Pastoral Council

Divine Mercy is seeking to fill four seats on our Pastoral Council.  We’ve been blessed to have six candidates from our nominees willing to serve the parish in this capacity.  We are pleased to present these individuals for your consideration and ask you to pray for them and our Council.  


Laurie Nerat
Laurie is a retired teacher of 42 years. She has been a registered member of the parish since 2023. Laurie has lived in Oak Creek for 28 years. She has 3 children and 2 grandchildren.
Tell us about your Parish Involvement – I go to adoration and Mass every day (Mon - Sat) when I am able.  I take the opportunity to go to Eucharistic Adoration whenever I can, including First Thursdays and First   Fridays. I am a Eucharistic Minister and Sacristan.  I lead the rosary after Mass on the second Tuesday of the month, and I participate in a rosary group on Thursdays. I am the co-facilitator of the Bereavement  Ministry. 
Tell us about your community service and hobbies – I play cards at the Senior Center. I enjoy line    dancing at the Wilson Senior Center. I play guitar and lead the singing at the River of Life prayer group at St. Matthias.  I am also a member of the Moose Lodge in Milwaukee.
What do you like most about the parish? – I like all the opportunities to pray and get closer to God. I am truly appreciative of all the wonderful people and friends that I have met in the short time I have been a parishioner.  The people at Divine Mercy are like a family to me.
What are your two greatest concerns for the parish? – 
What gifts or experiences do you bring to the council? I listen to people and share their concerns. I have been on two parish councils in the past.
Why do you feel called to serve on the Council? – I was blown away when a prominent member of the council invited me to be a nominee.  After praying about it, I felt that if this is what God wants me to do, I am ready to step up and do it.
How do you feel you can contribute to Divine Mercy? – I am a leader, I am a listener, I desire to do God’s will.
 

 Renee Ciesielczyk       
Renee, who works as a Business Intelligence Administrator, comes from a large family that has been part of our parish for over 70 years. She grew up here, was baptized, received her First Communion and Confirmation, and married Jim at our parish. After leaving the area to pursue their careers, Renee and Jim returned 25 years ago. Since 1999, Renee has been an active parish member. She and Jim have three adult children.
Tell us about your Parish Involvement – I actively participate in weekly Mass and serve as a Eucharistic Minister. I volunteer at the St. Vincent de Paul meal program and have a long history of involvement in our parish. Many years ago, I served on the Christian Women board and was the Bar Chairperson for the parish Funfest for several years.
Tell us about your community service and hobbies – I enjoy movies, sports and spending time with my family. I am passionate about volunteering, particularly for MS and ALS fundraisers, as well as at St. Vincent de Paul. Additionally, I served as the past president of the Oak Creek Girls Basketball Booster Club and had been involved with Divine Mercy Christian Women group in the past.
What do you like most about the parish? – I cherish the community and the strong sense of belonging it provides.
What are your two greatest concerns for the parish? – The continued growth of new parishioners and the shortage of priests.
What gifts or experiences do you bring to the council? – I am always willing to lend a hand and am known for being outgoing and friendly. I thrive in team environments, collaborating effectively with others to achieve our common goals.
Why do you feel called to serve on the Council? – As I continue to grow in faith, I aspire to help others and contribute to making Divine Mercy a thriving parish. My deep commitment to community involvement drives me to actively participate and support our parish's growth and success.
How do you feel you can contribute to Divine Mercy? – I feel that I am approachable and can talk with just about anyone. I believe deeply in our parish and am committed to building our faith and community, not only for ourselves but for our children and future generations.

 
Patrice Van Hyle
Patrice is a French & Italian translator and teacher. She is also conversational in Japanese & Spanish and has been attending the parish since 2005.
Tell us about your Parish Involvement – Patrice participates in the following activities: Mondays, Rosary Prayer Group, Tuesdays, St. Anthony Devotional Group, Wednesdays, Adoration. Patrice is a Eucharist   Minister to the Homebound and was a Confirmation sponsor.  She enjoys public speaking and has given many talks over the years to the Christian Women’s Group, Adult Formation Speaker Series, Confirmation Candidates, Abide Friday Prayer, and the St. Anthony Devotional Group.
Tell us about your community service and hobbies – I am an active member/volunteer in Milwaukee for the French Alliance (Language Club) and in Chicago for the Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters. I have played flute since the age of 9 and have enjoyed playing Christmas music for the past several years at Divine Mercy’s Grief Support Christmas Party. I also love to dance!
What do you like most about the parish? – I love the many outreach ministries and worship opportunities offered at Divine Mercy! The parish is alive, vibrant and the Holy Spirit is at work. People are warm and friendly and willing to donate their time and talent. It is a faith-filled community that feels like home.
What are your two greatest concerns for the parish? –  It is important to me to make sure the parish can always support the spiritual needs of parishioners through its outreach efforts.
What gifts or experiences do you bring to the council? – I was a Maryknoll lay missionary in Tokyo, Japan for 4 ½ years    involved in a variety of ministries: English Language Program Coordinator at a Catholic orphanage, Pastoral work/Migrant  advocacy at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish, Mentor to Japanese young adults preparing for overseas mission work, Contributing writer/editor for Catholic news publications in Asia, Ministry to the Homeless. Before that, I lived in NYC for 9 years and was  active in my parish, St. Francis Xavier, serving on the Parish Life Committee and as a Catechist.
Why do you feel called to serve on the Council? – After returning from Japan, I earned a Certificate in Christian Ministry from Alverno College and worked soon after at St. Eugene’s Parish as Coordinator of Religious Education (grades 6-11). I enjoyed working with volunteer catechists and parents to develop their teaching skills and feel a call once again to take on a leadership role here at Divine Mercy.
How do you feel you can contribute to Divine Mercy? – I am a happy, enthusiastic person who loves God and wants to see the Church flourish. I enjoy sharing God’s love with others while having fun!
 
