Pastor

Fr. Joseph LaJoie

Father Joseph was raised in Aurora and has enjoyed living in his home state of Colorado. He started attending Colorado State in the fall of 2000 and transferred to the University of Colorado at Denver in 2003 to major in Accounting. However, since his Confirmation in 1996, the idea of the priesthood was consistently in and out of Father Joseph’s mind and heart along the crucial decision points in high school and college and while working at King Soopers through high school and college. After a death in the family and the death of Saint John Paul II coming close to each other in 2005, Father Joseph began considering the possibility that the priesthood was the path for him after all. That same month, inspired by the election of a new pope, Benedict XVI, Father Joseph contacted the Archdiocese and he began attending a monthly discernment group. In early 2006, around the anniversary of those crucial moments, Father Joseph attended a retreat and definitively sensed the calling of Jesus to follow Him, rather than continuing to run away, he returned to Confession for the first time at in ten years, and experienced a profound transformation, particularly through the daily Mass, frequent Confession, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and the Rosary. Six months after that retreat, he was out of school, out of work, and into seminary. Father Joseph was ordained a priest in December 2013 and has been parochial vicar at Saint Stephen Protomartyr in Glenwood Springs and Light of The World in Littleton and pastor of Sacred Heart in Denver. Some of his hobbies are hiking in the mountains, riding his road bike, traveling, and spending quality time with his friends.

Parochial Vicar

Father Michael Freihofer

Fr. Michael was assigned as parochial vicar for Saint John XXIII the fall of 2022. More information about Fr. Michael to come!

Deacon

Deacon David Peverley

Deacon David has been married to Doreen for over 30 years and has four children and five grandchildren (and counting!). He owns his own business in the Project Management field where he struggles like everybody else to make a good living. After 40 years of agnosticism, the reality of God finally penetrated his skepticism such that he responded to the call to be a Deacon in 2010. His ministerial ambition has been to translate theology into everyday language for people, successful marriage in the kingdom of God and helping those who have suffered a major trauma in their life.

Deacon

Deacon Greg Trudel

Director of Campus Ministry

Erika Richard

Erika graduated from FSU in 2017, planning to pursue a career in Occupation Therapy. The Lord had different plans after she became a missionary for a year, leading her to work in Campus Ministry full-time since 2018. She loves being outside, traveling, being with friends and playing games (maybe a little too competitively).

Campus Ministry Coordinator

Granger Stimpson

I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Recreation Park and Tourism Sciences. I was formerly a FOCUS missionary and now I work as a coordinator of campus ministry for St. John XXIII Catholic Church. I’m down for any adventure as long as it’s with friends.

Campus Ministry Coordinator

Emma Dolan

Emma is originally from Iowa and started as the Coordinator of Campus Ministry at Saint John XXIII in the summer of 2019. She graduated from Colorado State University in Hospitality Management & Event Planning in the spring of 2017. Emma loves getting to know the new students and cleaning and cooking with some of the volunteers around the Church. Her hobbies include skiing, running with her dog, discovering new local coffee shops and breweries and spending time with her family.

Director of Development

Laura Torres

Laura has been the Director of Development for Ram Catholic Campus Ministry since 2012. She completed her undergrad at the University of Northern Colorado and her master’s degree in Philanthropy and Development at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. Laura’s favorite part of the job is getting the opportunity to get to know members of the community who share in her passion for Campus Ministry. In her spare time Laura enjoys cooking, hiking, traveling, and spending time with her family.

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Development Coordinator

Allison Corcoran

Allison is a native of Fort Collins and started as the Development Coordinator in the spring of 2024. She grew up attending several local parishes including Saint John XXIII. While attending adoration during a Ram Awakening retreat, she had a unique encounter with Christ which changed her prayer and spiritual life substantially. After graduating from Front Range Community College with her associate’s degree in interior design she began working in the admissions office there, where she discovered a passion for helping college students pursue their goals. She knew that her career moving forward would involve working with students and she is excited she is able to combine her passions uniquely in her role as the Development Coordinator at Saint John XXIII. In her free time, Allison enjoys baking, spending time with friends and family, going on bike rides, solving jigsaw puzzles and crafting.

