Get to Know Our Staff
Rochester Catholic is an initative of the Rochester parishes seeking to connect young adults to Christ and His Church. Our staff is a mixture of paid and volunteer coordinators representing all the parishes in the city. Contact any one of them for more information about getting involved in a parish and to see what's going on for young adults in the local Catholic Church.
Briana is a relatively recent border jumper from Wisconsin, who works in the Cytogenetics lab at Mayo. She graduated from College of Saint Benedict and has aspirations of earning a master’s in Genetic Counseling in the future. As a member of Holy Spirit, Briana accepted this position to reach out to other young adults and has appreciated the opportunity to expand and share her faith in a welcoming and knowledgeable community. In her free time, she enjoys running, volunteering in advocacy roles, and learning about new things.
Dana Petricka received her undergrad and masters in Architecture at North Dakota State University. Through experiencing a conversion to a deeper relationship with Jesus and asking Him what He wanted her to do in her life, she decided to serve as a missionary with FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, for three years on the campuses of Eastern Illinois University and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Prior to moving back home to Minnesota, she worked as the Coordinator of Youth Ministry at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Columbus, Indiana for two years. She loves her job, her family and friends, and most importantly Jesus. She also enjoys her rare nights off upon which she likes to cook, clean, and go for a run.
Brian is an Illinois native who came to Minnesota his sophomore year of college and never left! He finished his philosophy degree and continued studying historical theology in the MAT program at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. He currently serves the parish of St. Francis as Coordinator of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry. You might find him playing music around town, or geeking out about Church history over a cup of coffee. Brian is married to one of Rochester Catholic School's finest, Michelle, and they have one son, James Finnian.
Zach is originally from the Twin Cities, but like many left town for college. In his second year at the University of Minnesota Duluth he met somebody who loves Jesus more than anything or anybody and the encounter changed his life. The following year he transferred to the University of Saint Thomas for it's Catholic Studies program and is currently putting that experience to work as the Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministry at Pax Christi in Northwest Rochester. Zach is married to Suzanne, a pediatric nurse at St. Mary's, and they have two energetic and crazy, but beautiful, little girls named Sydney and Juliette. He is on the Board of Directors for St. James Coffee and loves to read, throw a Frisbee, and sit around campfires on cool fall nights. Steer clear of Zach whenever the Wild, Twins, or Patriots lose.
After growing up in Omaha, Nebraska and wandering around the Midwest for school, Philip arrived in Rochester to serve at St. John’s. He’s grateful for the opportunity to share with people the faith that has been so formative in his life. He enjoys listening to people’s questions about God, the Church, and life as a whole. Philip is curious about what drives and sustains people and has worked with interfaith organizations, with communities striving for the common good, and in groups that seek ways for all people’s voices to be heard. He graduated from St. Olaf College, majoring in religion and ethnic studies, and recently graduated from the University of Notre Dame’s Master of Divinity program. Philip is joyfully married to his wife, Lisa. They enjoy exploring the outdoors all seasons of the year.