What is the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)?

The PPC is a consultative body that unites laity and clergy in a community of prayer, leadership, service, and pastoral planning. The PPC prayerfully reflects on the needs of the parish and the larger community. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Council advises and consults with the pastor, recommends policies [vision] for the mission and faith growth of the parish, and monitors and evaluates the processes and programs that implement these policies [this vision]. The Council is the pastoral planning body of the parish.

Who are we?
Shelley Benson
Chairperson, Executive Leadership Committee

Shelley and her family have been members of St. Mary Church since 1984. She previously served on the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) for three different terms and chaired the renovation project in 2000-2004. Since 2018 she’s been the coordinator for Eucharistic Ministers at St. Mary. Shelley was part of the Discernment Team for Renew My Church and the Unification Team for St. John XXIII Parish, and most recently has led the Unification Communications Team. ​
Rachel Brescoll
 
Rachel has been a member of the parish for more than ten years. She also serves on the school advisory board, and volunteers and assists with a variety of school and parish events and initiatives. Rachel is an attorney, working for Loyola University. 
Peggy Cunniff

Peggy and her husband, Patrick Rocks, have been active members of the parish for ten years. She is part of the 10:30 a.m. Choir at the St. Nicholas Campus and has taken on leadership roles at both the Parish Rummage Sale and St. Nick’s Fest.  She is the mother of four adult children and proud grandmother of two, including her delightful grandson Patrick Kelly, who has been a regular member of the 8:00 a.m. chapel Mass since his birth!  
       
Sara Delva

Sara has been an active parishioner at St. Mary for 30 years. She feels honored to be part of the new Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) for St. John XXIII Parish as a representative of the Haitian community.
Krista Gliva

​Krista and her daughter have been active in several ministries at St. Nicholas for 14 years. Krista taught in the religious education program for eight years and in the SPRED program for three years. She’s been a committed rummage sale volunteer and serves on the planning team for this year’s sale. Krista is a principal and project manager at her architecture firm.
Len Grinstead 
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Len Grinstead has been a member of St. John XXIII parish since 2022. His professional background is in human resources management and higher education administration and teaching. Len is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and lived and worked in Kansas City before moving to Chicago. He served on the Parish Finance Council for three years prior to the Parish Pastoral Council. He looks forward to continuing his support of our pastoral plan and the culture of stewardship priority in particular. 
Christie Klimas
​Christie and her family have been active members of the parish for over 15 years. She has two daughters, both alumni of Pope John XXIII School.  Christie has served as the school board president, as well as served two previous terms on the PPC under two other pastors at St. Mary Church. She and her husband Mark Potosnak co-lead the Oktoberfiesta autumn party. Christie teaches at DePaul University and currently chairs the department of Environmental Sciences and Studies. 
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Tom Lenz
Vice Chairperson, Executive Leadership Committee

​Tom and his wife, Suzanne Lefevre, have been members of St. Nicholas Parish, and now St. John XXIII Parish, since the early 1990s. They have three adult sons and one grandson and live in south Evanston. In his professional life, Tom works as a consultant to nonprofit organizations and to churches.
Alex Lule-Rivera
Executive Leadership Committee

Alex immigrated with her parents from Mexico when she was two years old and is entirely bilingual and bi-cultural. The Lule family have been members of St. Nicholas since 1990. She celebrated her quinceañera and married at St. Nicholas, and her daughter was baptized and received her First Communion at the parish. For the past 20 years Alex has been a catechist in the Spanish religious education program. ​
Tim Schmitt

​Tim Schmitt, along with his wife Paula and two boys Harland and Weston, live in northeast Evanston. They have been parishioners of St. John XXIII since 2008. Tim was raised Catholic as part of Holy Cross Parish in Deerfield, IL. Tim and Paula were married at St. Mary Church, and both boys have received their first sacraments (baptism and first Communion). Tim serves as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and is an active tenor in the St. Mary choir. Professionally, Tim leads sales and marketing as the Chief Growth Officer for XL.net, a leading managed IT services provider for small businesses and organizations. Tim has a degree in Computer Engineering from University of Illinois and an MBA from the CTO Academy in London.
Rob Sullivan

Rob is a member of the Pope John XXIII School Advisory Board and the St. John XXIII Parish Pastoral Council. Since joining the parish in 2018, he has also served on the Parish Unification Team and the Communications Sub-Committee, as well as on the final Pastoral Council at the legacy St. Nicholas Parish. You can usually find him at Mass where he serves as a greeter, usher, and Eucharistic Minister. Rob works as an IT professional and has two daughters, both of whom were baptized at St. Nicholas and now attend our parish school.
Pat Trafton

As a member of St. Nicholas for 20 years, Pat has been active in many ministries, as a participant and as a leader: as a Eucharistic Minister, a member of the Art & Environment Committee, a manager for the rummage sale, in Lent groups, and on the Winter Parish Party/Mardi Gras planning committee. She’s also taken a leadership role in the annual parish mission trips since their beginning in 2015.
Elia Vergil

Elia and her family have been members of St. John XXIII Parish since 1989. Her four children celebrated their Frist Communions and Confirmations here, and she served as a catechist in the Spanish Religious Education program until 2014. She has also volunteered at the annual Kermés and the Rummage Sale. She finds comfort when she comes to St. John XXIII Parish, and she wants others to feel the same.
Cathleen (Cat) Wolfe
Secretary, Executive Leadership Committee

​Cat joined St. Mary when she moved to Evanston in 1997. She has served the parish in many roles: lector, Eucharistic Minister, and member of the music ministry. Cat has volunteered in the managing of the St. Patrick’s Day party and most recently the St. John XXIII Mardi Gras party. Her profession as an event manager has been instrumental in the success of these parties.

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