FACULTY INFORMATION Updated: 5/8/2017 The Reverend Msgr. Michael J. Begolly, MDiv, ThM, DMin How do we pray? Email: mbegolly@dioceseofgreensburg.org Monsignor Michael Begolly has served as pastor of Mount Saint Peter Parish in New Kensington since 2005. Ordained in 1981, he has served in numerous parishes in the diocese and was Director of the Office of Worship for the Diocese of Greensburg from 1994-1999. He participated in the Summer Institute for Preachers at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1991; earned his doctorate of ministry degree from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1994, and published Leading the Assembly in Prayer: A Practical Guide for Lay and Ordained Presiders in 1997, with a revised edition in 2008. He served as an adjust faculty member at St. Vincent Seminary, Seton Hill College and Duquesne University. He was named a Chaplain to His Holiness, with the title of Monsignor, in 2005. In the Fall of 2011, he participated in the Institute for Continuing Theological Education at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He also serves on the board of the Knead Community Café, New Kensington. This is his seventh year as a PATHWAYS instructor. Pathways is a wonderful opportunity for adults to grow in their understanding of the Catholic faith. By growing as faith filled disciples, participants are better equipped to live out their baptismal call and to share the good news of God's love. Mrs. Christy Cabaniss What is ministry? Email: ccabaniss@dioceseofgreensburg.org Home parish: Blessed Sacrament Cathedral Parish, Greensburg Christy Cabaniss is a graduate of Pathways and the Certificate in Pastoral Ministry program which is a joint venture of the Diocese of Greensburg and Seton Hill University. Currently, she serves her home parish as a reader and an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. She has also served as a catechist and in catechetical leadership at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral. Christy is a member of the Lay Ecclesial Ministry Advisory Council. In her role as Pastoral Minister at Saint Sebastian Church, Belle Vernon, Christy is currently responsible for faith formation, sacramental preparation, care ministry and social ministry. As part of her continuing education, she has attended the Vita Institute offered at Notre Dame University. This is her sixth year as an instructor for Pathways. As a past participant in Pathways, I can personally say what a wonderful gift it is for this Diocese! Pathways opens the door for adults who wish to further their formation and engage in their baptismal call to ministry. I am honored to be returning to the program as an instructor.
Mr. William D Angelo Why is liturgy the source and summit of our faith? Email: bdeangelo@dioceseofgreensburg.org Home parish: St. Bartholomew Parish, Crabtree William D Angelo, attended Saint Vincent College, Latrobe. He serves as the director of religious education and liturgy at St. James Parish in New Alexandria. Bill has also served on several diocesan committees, including the Diocesan Worship Commission of which he was a chairperson and the Lay Ecclesial Ministry Advisory Council. He has trained leaders for Liturgy of the Word for children and other parish ministries. Bill is also a VIRTUS: Protecting God's Children facilitator. This is his tenth year as a Pathways instructor. Dr. Ximena DeBroeck, PhD How can we speak about the mystery of God? How do Catholics understand sacramentality? Email: xdebroeck@stmarys.edu Currently, Ximena DeBroeck is Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture at St. Mary s Seminary and University Baltimore. Prior to this appointment, she was the Director of the Office for Worship and Sacramental Formation for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, where she still serves as a consultant in sacramental policies development and sacramental formation. She served as adjunct faculty at St. Vincent Seminary where she taught courses in Scripture, Theology, Spirituality, and Pastoral Ministry and at Seton Hill University where she taught courses for the Certificate in Pastoral Ministry program. DeBroeck earned a Master of Arts in theology with a concentration in Sacred Scripture and a minor in systematic theology from Saint Vincent Seminary, Latrobe, PA. Ximena completed her doctorate in systematic theology at Duquesne University. Her research work focused on the field of biblical theology. She has created on line courses for the University of Notre Dame Institute for Church Life and for the University of Dayton Institute for Pastoral Initiatives. Her academic interests biblical theology of sacrifice, sacraments, and discipleship are directed to the service of the evangelizing mission of the Church. She has served as faculty for Pathways since 2009 and considers ongoing faith formation essential in the life of the adult disciple. In her own words, Adult formation is central to the evangelizing mission of the church. However, before we can evangelize others, we must grow in love and knowledge of God. Pathways brings opportunities for reflection on the mystery of God and the sacramental nature of our faith. These opportunities enrich the lives of the participants in a manner that fosters their growth in the faith and enables them to evangelize and serve others better. The need for adult formation is urgent, and Pathways meets this need!
