Meet Members from Our Communications Committee

Chris and Melissa Nielsen

Chris Nielsen is a member of the St. Katharine Drexel Parish Communicationa Committee and also serves as a Core Captain for the Door-to-Door Campaign.  He stated that volunteering has given him the opportunity to meet many great people and also makes him feel good to be part of building our church community. 

Chris and his family have been members of St. Katharine Drexel parish since its inception.  He and his wife Melissa have been married for 10 years and have three daughters – Emily and Grace, 5 years old, and Evelyn, 8 months old.  Chris works as a salesman for Sencore, and Melissa is employed part-time at the Center for Family Medicine.  Chris said that Emily and Grace are excited to start Kindergarten this month at St. Michael/St. Katharine Drexel Elementary School.

In his spare time, Chris enjoys camping, fishing, hunting, gardening, motorcycle riding, and just about anything outdoors.

Carol and Tom Deering

Carol Deering joined the Communications Committee almost a year ago because she wanted to get more involved in the building of St. Katharine Drexel Parish, and when she considered all the different committees on which she could serve, she quickly realized that Communications was the only one she knew anything about! “I’m enjoying meeting and getting to know people in our parish, and I feel like I’m giving back to God with some of the gifts He gave me.”

Tom, Carol, and Ian Deering are transplants from Missouri. Yes, this is Cornhusker country, but their favorite Big 12 team is the Missouri Tigers, even if, as Carol says, “they aren’t very good”! The Deerings are also big baseball fans, partial to the St. Louis Cardinals, of course! They enjoy traveling, especially in England, where Carol has family, and they look forward to family time at home, playing board games, cheering on the Cardinals, or watching anything from Abbott and Costello in black and white to the latest adventure, chock full of special effects.

Carol is the librarian at the U.S. Geological Survey Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS). In her spare time she enjoys reading, writing, and watching sixteen-year-old Ian play baseball. Tom is Dean of Education at Augusta State University in Augusta, Georgia. Tom is also an avid reader; his current interest is mystery novels set in the Middle Ages. Ian is a junior at O’Gorman High School. He plays on the O’Gorman High School baseball team and on a VFW traveling baseball team. Ian has also been playing guitar for a couple of years; Carol and Tom are partial to his “blues,” while Ian, of course, leans towards “rock.”

In addition to serving on the Communications Committee, Carol volunteers on the prayer chain and as a Team Captain for the parish Door-to-Door Campaign. Both Carol and Ian serve as lectors at the 5:00 pm Mass. Carol feels that being a part of St. Katharine Drexel Parish at this time is exciting and inspiring, but it is also an awesome responsibility. “I look around and see people working so hard to get everything right, and I realize – what we do today will matter, for years and years to come.”  

Jay and Deanna Kost

Meet Jay Kost, a member of our St. Katharine Drexel Parish Communications Committee and our parish webmaster! Yes, Jay is the person responsible for posting the text and links and images on our parish web site, so shake his hand and thank him for all the time and effort he volunteers to keep our web site current. “I hope,” says Jay, “that the web site provides the information people need in order to know what’s going on at St. Katharine Drexel Parish, both now and in the future as we build our church.”

Jay is from Fairmont, Minnesota. He went to school at Minnesota State University and at the University of North Dakota. Jay met Deanna, his wife, at UND. After leaving North Dakota, Jay and Deanna were stationed at Hurlburt Field near Pensacola, Florida. Their daughter, Kayla, and eldest son, Adam, were born in Florida. The family spent some time in southern California and in Colorado before moving to Sioux Falls. About six months ago, Jay, Deanna, Kayla, and Adam welcomed twin boys Benjamin and Ryan to the family.

Jay is a scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS), and Deanna’s full-time job is at home with the kids. Kayla is back at school this year at O’Gorman Jr. High, Adam is at St. Michael/St. Katharine Drexel Elementary School, and the babies get to stay home!

In their spare time (I don’t think there’s much of that these days!), Jay and Deanna enjoy travel, kayaking, camping, reading, movies, music, and baseball. Jay and Deanna serve as Eucharistic ministers, Adam as an altar server, and Kayla volunteers in the nursery.

For Jay and Deanna, family is the core of their lives – as Jay says, both their immediate family and their parish family.

