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Father John Kerns, Parish Priest
Archbishop Vlazny assigned Fr. John Kerns to serve as the first parish priest of St. Juan Diego. Fr. Kerns was ordained in 1985 and has served in various parishes and as the Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese. Most recently he served eight years as the pastor of Portland’s All Saints Parish and School. |
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Deacon
John Riherd
Deacon Riherd was ordained a Permanent Deacon for the Diocese of Spokane in 1999. Deacon John is on leave to the Archdiocese of Portland
and was assigned by Archbishop Vlazny to St. Juan Diego Parish in October of 2003. While in Spokane he served as a board
member on the Washington State Catholic Conference, was President of the Bishop’s Finance Council, and
Chairman of the Diocesan Deposit and Loan Committee. He has a Master of Arts in Religious Studies
and has served as a volunteer Chaplain for Hospice for many years. He is a practicing attorney and also is a principal in a
consulting business. Deacon John and his wife have two grown children and two grandsons.
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Kathy Yee, Pastoral & Admin. Associate
Fr. Kerns hired Kathy Yee as the Pastoral and Administrative Associate. She holds a master’s degree in theological studies and has had extensive pastoral experience as a youth and
campus minister at St. Anthony in Forest Grove and most recently teaching middle school religion at St. Cecilia Catholic School in Beaverton. She also has administrative and organizational
skills that will help greatly in getting the parish up and running.
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Bridget Becker, Director of Faith Formation
Bridget Becker worked for over ten years as a software engineer, most recently at Intel. Having
volunteered in various religious education roles over the years, she responded to God's call for her
to serve His people in a more profound way by enrolling in the Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry
program at the University of Portland. Father Kerns hired her as the parishes first Director of Faith
Formation in July of 2006. She has since completed her degree and is looking forward to planning new
and exciting programs for the parish.
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Deacon Dennis Desmarais
Deacon Dennis has been a member of the parish since the very
first Mass. He and his wife Marci have been involved in high school youth ministry, baptism prep and
RCIA at St. Juan Diego. He was ordained a Permanent Deacon for the Diocese in 2008. He has a
Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry and a degree in mechanical engineering. He has worked in the
electric power industry all his career. Deacon Dennis and his wife have three grown sons.
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Peggy Brice, Office Manager and Bookkeeper
Peggy Brice brings a combination of financial, administrative, and pastoral experience. With a BBA in Finance, Peggy has worked in the fields of insurance, accounting, and retirement planning, but her heart has always been with her work for the church. She has been active in parishes for years ranging from high school youth ministry and Confirmation to serving on Pastoral Councils. She has also has prior staff experience as a Parish Coordinator and Youth Minister. Peggy and her husband, Kevin have three grown daughters.
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Janette Strand, Parish Music Coordinator
Janette began playing for Mass at the age of 14. She was then recruited to direct the parish choir and developed a love of liturgical music. She has been overseeing music programs in parishes ever since. Janette has worked in parishes in the Spokane Diocese, Saginaw Diocese, Seattle Archdiocese and now here in the Portland Archdiocese. She has served as Cantor for Diocesan liturgies in Saginaw, and served on the Archdiocesan Music Committee in Seattle. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Performance from Gonzaga University.
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