Fr. Chuck Tobin - Pastor
Father Chuck Tobin, Pastor, was born in Maryville and ordained in Maryville at Mount Alverno May 25, 1968. He completed his Master's degree in theology at Conception Seminary and later did graduate work in ministry and theology at Catholic University in Washington, DC and at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Father Chuck spent 5 years in our missions in Bolivia and in Hispanic ministry at Guadalupe and Sacred Heart Parishes in Kansas City. He served as pastor at Warrensburg and at St. Joseph the Worker parish in Independence among other assignments. In 1996 he was assigned as pastor of St. Gregory Barbarigo Parish in Maryville where he has served until his assignment at St. Sabina in 2004. In May 2008 Fr. Chuck celebrated 40 years of priesthood, having been ordained in 1968 by Bishop Helmsing in Maryville, MO where he was born and later served as pastor 1996-2004. Fr. Chuck’s email address is padrechuck@stsabinaparish.org.

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Deacon Dwayne Katzer
Deacon Dwayne Katzer was born and raised in the KC metro area, and married his wife Sandy in 1975. They moved to Belton and St. Sabina’s parish in 1985. They have three daughters, Kristina, Gina, and Bridget, and 3 grandsons. Dwayne received his Bachelor’s degree in Education from Emporia State University, was a “New Wine” Graduate in 1999, entered Diaconate Formation and then was ordained deacon on October 26, 2002. After spending most of his life as an electronic technician and small business owner, he worked for St. Matthew Apostle Parish for 8 years as Business Manager and later Pastoral Associate. He currently is the Director of Diaconate Formation for the Diocese of Kansas City ~ St. Joseph. Dwayne's email address is dwayne@stsabinaparish.org.

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Deacon Mike Gates
Mike Gates was born in Colorado Springs, CO into a military family. After living in Florida, North Carolina, the Azores and back to Missouri, they lived at nearby Richards-Gebaur AFB until his father retired from the service in 1978. Mike attended Belton and Grandview schools and Longview College. He was an electrician for 28 years and is currently a machine repairperson. He and his wife, Denise, have been married since 1984 and have two sons and three daughters. They have been in the parish since 1986. Mike has been involved in the Marian Prayer Group, Christmas in October, Knights of Columbus and Boy Scouts (Troop 631, K.C. Mo.). Mike was ordained as a Deacon for the Diocese in June of 2011. Future projects within the parish include Pro-Life ministry and a Marriage Mentoring project. Mike’s email address is mikeg@stsabinaparish.org.

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Barbara O'Neill
Barbara O’Neill was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. She is the oldest of four children. Her sister Peggy and family live near Barbara’s parents just outside of Philly; her brother Jack is a salesman living in San Antonio, TX; and the youngest brother Danny, lives with his family in Lake Mary, Florida. Prior to coming to Kansas City, Barbara was a classroom teacher for 18 years, having taught first grade through high school. Barbara came to Kansas City in the summer of 2000, hired as the Director of Liturgy for St. Peter’s. In 2002, Bishop Boland appointed her the Director of Diaconate Formation for the Diocese, a position she held until 2006. From there, Barbara became a sales representative for AFLAC (the American Family Life Assurance Company), and is currently a part time consultant. Barbara is happy to be here at St. Sabina, working in liturgy and music, doing what she loves most. Barbara loves to travel, both here in the US as well as other countries. She has traveled extensively, and wants to do more. She loves the ocean – sailing, deep-sea fishing and scuba diving. Barbara currently writes a monthly column for Celebrations Magazine, a series called “Remembering Heaven”. She hopes to publish a book with the same title someday. Barbara holds a BA in psychology from Immaculata University, Immaculata, Pa, an MA in Liturgical Theology from LaSalle University, Philadelphia, PA and post-graduate credits in Liturgy from Boston College. She is also certified as a diver in Advanced Underwater. Barbara’s email address is barbara@stsabinaparish.org.

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Alice Meyer - PSR Secretary
In March 2011, Alice Meyer joined St. Sabina staff as the Parish School of Religion Administrative Assistant. She was also a PSR teacher for two years prior to starting this new opportunity. Alice is experienced in business operations and project management. Originally, from Boston, she moved to Kansas City as a business consultant and ended up staying. Alice and her husband moved to Raymore in 2003. She has a 5 year old son, Evan, whom you may have seen at Mass with their autism service dog called Tuppence, or Tuppy, for short. Alice volunteers at a therapeutic horse riding center, at a KU Med program for autism therapies, drafted an iPad curriculum proposal for local Special Education classes, and occasionally coordinates a Special Olympics - Young Athlete Program for aspiring athletes ages 3-7 here at St. Sabina. Alice graduated in August 2011 with a BS in Sociology and Psychology and plans on attending graduate school with a focus on Autism Education. Her email is alice@stsabinaparish.org.

