Here are the seven candidates for participation on the SKD Parish Pastoral Council, listed in alphabetical order. Elections will be held over the weekend of May 21 and 22, 2022 in the church.
Carol Colangelo
I have been married to my wonderful husband, Dan, for 16 years. Together we have 3 children, Aaron (12), Gianna (10), and Kenny (8). I have been a catechist for our Faith Formation program for the past 6 years. In 2019, I also became an EMHC. Dan and I feel strongly about raising our children in the faith and about being active members of our parish. We are thankful to have found a home at SKD.
Peter DiRocco
I was born and raised in Harrisburg, PA and attended Catholic elementary, middle and high school. I graduated from the University of Scranton which is a Jesuit University. I have been married to my beautiful wife Lisa for 34 years. We have 3 children: Alex, Adam and Danielle. My family and I have been faithful members of Saint Katharine Drexel for approximately 26 years (since 1996).
I have been working for the Department of the Navy for approximately 38 years in various roles such as Supply Chain and Logistics Management. Currently, I am a Supervisory, IT Project Manager and lead a team of 20 direct reports in the Logistics Solutions Department. I am involved in various ministries at Saint Katharine Drexel which include: Charter Member of That Man is You, Charter Member of Knights of Columbus (4th Degree), Highly involved in Scripture Interpretation studies, I would like to be considered for a seat on the Saint Katharine Drexel Parish Council.
Karen Jenkins
Karen is a convert to the Catholic faith, has been a member of SKD for the past seven years. As a convert, Karen brings a fresh perspective and new ideas to parish life issues. She has been involved in supportive roles for several parish activities, most recent being the Parish Mission. She completed the Women’s 94th Cursillo in 2017. In her work life, she dedicated her career focus primarily in the child welfare, justice, and mental health systems at the local, state, and national levels. Most recently, she managed a federal grant related to the Mental Health needs of Pennsylvania youth and young adults experiencing mental health issues. Through this experience she became increasingly aware of the absence of faith and feelings of hopelessness many of the youth expressed. An important focus, if accepted to the Parish Board, would be to identify community outreach strategies to attract youth, young adults and young families to the parish, providing them vibrant opportunities to grow in their faith.
Tom Jenkins
Tom is a lifelong Catholic and a member of the SKD Parish for the past seven years serving as a lector, member of the Parish Mission Committee, initiator of the Mass Journals, participant in the TMIY program and 3rd degree member of the Knights of Columbus. In his career he worked in the public and private sector at both the State and National level. He administered the PA Office of Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice. In addition, he served as the COO of a national non profit residential program for juvenile offenders and COO of a publicly traded adult corrections company. Most recently he was the CEO of the Nurse Family Partnership an internationally renowned nurse home visiting program for women pregnant with their first child and living in poverty. This highly acclaimed evidence based program served as an alternative to abortion for many young moms. Throughout his career and in his family life Tom has demonstrated his passion for his faith, family and community. His goal, as a member of the Parish Board, is to assist our parish to grow in faith and numbers through community outreach and evangelization.
Patrick Plummer
For nearly two decades, I’ve been blessed and honored to be an SKD parishioner and lector. I’m currently a business professor at Penn State. My wife Carolyn and I have two wonderful daughters, Grace and Catherine, who both graduated from Trinity and now attend PSU. I’m interested in the Pastoral Council as a way to use my talents to give back to the Church. God’s been great to me.
Brian Rose
I was born the son of a first generation Roman Catholic, Italian-American in Bellefonte. I am married to my wife Deb and we are the parents of two sons, Dominic and Dante. We have been members of St. Katharine Drexel since we moved to Central PA from the Allentown area 18 years ago. I have been employed at the same insurance company since 1995. I graduated from Bloomsburg University in 1991 with an undergraduate degree, and graduated from the Cleveland-Marshall School of Law in 1994. I am excited to be nominated for the Pastoral Council and my goal is to learn more about the parish and to use my talents for the betterment of the parish. Thank you for the consideration of being part of the Pastoral Council.
Taylor Schlank
Taylor lives in Mechanicsburg, PA with his wife, Holly, and their two children Eleanor and Joseph. He joined SKD in May 2021 and would like to serve on the pastoral council to be of use to the congregation as it grows and changes.