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Major Gifts Officer

Luke Hecker

Luke joined the staff at Saint John XXIII in November 2017. He currently serves as a Major Gift Officer supporting the Ram Catholic Ministry. Luke is passionate about collaborating with the parish priests, the FOCUS missionaries, and the Saint John XXIII campus ministry team to create opportunities for college students to encounter Jesus Christ.

Before coming to Saint John XXIII, Luke dedicated 30 years of his life to a career in law enforcement, ten of which he served as the Police Chief in Loveland, Colorado. He credits the Seven Sacraments and God’s graces working within them as the key to his fruitful law enforcement career.

Luke and his wife Tami wed in 1984. Together they have four adult sons, three lovely daughters-in-law, and eight grandchildren.

Director of Liturgy and Music

Henrique Borges Gomes

Henrique was hired in the fall of 2023 to be our new Director of Liturgy and Music! Please join us in welcoming him to the St. John XXIII Community!

Director of Business and Accounting

Sasha Schmidt

Sasha has lived in Colorado since she was two years old. Born a cradle Catholic, she first encountered the love of Christ on a confirmation retreat her freshman year of high school. Since that moment, she felt a serious call to serve Christ and His Church. She attended Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio and graduated with a degree in Theology in the summer of 2017. At her parents’ wishes, she also received her minor in Finance with the idea that she would never use that part of her studies in her profession. God’s sense of humor prevailed because when she came home after college, she struggled to find a job in her field of passion and ended up working for a small company in their accounting department. Falling in love with the structure of accounting, her career began to grow. She figured her passion for serving God’s Church would have to be on a volunteer basis. In early 2021, she met her now-husband and moved to Fort Collins to be closer to him that fall. One year later, she began to feel the pull once again towards serving Jesus and His people and began discerning a career change. One Sunday she saw an ad in the bulletin of her parish for a job opening at Saint John XXIII. It had never occurred to her that churches needed accountants! She heard one of her favorite quotes that God continues to use in her life run through her head: “if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” After shaking her head in disbelief at God’s plans for her coming to fruition, she happily accepted the position of Director of Business and Accounting in the fall of 2022. She recently married in the summer of 2023. When she is not working, she enjoys spending her free time playing board games with friends, going on sunset walks, finding new craft projects, and watching cheesy TV shows and movies. As an extrovert, she loves to be social, and maintains an open-door policy for students and parishioners to stop by her office at any time!

Coordinator of Facilities

Roman Mora

Help us welcome Roman Mora, our new Coordinator of Facilities. Roman is finishing his degree in criminal justice and is very excited to help us with the maintenance and cleanliness of the building.

FOCUS Team Director

Brandon Holy

Howdy everyone! My name is Brandon Holy and I am one of the FOCUS missionaries here at CSU! I grew up in Sugar Land, TX and graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Sport Management. I really enjoy being outdoors and being able to fish, ski, and play golf! But really any sport will work for me!

FOCUS (Athlete) Missionary

Maria Bunkers

FOCUS (Greek) Missionary

Tim Knauss

Hey everyone! I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, MI and graduated from Ave Maria University in sunny Florida with a degree in Mathematics and Physics. Before becoming a missionary I worked in sales and account management and was a high school teacher and soccer coach! I love playing sports, hiking and being outside, working out and just hanging out. If you want to get involved with Ram Catholic, hear more about FOCUS, or have any questions about the faith shoot me an email!

FOCUS (Greek) Missionary

Camille Zarycki

Hey y’all, my name is Camille and I am one of the FOCUS Missionaries at Colorado State! I spent the majority of my childhood growing up in Kansas and now get to call Texas home. I graduated from the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk!) with a BA in Human Biology and a minor in Business. My favorite things are my dogs, my two little brothers, the lake, and watching hockey!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out, I would love to get to know ya!

FOCUS Missionary

Megan Ellery