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Pat Falcon - Housekeeping
Pat and her husband, Deacon Lou Falcon, joined the parish on April 1, 1973, prior to Lou’s ordination to the Diaconate.  Lou was ordained on June 11, 1973, and passed away on October 9, 2002.  Pat has 3 sons, Joseph, John and Andrew, who are all involved in law enforcement.  She has seven grandchildren (5 grandsons and 2 granddaughters).  Pat began working for Fr. Joe Matt in the summer of 1989.  Her responsibilities include maintaining the rectory, offices, parish hall, school and the old church.

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Becky Fenske - Stewardship/Senior Citizen Associate
Becky and her husband, Don, have three children and one granddaughter.  They moved to Belton in 1990 from southwest Missouri.  Becky is a 1993 graduate of the RCIA program at St. Sabina and entered the church at that time.  She is a Lay Leader of Prayer, a Be Friender Ministry Coordinator, a Just Faith Coordinator and an Annulment Advocate.  She also has attended diocesan Sharing the Ministry workshops and Foundations for New Wine, as well as, other continuing education programs that have been offered throughout the years.  She enjoys coming alongside others in their faith journey and enjoys encouraging people to grow in their walk with God. Becky's email address is becky@stsabinaparish.org.

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Cecilia Imming - Business Manager
Cecilia was born and raised in the Kansas City area. Cecilia and her husband, Steve, have two daughters and three grandchildren. They moved to Belton and joined the parish in September of 1977. Msgr. John Huhmann hired Cecilia as parish secretary and bookkeeper in September of 1988. Cecilia continued in this position until Father Joseph Matt appointed her Business Manager in June of 1995. Cecilia continues to enjoy her work as Business Manager at St. Sabina Parish and feels so very fortunate to be a part of this wonderful community. Having worked for the parish for almost 20 years, Cecilia has indeed been a key player in the growing development of St. Sabina. Cecilia’s email address is cecilia@stsabinaparish.org.

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Casey Morgan
Casey Morgan is a life-long member of St. Sabina Parish, and has recently started working as the Director of Music. He began his ministry of music while he was in middle school by singing with the 8 a.m. choir every Sunday. Throughout the years working with this group, he slowly learned to play the piano and now he sings and plays the piano for each 8 a.m. Mass. In the summer of 2009, Casey was hired as the Director of Music. This put him in charge of selecting music for the 5 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. Masses as well as providing direction for each group during Mass and rehearsals. Casey has recently graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a degree in Music Education, and he is excited that he has found a field to which he can apply his newly learned skills. Casey’s email address is casey@stsabinaparish.org.

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Kris Larkey - Parish Secretary
Kris has been our Parish Secretary since March 1, 2006, after Marguerite Cummings retired.  Kris first moved to Belton as a child in 1974 while Fr. Roger Miller was pastor.  She received her First Communion at St. Sabina in December of 1974.  Her family moved to New Jersey in 1976 and then returned to Raymore, Missouri in December of 1981.  At this time Fr. Pilsl was pastor and Monsignor Crowell was in residence.  During this time, Kris attended the high school religious education program taught by Monsignor Crowell on Sundays after Mass in the Parish Hall.  The director of religious education at the time was Margaret Raysik.  Kris married Mike Larkey in December of 1987 at St. Sabina and they have two children, David and Jake.  The entire family is active in ministry at St. Sabina.  Kris helped with the Hispanic Community by serving as the Hispanic Choir Director from February 2001 until September 2006.  At this position she worked closely with Susan Ratigan, Director of Music and Liturgy, collaborating on the development of both the 10:30 choir and the Hispanic choir to build a repertoire of bilingual music that could be used at bilingual liturgies.  She is deeply grateful to the Hispanic Community for welcoming her so graciously and teaching her their culture and language.  She is also a lector, plays violin with the choir, and helps with the sewing of baptismal garments.  She is the daughter of parishioners Bob and Mary Kottenbrock.  Kris’ email address is kris@stsabinaparish.org.

