Former Staff & Volunteers

Stephen McGinnis Winter 2006-2007 Stephen is a native to St. Louis, having grown up in the Florissant area.  He recently earned a master's degree in religious education from St. Louis University.  Years ago, he did a brief internship here at the Franciscan Connection.  He came back for another stint to do a bit of vocational discernment.  While with us,  Stephen helped both out in the field doing home repairs as well as in the office helping with service reports, notes to donors, and data entry.  He is now doing substitute teaching up in North County.

 

Michael St. Cin Autumn 2006 St. Louis-native, Michael St. Cin attended Vianney High School and Christian Brothers University in Memphis. Before launching his own career in the field of marketing, Michael wanted to offer a few months of his time to "give back to the community" and "develop his own relationship with God." He joined the Franciscan Volunteer Program and served as our Home Maintenance Assistant, August through November. Best wishes on the road ahead. Thanks for all your help on office projects and 29+ houses!

 

Brother Thinh Van Tran, OFM Summer 2006 Bro. Thinh just came from Vietnam a few years ago.  He is in formation for the Franciscan Friars of the Sacred Heart Province, studying theology. During his summer break, Bro. Thinh came to St. Louis to help us with a variety of home repairs.  He also became very involved in the local Vietnamese community and helped us translate our project flyer into Vietnamese.

Annie McCance 2005-2006 Annie cames to us from Cuba, IL (near Peoria).  She was a member of the Gateway Vincentian Volunteers, located right here in South St. Louis.  Her background in computer graphic design and digital production was a terrific asset to our ministry here at the Franciscan Connection.  In addition to creating much of this website, Annie developed flyers, thank you cards, and photo pages which we sent out to volunteer crews who have helped us tackle repair projects this year. Annie is living here in St. Louis and doing freelance computer & graphic design.

 

Eric van Maarth 2005-2006 Eric hails from the Denver, Colorado area.  After graduating from college, he served in the soup kitchen for the Capuchin Volunteer Program up in Detroit, MI. While discerning a possible vocation in religious life, Eric spend a couple days each week working as a receptionist and also field worker here at the Franciscan Connection. He has returned home and continues his pursuit of God's call in his life.

Bro. Doug Collins, OFM 2004-2005  & Current Bro. Doug Collins is one of the newest members of the Sacred Heart Province, having just made his Solemn Vows last September. He hails from Cleveland, Ohio, but had lived in St. Louis for several years before entering the Order. During his final year of formation, Bro. Doug worked here at the Franciscan Connection, helping Bro. Donald with the home repairs ministry. Over the last year, he lived at Cross in the Woods Shrine in northern Michigan where he assisted with the local food pantry and other outreach ministries to the poor. Bro. Doug returns now to help Bro. Leo with the emergency aid program, assisting low-income families with high utility bills. He also coordinated our recent Back-to-School Drive which equipped over 460 needy children with supplies and tools for the classroom.

 

 

Beth Lask 2003-2004 A native of Quincy, IL and recent graduate of Quincy University, Beth has known the Franciscan friars for a long time.  So she was very excited to join the Franciscan Volunteer Program, serving one year as a teacher up in northern Wisconsin and a second year as our Home Maintenance Assistant.  Among her many accomplishments that year was creating a first-ever resource directory for St. Louis area agencies doing home repairs.  Beth is now teaching mathematics at the DeLasalle Blackfeet Indian School in Browning, Montana.

Brian Dever 2002-2003 Another Quincy University graduate, Brian, too, served as a member of the Franciscan Volunteer Program for two years.  During his year at the Franciscan Connection, he used his degree in Business Administration to help Bro. Donald set up spread sheets and databases for the Stone-by-Stone Project (which we still use today!)  Currently, Brian is living back at home in Casper, Wyoming and exploring career and vocation opportunities.

 

Kelly Loney 2001-2002 Our very first Franciscan Volunteer, Kelly launched us friars into being a longtime host ministry site for interns and volunteers.  A 2001 alumna of Quincy University, Kelly paved the way for the Home Maintenance Assistants to come.  She utilized her degree in communications to help us create our premier issues of the Franciscan Connection newsletter.  An Iowa native, Kelly has since moved on to Tucson, AZ where she works in the human resources department for a major technology company.  She still organizes volunteers and does little service projects there at work.

 

MANY THANKS

to all who have helped make the

Franciscan Connection

the great ministry it has become!