Ms. Ginny Harmon, BA What is the Gospel life? Email: ginnyharmon@gmail.com Home parish: St. Patrick Parish, Brady s Bend Ginny Harmon has experience in several parish ministries, including adult and intergenerational faith formation. She has served as a director of faith formation and completed a practicum with Rendu Services, Inc., an organization that provides care for people in need in Fayette County. The organization was initiated by the Daughters of Charity in 2001. Currently, she serves as one of the regional moderators for Region IV. Harmon holds a Certificate in Pastoral Ministry from Seton Hill University, Greensburg, and a bachelor s degree from Carlow University in Pittsburgh. This is her eleventh year as an instructor for Pathways. Catholic social teaching provides essential direction for how to live an authentic gospel life. In a reflection document, the U.S. Catholic Bishops acknowledged a pressing need to educate all Catholics on the church s social teaching and to share the social demands of the Gospel and Catholic tradition more clearly. It is the bishops hope, and the hope of Pathways, that more adult Catholics develop an understanding of how the Gospel and church teaching call us to choose life, to serve the least among us, to hunger and thirst for justice, and to be peacemakers. Deacon William Hisker, PhD, MA How do we image the church? Email: bill.hisker@email.stvincent.edu Home parish: Our Lady of Grace Parish, Greensburg Deacon Hisker serves as a professor of business administration at Saint Vincent College, Latrobe and as a permanent deacon assigned to Blessed Sacrament Cathedral Parish. Deacon Hisker has earned a master of divinity degree from Saint Vincent Seminary, Latrobe, his doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh, a master s degree in regional and city planning from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, as well as a bachelor s degree from Saint Vincent College, Latrobe. This is his eleventh year as an instructor for Pathways.
Dr. Fran Leap, PhD What lessons does church history teach us? Email: leap@setonhill.edu Home parish: Blessed Sacrament Cathedral Parish, Greensburg Dr. Fran Leap is a professor of religious studies at Seton Hill University, Greensburg. She teaches in the Certificate in Pastoral Ministry program which is a joint venture of the Diocese of Greensburg and Seton Hill University. Dr Leap earned her degree in religious studies from Marquette University, WI. She is currently studying Spirituality through the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago, a Jesuit institution. "She has served as a Pathways instructor for more than two decades." Pathways can be a stimulating next step for Catholics of the Greensburg Diocese in coming to understand and practice their faith as mature adults. There is so much here to inspire and challenge us. I enjoy working with the participants and with those who choose to go further in their learning. The Reverend William J. Lechnar, MDiv What makes a parish vital? Email: wlechnar@dioceseofgreensburg.org Father William J. Lechnar serves as pastor of Mother of Sorrows Parish, Murrysville, diocesan director of the Office for Planning as well as the director for pilgrimages in the diocese. He holds a master of divinity degree from Saint Vincent Seminary, Latrobe, and a master s from California University of Pennsylvania. Fr. Lechnar has taught courses in Pathways for many years. Pathways has proven to benefit the participants and faculty in ways that strengthen faith and deepen the understanding of the greatness of God s love. Dr. Daniel J. Martino, PhD What are the central truths of Scripture? Email: martino@setonhill.edu Home parish: Sacred Heart Parish, Shady Side Dr. Daniel J. Martino is an associate professor in the Division of Humanities at Seton Hill University. He holds a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Duquesne University, and his ongoing scholarly interests focus on the intersection of Catholic theology and continental philosophy. Aside from his teaching duties at Seton Hill, he also serves as the Director of the Certificate in Pastoral Ministry Program. Dr. Martino began teaching for Pathways in 2007. I continue to find teaching in the Pathways program to be an enriching experience and am looking forward to presenting another installment of What are the central truths of Scripture? As I prepare the sessions, I will be guided by the wisdom conveyed at the Second Vatican Council concerning the Bible. On the one hand, the Council stated that, scripture is the soul of theology. It also sought to promote a warm and living love for scripture. Since Pathways participants are invested and engaged learners, this
wisdom will be realized in palpable ways when we closely study the Bible as the inspired text that gives constant nourishment to our Catholic faith in its many dimensions. Ms. Kathy Wawrzeniak, MRE How is the family the domestic church? Email: kwawrzeniak@dioceseofgreensburg.org Home Parish: Immaculate Conception Parish, Irwin Kathy Wawrzeniak has served as the director of faith formation at St. Regis Parish, Trafford, for 20 years. She has experience in preparing adults and children for the sacraments of initiation in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) process. Wawrzeniak also works with faith formation of adults and children, as well as adult and children sacramental preparation. She is involved with middle and high school youth ministry and leads the Liturgy of the Word for children. Wawrzeniak holds a bachelor s in education from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, and master s in religious education from Saint Vincent Seminary, Latrobe. This is her thirteenth year as an instructor for Pathways. Through my preparation and presentation of How is the family the domestic church, I was able to share my experiences and gain insights from the participants on the importance of family life and the call of all of us to evangelize and continue the missionary work of Christ in our home and world. Who is Catholic? TBA