Epiphany Staff

I share responsibility for the daily pastoral care of parishioners. I help plan, organize and carry to completion the parish mission as part of a team. I am present at liturgies every weekend and parish wide events and programs throughout the year. I offer assistance to a variety of ministries with particular attention given to the Adult Catechumenate, Parish Life and Worship. Since my arrival in Louisville in Sept. ’04, I have participated in many on-going educational programs to update myself in the area of RCIA from the Archdiocesan Office of Lifelong Learning; in the area of annulments from the Marriage Tribunal and last year participated in a year long program around parish administration. From 1989 through 2003 I ministered in three parishes in the archdiocese of Boston as pastoral associate. I have a M.Ed and theology courses from Boston College and Weston School of Theology in Christology, sacraments, liturgy, morality and ethics.

My Name is Julie Stuart, I am the newest addition to the staff at Epiphany. Born and raised in Louisville’s south end. I grew up in St. Paul’s parish where I attended grade school. I graduated from Angela Merici High School and attended Spalding University for a few years. I then graduated from Bellarmine University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. I worked for 13 years as a nurse in a doctor’s office. During that time, I ministered to my grandfather on his death journey and felt God calling me in a different direction. I enrolled in the Ministry Formation program thru the Archdiocese of Louisville and was commissioned in 2005. It was then that I fell in love with the concept of blending my faith and my nursing skills, Parish Nursing. I have taken several Parish Nursing courses over the years. I then felt the calling to find out even more about my Catholic faith. Enrolling in the Archdiocese of Louisville LIMEX program. Loyola Institute for ministry extension program. I have completed my Masters in Pastoral Studies degree. I am so very excited to use my new found calling in my own parish of Epiphany. My husband Jay and I have been parishioners over 8 years and truly feel at home here. I am excited to bring the church to our sick and homebound parishioners. I hope to continue the current ministries of Community Care as well as add some new and exciting programs.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to be Choir Director here at Epiphany since March of 2009. I grew up in Chicago, Illinois and was raised a Presbyterian. My love of singing brought me to Belmont University in Nashville, TN where I majored in Commercial Vocal Performance. While there I was a member of Company, a nationally recognized song and dance ensemble. I also participated in the Gospel choir on campus, Chadasha. My Catholic husband, whom I met at Belmont, showed me a side of my faith I had never explored. This led me to join the Catholic Church in 2005. Once I graduated from Belmont my husband and I moved back to Chicago where I was a cabaret singer/dancer on the Spirit of Chicago, a dinner cruise line. In 2007 my husband took a job teaching theology at St. Xavier High School and we moved here to Louisville. Within two weeks of living here we found and fell in love with the community of Epiphany. I love being a part of this wonderful church. To be able to share my gifts and talents with this community has been especially rewarding. Now, as a new mother, I am even more grateful for an outlet that allows me to be more than “Mom” and to exercise my love of music and ministry.

My family and I joined the community of Epiphany in 1972. At that time I began my religious formation ministry at Epiphany as a catechist and coordinator in the First Communion program. I also served as a volunteer at Bibletimes Marketplace since its beginning. These experiences have been very rewarding as I love working with children and over the years I have received much more than I have given. In 1993 I joined the staff of Epiphany as co-minister of Family/Children's Formation program sharing the job with Barbara Herzog. I have served for over 30 years in catechetical ministry and currently I am working towards my Master's level in catechist certification in the Archdiocese program.

I started working at Epiphany in June of 1999 as assistant in maintenance and became Maintenance Manager in 2003. I am a Louisville native, a member of St. Peter’s the Apostle (St. Polycarp) Church, and graduated from Bishop David High School in 1970. After graduation, I went to work for Phillip Morris USA and in 2000 retired after 30 years of service.

I joined Epiphany’s staff in 1987 as Parish Business Manager, very excited about using my professional training and experience in Church ministry. At that time Epiphany owned only one computer, an Osborne 1 with a 5mb hard drive and construction of the Community Center was just beginning with Worship Center renovations to follow. My ministry here has been a very fulfilling one, with never a dull moment. As Parish Business Manager, I oversee all aspects of the financial operations of the community including accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, collection counting and annual audit. Working very closely with the Administration/Finance committee and the Tech Committee, I am also responsible for building maintenance, grounds maintenance and enhancement, security, technology and computer operations, webpage, personnel administration and communications. An incredible core of volunteers is required to make all this possible. I graduated from Bellarmine University with a major in Accounting and minor in Business Administration. I have worked in public and corporate accounting and have taught at the High School and Business College level. As the wife of a deacon, I completed the 3 years of formation as part of the Diaconate Program and in 1997, I completed a MSSW at U of L’s Kent School of Social Work, a program of study that has enhanced my work with individuals and groups. I continue to be challenged and energized in my ministry within the Epiphany community.

I’m blessed to be able to say I’ve lived in many cities in my lifetime; however, I was born, raised, and schooled in Pittsburgh, PA. When my family and I were transferred from Pittsburgh (GO STEELERS!) to Louisville in 1986, we registered our membership in what would come to be the port in the storms of our lives – Epiphany. Particularly since my husband’s death in 1996, I’ve come to accept this faith community as an extended family. Its members comforted us in our loss, shared our RCIA, matrimonial and baptismal joys, and helped my family take care of me during my surgeries. Epiphany is so great a part of who I am, which is why after 22 years of employment here, I still absolutely love what I do – working with and for its membership. My work is what could best be described as “Jill of all Trades” – from Baptisms to Marriages, maintaining database records to maintaining sacramental records, preparing reports for staff and committee heads to preparing reports for the Archdiocese, “covering the pastor’s back” (Fr. Jeff’s military term for it) to keeping our best-in-the-archdiocese maintenance crew apprised of the community’s activities. I’m also active in a number of stewardship ministries here. With God’s help, I hope to continue to be part of your lives for many more years. I thank you for the gifts all of you are to me.

I’m Linda Thieneman and I have been Epiphany’s Music and Worship Minister since 1982. While there have been many changes through the years, Epiphany has remained faithful to its vision of a hospitable community fully engaged in faith through involvement in prayer and action, with a commitment to vibrant liturgies, ongoing formation, transformative social justice and self-giving service. Prayer has been the heart of our community as we have continually come together to wrestle with gospel values, relevant issues, a plethora of opinions and the Spirit’s callings. The Worship Committee fosters the prayer and liturgical experiences that help us find our deeper unity in the midst of diversity, and to choose courses of action that allow the love of God to be more manifest in our world. As the prayer of our community has deepened and broadened, so have our Worship ministries expanded to include all that supports weekend Eucharistic liturgies (from planners to lectors, space arrangers to bell ringers), programs to help develop individuals’ prayer, and the breadth of prayer forms (from rosary to labyrinth prayer) that help sustain us in living out our mission. I came to Epiphany with music education and performance degrees and background, with experience of music ministry in Michigan and Louisville, and soon had my Masters in Music as well. Music has always been a valued part of Epiphany’s prayer, and our music ministry has grown to include singers and players of all ages, provided music for hundreds of programs and thousands of prayer events, and produced four recordings. In 2006 I completed a degree in music therapy that further informs me in the use of music as a tool for spiritual experience and expression. Over the years I have remained animated by Epiphany nurturing my creativity and leadership as well as challenging me to explore and develop ministries in varied areas, particularly in spirituality and music.