Glory Be: Interesting People & How They Pray

Cindy Howard is the art teacher at the School of Saint Mary in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

She grew up in Tulsa a couple of blocks from the Hanisch family and attended St. Pius X Church. She graduated from the University of Tulsa with degrees in Marketing and Design.

Before joining the teaching staff at the School of Saint Mary, Cindy worked in advertising  and public relations at a variety of places and  taught computer design at Tulsa Community College, Tulsa Tech, and the University of Tulsa.  

She and her husband Bill have two grown children.

Dr. Marcel Brown is the headmaster of Holy Family Classical School. Dr. Brown, a native of Denver, graduated from The University of Dallas with a  degree in English prior to pursuing doctoral studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

He and his wife married in 2005. The couple served as team-teaching catechists at St. Rita Catholic  Church in northern Virginia while Dr. Brown worked to complete his dissertation on the centrality of the Eucharist for The York Cycle, the most prominent example of devotional drama in England prior to the life  and times of William Shakespeare. Upon completing his doctorate in English in 2013, Dr. Brown joined the faculty of St. Gregory’s University, teaching courses in literature and language, great books, the liberal arts, The York Cycle, Shakespeare, and Tolkien. During his  time at St. Gregory’s, Dr. Brown was also tapped to serve as  program-head for Great Books, University Seminar, the Academic Success Center, the Liberal Arts Core Capstone, and eventually Core Academic Programs as a whole.

When he is not reading, writing, and teaching, Dr. Brown enjoys conversing with his wife, making music with his family, and fishing shorelines of all kinds with his children.

Ernest Neal is the organist and choirmaster at Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Faith was always important to Ernest as he grew up in  south central Oklahoma, the son of a Southern Baptist preacher. When Ernest was old enough to play piano through a Sunday service, he became  the pianist at his father's church. 

Having completed two musical degrees, Ernest uses his gifts to help others pray at Holy Family Cathedral.

Susan Deax-Keirns is a marriage and family therapist and Director of behavioral health at Valley Springs Health and Wellness center in Northern California.

She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy from the University of Oklahoma and her Masters in Counseling psychology with a pastoral emphasis from Santa Clara University.

She worked in Campus Ministry at Santa Clara for 9 years, was a stay at home mom for 7 years, and has been working in the mental health field for the past 16 years. She has been married for 27+ years and has three children.

She is Sharron's identical twin sister.

V. Rev. Elkin J. González is a priest of the Diocese of Tulsa. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2008 and currently serves as Vicar General and Pastor of the Parish of Christ the King in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

He has a B.Ed in Philosophy and Religious Studies from UCO in Rionegro, Colombia; a MDiv from St. Meinrad School of Theology in Indiana, and a S.T.L. (Sacred Theology Licentiate) and S.T.D. (Sacred Theology Doctorate) in Spiritual Theology from the Pontifical Institute of Spirituality "Teresianum" in Rome. He is currently pursuing an MBA from NSU.

Fr. González has been Director of Vocations and member of different boards and ministries in the Diocese of Tulsa.

Bruce Sander, a seminarian for the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma, is currently in a pastoral year at the Church of Saint Mary in Tulsa.

Bruce earned his associates degree in Business and Enterprise Development from Tulsa Community College and In 2020 graduated from Conception Seminary College in Missouri with a bachelors degree in Philosophy.

Before entering seminary Bruce worked for 12 years for the Tulsa City County Library system. His hobbies include constructing model cars and various liturgical items, ham radio, and cooking.

Sr. Christine Ereiser entered the Benedictine Sisters at St. Joseph’s Monastery in Tulsa in 1984 and made perpetual vows in 1989.

She had graduated from Oral Roberts University in 1982 with a Bachelors degree in business administration and management and had received her  Masters degree in management for nonprofit organizations from the University of Notre Dame in 1996.

She served as prioress of St. Joseph Monastery here in Tulsa from 2007 until 2019 and recently returned from a much deserved sabbatical.

Very Reverend Gary Kastl was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese  of Tulsa in 2007.

He grew up in Perkins, Oklahoma and graduated from Conception Seminary College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts. He continued his theological studies and formation at St. Meinrad School of Theology in  Southern Indiana. 

Fr. Kastl has served as the Associate Pastor at the Church of Saint Mary, Pastor at St. Pius X, and Pastor of St. Anne Catholic Church.

He is currently the President of Bishop Kelley High School, the Rector  of Holy Family Cathedral, and one of three Associate Vocation Directors for the diocese of Tulsa and Eastern OK. He also serves as a consultant  for the Catholic Leadership Institute and as a board member for the St. Francis Health System.

Fr. Karl Kiser entered the Detroit province of the Society of Jesus in  Berkely, Michigan in 1986 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1997. This past June he was installed as Provincial of the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus. 

He grew up in Menomonie, Wisconsin and  holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Michigan State University. He studied Theology at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in  Cambridge, Massachusetts, at Comillas University in Madrid, Spain, and also at University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois. Fr. Kiser was superior of Loyola House, the Jesuit novitiate in Berkley, Mchigan (1998-2002), served as President of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy in Detroit, and was the pastor of Gesu Church in University Heights, Ohio.

How does a church staff pray?

Father Matt Gerlach, pastor of St. Anne Catholic Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and select members of his staff share how they kept their  rapidly growing suburban parish praying during the pandemic and beyond.

Laura Jones, Director of Parish Operations, Jacquelyn Bassett, Administrative Assistant, and Megan Polly, Director of Children's  Programming, continue to find innovative ways to connect with  parishioners when they're on and off campus.