Fr. Damian Zuerlein has been pastor of St. Columbkille Parish since June of 2004. He was ordained in 1981 and served in several parishes as an associate before becoming pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1990. Fr. Damian was originally from Columbus, Nebraska and is the oldest of six children. He received a BA in Philosophy from the University of St. Thomas and his Master of Divinity from St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul Minnesota. He learned Spanish at the Spanish Language Institute in Cuernavaca, Mexico. He has also done post-graduate work in spirituality and counseling at Creighton and the University of Nebraska Omaha.

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Fr. Damien Wee, our Associate Pastor, grew up in the country of Singapore. Second of four children, he came to the United States in 1996, initially for Print Journalism at Bethany College, W.V. In 1997, our Archdiocesan vocation director invited him to discern whether God was calling him to the Priesthood. He transferred to the University of St. Thomas and St. John Vianney Seminary in St. Paul, M.N., where he continued his journalism degree and discerned God’s call. He then spent four years at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, OH. Archbishop Elden Curtiss ordained him a priest on June 5, 2004. Fr. Wee was first assigned to St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Omaha. He has been at St. Columbkille since the summer of 2007.

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Fr. Steve Emanuel is assigned to Gross Catholic High School where is Chaplain and Campus Minister as well as a teacher and coach. He assists with sacramental duties at St. Columbkille as well.

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David Batter has been Director of Music and Liturgy since December, 2006. He has previously worked at the parishes of St. Cecilia Cathedral, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Robert Bellarmine, St. Leo the Great, and St. Pius X. David’s formal degrees are in music education and conducting. He has taught in various schools, most recently at Duchesne Academy. In addition to his work at St. Columbkille, David is the founding conductor of the Omaha Chamber Singers, and chorus master for the Omaha Symphony.

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Dr. Cheryl Blue was an Assistant Professor of Education at Peru State College. Prior to this she was the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for the Plattsmouth Community Schools. She was the Elementary and Middle School Principal in Plattsmouth from 1990 to 1996. She taught in the Ralston School System before moving into administration. Dr. Blue is a recognized expert and a widely sought-after presenter on curriculum and assessment. She is the current Executive Director for the Nebraska Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. She is a member of St. Matthew’s Parish where she serves on the Pastoral Council. Like many of our parishioners, the United States Air Force brought Dr. Blue to the Omaha area many years ago and she decided to stay. Dr. Blue has been the principal since July 1, 2010.

Jan Bode grew up on a farm in northeast Nebraska and graduated from Battle Creek High School. After graduating from college, she was a Court Reporter for several years, and was employed at Northern Natural Gas until 1989. Jan managed the financial operations for several small companies before becoming the Finance Director of St. Columbkille Parish in 2001. She has been a member of St. Columbkille Parish since 1983, and is involved in many parish activities. Jan and her husband, Steve, have three children who are St. Columbkille School alumni.

Nicole Cook has been a member of St. Columbkille since 2003 when she came to the parish as the director of music ministry.  She left for a few years to work at her alma mater, Creighton University, as the assistant director of alumni relations, but has now returned to St. Columbkille to work with the youth ministry and adult formation programs.   

Nicole and her three sisters grew up on a farm in Audubon, Iowa.  She moved to Omaha after graduating from Audubon High School in 1998 to attend Creighton, where she earned her bachelor's degree in music in 2002.  She and her husband, Tyler, often travel back to Iowa where the majority of Nicole's large extended family lives.  Nicole has gone into the "family business," as her mom has served as the director of religious education at her home parish, St. Patrick's, for 27 years.

Nicole and Tyler live in mid-town Omaha and are both musicians at heart.  They enjoy spending their free time listening to live music, spending time with family and friends, cheering for Jays basketball, being outdoors, cooking and having Wii tournaments! 

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Julie Crnkovich has served as the Director and a teacher at Sacred Heart Preschool since 2002. A graduate of Daniel J. Gross Catholic High School, Julie received a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary and Special Education from UNO in 1989. Her post-graduate work has been in the areas of early childhood education, developmental disabilities and brain based learning. Julie and her husband, Steve, have been members of St. Columbkille Parish since 1994. They have three boys who have all attended St. Columbkille School.