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Biagio Mazza - Pastoral Associate
Biagio was hired by Father Chuck Tobin as Pastoral Associate for St. Sabina Parish Community on May 1, 2006, and is responsible for ongoing adult faith formation.  Biagio was born in Italy and came to America when he was 9 years old.  He lived and went to school in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he married his wife, Dorothy, and had two children.  Biagio worked as Director of Religious Education for a number of parishes in the Archdiocese of New York for twelve years.  During this time, Biagio studied at Fordham University in the Bronx, getting his masters degree in Religious Studies, and did post graduate work in Theology and Scripture at Maryknoll School of Theology, Maryknoll, New York.  In July 1988, Biagio moved to Kansas City to work for the diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph as a staff member of the Center for Pastoral Life and Ministry, providing ministry training and formation for the ministers of the diocese.  Biagio facilitated formation sessions in the diocesan ministry formation program, New Wine, for over 17 years, facilitating courses on a variety of topics including scripture, theology, and Church history.   A contributor to The Catholic Bible, Personal Study Edition published by Oxford University Press, Biagio has been an adjunct instructor in scripture, church history, and Islam for the Institute of Religious Studies facilitated through Benedictine College for the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas since its beginning in the early 1990s.   Biagio is active in ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, especially with Jewish-Christian and Muslim-Christian dialogues.   Facilitating adult learning in scripture, church history, and theology are some of Biagio’s special interests, along with cooking, reading, and enjoying the outdoors.  With over 30 years of experience in working for the church, Biagio has focused primarily on the training of parish ministers and on adult faith formation.  Biagio’s email address is biagio@stsabinaparish.org.

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José Mejía - Hispanic Ministries
José was hired as Coordinator of Hispanic Ministries at St. Sabina Parish on November 18, 2002. During this time his duties have included preparing the ministry leaders in how to work in each of their ministries, organizing each Mass in relation to the liturgy, organizing events for the liturgical seasons, administrative duties, and translation. José is married to Norma and they have 2 children, Alma and Diego. Jose’s email address is jose@stsabinaparish.org.

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Kirstie Ruffini - Director of Religious Education
Kirstie, Director of Religious Education and Youth Ministry, moved to the Kansas City area in the early 80’s with her family.  She attended Catholic schools through Avila College where she earned her degrees in English and Secondary Education.  In 1997 she completed her certification in Youth Ministry from the National Center for Ministry Development.  Kirstie began her ministry career at Holy Family Parish in Kansas City North and has served at St. Sabina since the summer of 1998.  In addition to ministering with youth, Kirstie has a great love for serving the poor and homeless and is a Route Coordinator for Uplift Org.  While many think she is their kid, Kirstie is the daughter of parishioners Jim and Nancy Ruffini.  For fun, Kirstie enjoys traveling, visiting with family and friends and anything outdoors.  Kirstie’s email address is kirstie@stsabinaparish.org.

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Robert Meissen - Maintenance
Robert was 6 years old when his parents moved to Raymore from the Gladstone area. His parents are Lawrence Meissen, now retired from his roofing business, and Jane Meissen, now deceased, who was a registered nurse. Robert has an Associate’s Degree in the field of drafting and has several years of construction experience. Robert is married to Angela Meissen, who has two sons: Dustin, who is married and has 2 beautiful daughters, and Brian. Robert was hired for our Maintenance Position in April of 2009. Robert’s email address is robert@stsabinaparish.org.

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Marta Roper - Reception-Stewardship
Marta was born in Kansas City and has lived in the Belton area all her life. Marta and her husband Ron have three adult daughters and three grandchildren. Together they went through the RCIA program with Fr. Joe Matt and Sr. Lucille Buhl. Ron and Marta were received into the Church by a Profession of Faith in April 1993. Marta was hired at St. Sabina in May 1997 and served as a master sacristan and Pastoral Care Coordinator until October 2005. After working for the Diocesan Office of Worship for three years Marta was hired by Fr. Chuck Tobin and rejoined the staff in March 2011. Marta is a 2004 graduate of the Diocesan New Wine Ministry Formation Program, a BEFRIENDER Ministry Coordinator, Lay Leader of Prayer, and she received her instruction in liturgical ceremony from the late Deacon Lou Falcon. Marta feels blessed to be part of the faith community at St. Sabina Parish. Marta’s email address is marta@stsabinaparish.org.

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