parish staff

Fr.  Joseph R. McCaffrey,
Pastor

Email: jmccaffrey@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x222

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.

Debbie Viola,
Administrative Assistant

Email: dviola@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 239

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.

Betsy Shulkosky,
Parish Secretary

Email: bshulkosky@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 234

Betsy holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Indiana University of  Pennsylvania.  She has spent most of her career as an Office Manager/Administrative Assistant for Hewitt Associates.  She and her husband, Rick, have three children who are enrolled in the Pine-Richland School District and have been parishioners since 1996.  Betsy joined the staff in June 2009.

Email: wgarrity@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 252

Bill is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh.  During his thirty year tenure at the Western PA School for the Deaf, he assumed many roles, as a dorm supervisor, teacher, coach and administrator.  He served as the Director of Campus Services on the 17-acre campus where he initiated a variety of innovative changes.  Bill is married to Rosemary; they have two sons and two grandsons.  He joined the staff in 2009.

Dan Yochum,
Maintenance

Email: dyochum@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 240

Doug Yochum,
Maintenance

Email: dayochum@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 240

Thomas Lopus,
Permanent Deacon

Email: tlopus@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 226

Deacon Tom grew up in a small town in Northwestern Pennsylvania and holds a BS degree in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering from Penn State University. He also holds certificates in Executive Management from Southern Methodist University and the University of Chicago. Deacon Tom was ordained a Permanent Deacon of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh by Bishop David A. Zubik and assigned to Saints John and Paul Parish in 2011. In addition to his role as a Permanent Deacon, Tom is responsible for managing J-W Operating Company’s Appalachian oil and gas operations and is on the Executive Committee of the Marcellus Shale Coalition. He has over 30 years experience in the industry and successfully managed operations in the Appalachian basin, as well as properties in other major domestic basins. Prior to joining J-W, Deacon Tom spent 22 years in Texas and Oklahoma; additionally, he was Sr. Vice President—Operations for Linn Energy and Equitable Resources, Inc., both here in Pittsburgh. Over the course of his formation as a Permanent Deacon, he has assisted with the Catholic Men’s Fellowship, Youth Ministry, Couple’s Bible Study, the Parish Picnic, and the Liturgical Ministries of Lector, Eucharistic Minister and Acolyte. Deacon Tom and his wife, Donna, have four children.

Ginny Fisher,
Finance Manager

Email: gfisher@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 221

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. In 2010, Ginny became the Finance Manager for our parish.

Kathy Masters,
Faith Formation Department Head

Email: kmasters@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 236

Kathy has a B.A. in Developmental Psychology from Purdue. She has over 25 years experience as a catechist 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 student at Penn State University.

Krissy Brown,
Director of Youth Ministry

Email: kbrown@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 228

Krissy grew up in Franklin Park and graduated from North Allegheny High School in 2000. Krissy has a BA in Religious Studies from La Roche College and is finishing up her last class for her MA in Religious Education from Duquesne University. She has worked in Youth Ministry for the past 10 years. Krissy and her husband, Brian, have two young children. Krissy joined the staff in December 2010.

Adele Scherer,
Music Director

Email: ascherer@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 232

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.

Phil Sebal,
Multi-Media Coordinator

Email: psebal@stsjohnandpaul.org
Phone: 724-935-2104 x 256

Phillip started working in the multimedia industry at the age of 17 locally in Pittsburgh. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Columbia College Chicago in Film and Video Production. After Chicago he moved to Los Angles for a year to intern and gain skills in his field of choice. Phil joined the staff in August 2011.