LaVonne and Myron Linneman

Many of you may already know LaVonne Linneman and her husband, Myron. LaVonne grew up in Baltic and Flandreau. Myron is from Estelline. They met at the University of South Dakota, were married in 1980 between their junior and senior years, moved to Sioux Falls in 1981 after graduating from USD, and joined St. Michael Parish in 1982. They’ve been around these parts a while!

LaVonne and Myron have two sons, John and Alex, who keep them plenty busy with sports. John, a junior at O’Gorman High School, is a talented soccer player – he plays on both O’Gorman’s soccer team and on Dakota Gold Club soccer. When he’s not in school or on the soccer field, you might see John at Hy-Vee, where he works part-time. Little brother Alex, a 5th grader at St. Michael/St. Katharine Drexel Elementary School, is also an athlete with a lot of talent and energy – he plays baseball, basketball, and soccer! If there’s an O’Gorman sporting event in town, you’re likely to find the entire Linneman clan in attendance. They also enjoy Twins baseball and USD basketball games. And did I mention that Myron coaches Alex’s basketball and baseball teams?

When they’re not at the ballpark or arena or stadium or soccer field, LaVonne works for Community Health Care Association of the Dakotas and Myron for BankFirst. When she finds a little bit of “down time,” LaVonne enjoys reading mystery novels, baking, and sewing. Myron looks forward to biking and to reading history books, especially those about U.S. presidents, the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

About once a month, LaVonne, Myron, John, and Alex work on the set-up crew for the early morning Sunday Mass at the O’Gorman Junior High gymnasium. LaVonne is also a collection counting team captain, and she volunteers to sell SFCS certificates and to serve cookies and coffee after Mass. Myron serves as an usher. LaVonne and Myron have also contributed many hours to the parish Door-to-Door Campaign.

When I asked LaVonne why she volunteered for the Communications Committee, she told me that “it looked like an interesting way to get involved with the planning process and eventually the building of the new church. I have a journalistic background and thought this would be a logical place to volunteer.”

Alice and Rich Peters

Alice Peters serves as a member of the St. Katharine Drexel Parish Communications Committee.  She and her family have been members of our parish since its formation.  Alice states, “I enjoy getting to know the other church members, being a part of the church, and being a part of the development of a church.” 

Alice and her husband Rich have two children; daughter Michaela is 8 and will be in 3rd grade, and their son Sidney is 5 and will be starting Kindergarten.  They both attend JFK Elementary.  Alice works as an Early Childhood Teacher with the Sioux Falls School District.  When not working or volunteering, she enjoys spending time with her family, going on walks and reading. 

Bob and Mary Kobernusz

Bob Kobernusz and his family have been members of St. Katharine Drexel Parish since the beginning.  Bob serves on the Communications Committee and has been extremely busy putting together the e-communications you receive and interestingly, designed our parish logo.  He has also volunteered his time assisting with the various mailings sent out to our parish territory.  A talented and willing volunteer, Bob states he enjoys working on the Communications Committee because he enjoys working with great people who have wonderful ideas, energy, and a willingness to jump in and “get it done.” 

Bob is a Manager in Marketing for Wells Fargo Education Financial Services and is also a freelance graphic designer for his own company, in2design.  Bob’s wife Mary works for Total Card Inc. as a Human Resource Generalist.  Their daughter Klarissa is starting 6th grade and likes soccer, reading and playing the flute.  Their son Logan is entering 3rd grade and enjoys baseball, basketball, and soccer – in that order.  Both kids attend St. Michael/St. Katharine Drexel Elementary.  Bob enjoys spending time with his family, boating, fishing, hunting, and running. 

Quintin and Mary Honerman

Mary Honerman and her husband Quintin have been members of St. Katharine Drexel Parish for 2 ½ years.  Mary teaches English for the University of South Dakota at the USDSU campus in Sioux Falls.  She is also a creative writer and enjoys writing fiction.  She enjoys taking photographs (mostly of her new baby) and reading mid-nineteenth century literature.  Quintin is the Operations Supervisor for Target National Bank “and (sigh) is a dedicated Vikings fan who eagerly anticipates the upcoming season.”  Quintin and Mary have an 8-month-old daughter, Madeline, who recently said her first word, “Mom.”  Mary states, “I now realize (and I’m sure she soon will, too) that those three letters make up the most powerful word in the English language.”

Mary is a member of the Communications Committee.  She explains, “Being on the Communications Committee allows me to take part in the direction our church is going.  It’s empowering to have a voice.  The committee also helps me stay connected to the church and its members.  It’s a terrific way to meet new people with similar interests and goals.”