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Chris Essink is originally from Canton, OH and has been a member for St. Columbkille Parish since 1991. She began her employment in 1993 serving as the housekeeper for the parish priests and later worked as a secretary in the Parish Office. Currently, Chris is the Bulletin Editor and is the Administrative Assistant for the Athletic Council. Chris and her husband, Dick, have five children and fourteen grandchildren.

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Sr. Jean Marie Faltus was born and raised in East St. Louis, Illinois, with three older sisters. Like two of her sisters, she entered religious life in 1961. She has taught at all levels from fourth grade to post-graduate classes at Creighton University. Thirteen years were spent at Daniel J. Gross Catholic High School teaching and working in the administration of the school. She has lived in Omaha for 35 years, has attended St. Columbkille since 1996 and has been on the staff since 2001.

She currently coordinates SPIRITuality ALIVE and the Parish Book Club. Recently, she has coordinated the outreach programs: Habitat for Humanity and Step Out and Serve. She loves to read, spend time in the mountains, meet and work with folks interested in deepening their commitment to the Catholic faith, attend to her large flower garden, and walk and spoil her beautiful dog, Francie.

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Valarie Galing was born into an Air Force family and married Bernie, who was from an Army family. He graduated from West Point, and they became a military family. After several moves, they decided to make Nebraska their permanent home. Valarie has worked at St. Columbkille School for “a long time.” She graduated from American University in Washington D.C. with a BSN and worked in nursing management and administration. While a stay-at-home mom, she was asked to help until the end of the school year and is still here as the Director of Administrative Services. Her favorite job is teaching second grade Religious Education. She and her husband have two children and are expecting their second grandchild in February.

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Bill Heese grew up in Earling, Iowa, a small town of 500 people. He and his wife, Deb, were married in 1981, and have two adult children who are St. Columbkille School graduates. Bill has been the Maintenance and Grounds Coordinator since 1996. He and Deb have been active in the parish since 1990.

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Deacon David Krueger graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota with a major in International Relations and a minor in Film & Video. After six years as managing partner of a growth business, he was a Problem Solver for a Fortune 250 company. He joined St. Columbkille’s staff in 2007 as Director of Stewardship. He leads retreats for parish leaders around the country and is a Field Faith Advisor for Gallup’s Faith Division. He was ordained in 2004. He and his wife, VanNessa, have three children.

Judy Lauber was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota but has lived in Nebraska since she was three years old. She graduated from Shickley High School and Nebraska Business Institute in Lincoln. She and Deacon Lauber have been members of St. Columbkille Parish since 1969 and she has been the parish secretary since 1980. Judy she began teaching Religious Education (CCD) while in High School. At St. Columbkille Parish, she has been involved in: EMHC, Lector, Minister of Care, RENEW, small faith-sharing groups, Religious Formation catechist, Come and See, and the Pastoral Council. She and Deacon Lauber have five children, ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Judith O'Connor O’Connor was born in Monongahela, Pennsylvania and moved to Nebraska with her family as a baby. She worked at the Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic Schools Office and then Madonna School before coming to the Religious Education Department in July 2009. She and her husband Tim were married at St. Columbkille in 1980 and have three daughters who all attended St. Columbkille School.

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Sonja Puszewski was born in Nuenschweiler, Germany. She received a degree in Industrial Business and studied English as a second language. She worked for two shoe companies before coming to the United States in 1983. She has worked at St. Columbkille since 1994. She spent two years as a Kindergarten Aide and one year as a second grade aide. She has been the School Secretary ever since. She and her husband Steve were married in 1977 and their three daughters all attended the school.

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Judy Thome has been Director of Religious Formation at St. Columbkille Church since 2000, and served in a similar position at St. Wenceslaus Church. Her interest in faith formation as a lifelong process led her to receive a Master’s Degree in Religious Education from Loyola University, New Orleans. Judy enjoys the opportunity to be a special part of not only the children’s faith journey, but also their parents and other members of the parish community. Judy and her husband, Deacon Thome, were married in 1976, and have four children and four grandchildren.

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Curtis Edwards

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Art and Cathy Beccard

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Jim Dennis