr. McCaffrey gained the distinction of being the youngest priest to be assigned Pastor in the Diocese of Pittsburgh when he was appointed Pastor of St. James the Apostle in New Bedford. At the same time he was appointed Chaplain to the Youth Development Center in New Castle. YDC is a maximum security juvenile prison where Father established renewal retreats among the students. He also built an interfaith Chapel in the center of the facility which was dedicated by Bishop Wuerl in November of 2001. On June 24, 2002, Fr. McCaffrey was named Pastor, by Bishop Wuerl, of Saints John & Paul Parish, Franklin Park. Father remains Chaplain to the F.B.I. You might be surprised to know that Father Mac was a Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer for the state of Pennsylvania and is a licensed pilot with an instrument rating.

Ginny Fisher,
Administrative Assistant

Email: gfisher@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 21

Ginny began her career as an Executive Secretary for the Heppenstall Company in Pittsburgh. She then took time off for raising her family and worked as a volunteer for the Director of Religious Education at St. Mary's Parish in Glenshaw. After raising her family, she updated her computer skills and worked part time for both St. Mary's in Glenshaw and for a Methodist Church. She joined Father Dan as the second staff member of Saints John & Paul in February of 1994.

Mary Ann Kuhn,
Parish Secretary

Email: mkuhn@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 34

Mary Ann is a former Catholic school teacher.  She also worked at Acquinas Academy as an office secretary/administrator and most recently at Saint John Neumann Parish as an assistant in the Outreach Ministry.  She and her family have been involved with outreach programs and workcamps for the past twelve years.  Mary Ann joined Saints John and Paul in January of 2008 as a full-time secretary. 

Debbie Viola,
Information Systems Assoc.

Email: dviola@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 39

Debbie holds a B.A. degree in Business Management from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. After graduation, Debbie worked at a computer training company where she was able to sharpen her computer skills. She also has over 10 years experience designing and maintaining web sites. Debbie and her husband Nelson have 3 children who attend North Allegheny Schools.

Phyllis Haney,
Pastoral Associate

Email: phaney@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 26

Phyllis holds a B.S. degree in Elementary Education from Gannon University in Erie, PA. She received a scholarship from the Diocese of Pittsburgh to earn her Master's of Education degree (with an emphasis in Religious Education) from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Ms. Haney was then selected as Director of Religious Education for St. Michael's in Butler, PA, where she served for 11 years before becoming Director of Religious Education for Saints John & Parish in June of 1994.

Kate Bianco,
Director, Religious Education

Email: kbianco@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 23

Kate graduated from Duquesne University in 2004 with a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry.  She holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree from La Roche College with a double major in Religious Studies and Professional Writing.  Her volunteer outreach participation has included Emmaus House, Operation Safety Net, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, Healthcare for the Homeless, Bethel Haven, Love Walk, and the Cleveland Food Bank.  Kate was the head varsity coach of soccer for North Catholic, Director of Youth Ministry at St. Phillips Parish, a teacher for the Buckfield Elementary School, and most recently served as a coordinator of  Treasures for Children at the Salvation Army.

Kathy Masters,
Faith Formation Associate

Email: kmasters@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 36

Kathy has a B.A. in Developmental Psychology from Purdue. She has over 20 years experience as a catechists in Childrens, Youth, and Adult Faith Formation, plus 10 years experience as a tutor and teacher's aide. Kathy and her husband Rick have 2 children. Jeffrey is attending college in Savannah, Georgia, and David is a junior at NASH.

Lisa Feraco,
Interim Coordinator of Youth Ministry

Email: lferaco@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 28

Lisa is a graduate of Hampton High School and Penn State University where she earned her BS in Accounting. Upon graduation she began working for the Internal Revenue Service, and was there for three years until the day her oldest son was born. Since then, she has been a full time mom. That includes being a catechist at various age levels, volunteering at the elementary and middle schools, and helping with her children’s various activities. Lisa and her husband John have 4 children in the North Allegheny School District.

Adele Scherer,
Music Director

Email: ascherer@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 32

Adele has been in music ministry for over 25 years, starting as a volunteer organist at Saint Catherine of Sweden, Wildwood, while raising her family of seven children. She graduated to assistant music director at Saint Catherine. Her last position was full-time music director at Saint Mary's Church in the Catholic Community in Sharpsburg. Adele joined our staff as full time music director as of February 15, 2001.

Ben Barcaskey,
Building Manager

Email: bbarcaskey@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 35

Ben has been in the construction and building maintenance trades for over fifteen years. He ran his own construction company and more recently has been the manager of the maintenance at a non profit institution. Ben is married to Andrea, and they have a daughter Zoe. They live in Economy Borough. Ben joined the staff of SS John and Paul in August, 2004. Ben will make SS John and Paul a safe, secure and clean place for families to worship.