P_Council

St. Mary's Parish Council - 2007/2008

Front Row: left to right: Catherine Pliska - Martha VanBelle - Nancy Presto - Mary Chisholm - Maureen Combs - Patricia Triggs - Carrie Sobetski - Patti Strassburg

Back Row: left to right: Richard Wirick - Marvin Rysztak - Deacon Richard - Father Nick - Marc Rybinski - Larry Paczkowski - Gino Musallam

 

FN_bless Fr. Nick Blesses the Council

 

Meet the Members of the St. Mary Queen of Creation
Parish Pastoral Council 2007-2008

LARRY PACZKOWSKI

Hi.  My name is Larry Paczkowski.  I was born on April 12, 1961 at Holy Cross Hospital in Detroit.  I was raised in Madison Heights and attended public school in the Lamphere School District.  I was baptized, celebrated my First Holy Communion, Confirmation and Married at St. Vincent Ferrer Parish in Madison Heights.  I have been married to my lovely wife Cindy for 22 years.  Sharing this time with her is the greatest blessing in my life.  Cindy is an R.N. working as a Public Health Nurse for Macomb County.

I have been employed for 22 years as a sales rep at Interstate Brands Corporation.  It is the Parent Company for Wonder Bread, Home Pride, Beefsteak, and Bakers Inn products.

Out side of work I love cooking and golf.  Cindy and I are also active members in the Great Lakes South East Michigan Hog Chapter.  Through this chapter we work closely with the Rainbow Connection for sick children.

We have been members of St. Mary Queen of Creation for 19 years.  I have always felt a need to serve the parish, and was very surprised to hear Father Nick convey a need for volunteers for the parish pastoral council.  I nominated myself and felt honored when Father Nick announced my name as being chosen as a new member.  I look forward to serving and believe that living a Christ like life of love and forgiveness is a great way to fulfill our parish mission of being Christ for each other. 

God Bless,

Larry Paczkowski

PATTI STRASSBURG

My husband and I have been members of SMQC for almost 25 yrs. We have 3 children, a dog and a turtle.  Our marriage of almost 25 yrs. continues to grow in love and trust as does our faith. My hobbies are going Up North, biking, boating, fishing, and listening to Jazz, especially Ray Charles.

 
I taught preschool for 5 yrs. and then took off 13 yrs to raise our children, during that time I started volunteering at our church. These have included Ladies Sodality, Eucharistic Bread Baker, Co-chairing the Silent Auction, Creative Arts Coordinator, Worship Commission, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, Building Committee, CSA, Eucharistic Adoration, Host and Facilitator of Renew, and now God is calling me to serve on the Parish Council. I also work part-time for Anchor Bay Schools as a Literacy Para for the past 6 years.
 
My entire family has answered the call to serve for our parish in one form or another which I am truly grateful for. My husband and I were very honored and humbled to be named "Man and Woman of the Year" in 1999.
 
Serving on the Parish Council has been a very educational experience so far, and sometimes overwhelming, but always rewarding. I pray that the Holy Spirit's wisdom and discernment will help guide our parish family into the future. Many new challenges will face the Archdiocese of Detroit, especially the priest shortage and our uniting with our Vicariate as a whole, to continue the "quality worship services" that we currently have. Please keep all of us in your prayers and pray for more vocations to the priesthood.
 
I will leave you with this quote from Mother Teresa...
 
"Works of love are always works of joy. We don't need to look for happiness: if we have love for others we'll be given it. It is the gift of God."      
 

 God bless you with "works of love"!!!

MARC RYBINSKI

My family moved from Detroit to Clinton Township in the late 60’s.  I was an alter boy, now called alter server, for many years at St. Valerie of Ravenna Parish.  I attended L’Anse Creuse schools.  I went on to attend Michigan State University where I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminalistics (forensic science). I currently serve the people of Clinton Township and have done so the past 21 years.  I married my wonderful wife, Sue, in 1987.  We then settled in the New Baltimore area.  We have been members of St. Mary Queen of Creation Parish for quite some time. We have three children and four cats.

It has been my honor and privilege to continue to serve St. Mary’s by being a part of MCREST, the Festival Committee, and the Stewardship Commission.  I am also a Lector and an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.  I have now been given the chance to help guide our parish by being a member of the Parish Pastoral Council. 

My involvement in parish life has broadened my perspective and ignited my soul.  I could never truly do enough to say “thanks’ for all that I have been blessed with; family, friends, and faith.

I give thanks for having been afforded a chance to live the scripture and strive to meet the Parish Mission of “being Christ for each other”.   This is due to the support of my family, friends, and especially all the people of St. Mary’s for offering inspiration, encouragement, and fellowship.  But most importantly, giving me the opportunity to learn, grow in faith, and serve the Lord.

RICHARD WIRICK 

My Wife Jill, my two beautiful daughters and I have been members of Saint Mary Queen of Creation Parish since we moved here in 1998.

I grew up in Roseville and attended Sacred Heart School until it’s closing in 1971.  My parents were raising 11 children at the time and even though they could not afford to transfer us to other nearby Catholic schools, we remained dedicated to Sacred Heart Parish and my parents still are today.  For many years at Sacred Heart I was an "Altar Boy" -- now called "Altar Server" as my daughter Jacquie would correct me.  She is an Altar Server and currently is the Youth Representative to the Parish Pastoral Council.  Jill and I were married in her Church, St Mathias in Sterling Heights, on August 27, 1988.  Our love for God and our family has grown stronger over the years.

I worked for Target as a Manager for many years.  Being in retail and not having a set schedule, I was not able to participate and give back to the Church like I wanted to. But now I have been blessed with a wonderful job working for Comerica Bank.  It affords me time to volunteer, so I can give back what the Church has been giving me all these years.

I truly am proud and honored to be an Usher on Team # 3, which serves at the Sunday 9:30 AM Mass every other month.  It is very rewarding.  If you have any special needs just ask -- an Usher is always there to help.

 I am also a member of the Christian Service Commission, which is a very friendly group of people who meet only once a month to share ideas on how to be truly “Christ for one other."  Some of the projects we are involved in are:  MCREST, the Appalachian Project Spaghetti Dinner and the Mariners Mass, to name just a few.  All are very worthwhile causes and require very little time.

Being chosen as Parish Pastoral Council Member last Pentecost is an honor.  I pray every night that I will be able to live up to the responsibilities entrusted to me.

To paraphrase our pastor, "See Ya in Church!"