 
 
Samantha Panasewicz      
Samantha works as an actuary at Northwestern Mutual and has been a parish member since 2024. She  married Kyle Panasewicz in September of 2023. Samantha is originally from Bloomingdale, IL, where both Samantha and Kyle’s families reside. Samantha has lived in South Milwaukee for 3 1/2 years. 
Tell us about your Parish Involvement – I am a lector at Mass. I am part of the Theology on Tap (young adult) program and a member of the Women’s retreat planning committee. Previously in Bloomingdale, at St. Isidore parish, I was a lector, choir member, catechist, and a member of the stewardship council. 
Tell us about you community service and hobbies – My hobbies are crafting, baking, and going on walks as well as spending time with my family. I am an ambassador for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for childhood cancer research and volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House. 
What do you like most about the parish? – I love how welcoming Divine Mercy was when we first joined! 
What are your two greatest concerns for the parish? – I’d love to see more people get involved and raise their hand to   volunteer for various parish activities and ministries. I would love to see an increase in the attendance at Mass, specifically young families and young adults so that the parish could flourish for generations to come. 
What gifts or experiences do you bring to the council? – I bring experiences from my former parish to the parish council. My gift of positivity can be an asset. As a new parishioner, I can bring a fresh set of eyes to any issue the parish is facing. 
Why do you feel called to serve on the Council? – I was approached to consider joining the parish council. I took that as a sign from the Holy Spirit to be a more active parishioner at beautiful Divine Mercy. I want to share my gifts with the parish. 
How do you feel you can contribute to Divine Mercy? – I feel that I can represent and be a voice to the young adults in the  parish and greater Milwaukee community. As a new parishioner, I can bring a new and fresh lens to the parish, as well as provide new ideas for the parish. 


Mark Nies     
Mark is retired from a career in business-to-business sales and customer service. Mark has been married for 43 years to his wife Astra and has lived in South Milwaukee for 34 years. Mark has two children, Matthew and Tiffany and two grandchildren, Marshall and Alyssa.
Tell us about your Parish Involvement – I am a parish member.
Tell us about your community service and hobbies – My hobbies are music, reading, historical and     euro/family gaming and motorcycle riding, I have worked on hobby convention boards in the past.
What do you like most about the parish? – The rich heritage of the city of South Milwaukee shows   proudly in the parish.
What are your two greatest concerns for the parish? – How the parish can bring people back to the church and how the parish can be of more a community asset in the future.
What gifts or experiences do you bring to the council? – I like to think about new ways the parish can reach out and be of  assistance.
Why do you feel called to serve on the Council? – I feel that I am a creative thinker and can look at things “out of the box”.
How do you feel you can contribute to Divine Mercy? – I believe I can help make a difference.
 
 
 
 Mary Jean (MJ) Kais    
 MJ is a retired operating room technician and surgical assistant. She has been a registered member of the parish since 2001. Before her current tenure, she was a member between 1948 and 1989. MJ was born and raised in South Milwaukee. She is the youngest of 3 children, having two older brothers. MJ is single and has no children.
Tell us about your Parish Involvement – MJ served on the very first parish council of the former St/ John’s parish representing the youth of the parish at age 18. She is serving on the Parish Life committee, serves as a Eucharistic Minister, she serves as an acolyte and sacristan for funerals and helps sort and      record weekly Mass contributions.
Tell us about your community service and hobbies – I drove for Interfaith for 8 years. I donate to the Divine Mercy food  pantry and Human Concerns. I serve the Sisters of St. Francis, passing their food trays and visiting with them every Friday    evening. Every other year I served on a surgical mission to the Philippines for 16 years. I worked with Hmong and Htin (Lua)  refugees in Thailand for 14 months.
What do you like most about the parish? – The parishioners can take an active role in the parish worship and activities, Divine Mercy’s involvement in the community. There is something for everyone’s interest.
What are your two greatest concerns for the parish? – The dwindling numbers of parishioners and the lack of parishioners involved in worship and activities.
What gifts or experiences do you bring to the council? – My knowledge of my parish and the community over the last 50 years. I am retired, so I have the time that can be contributed to the parish. I do have a good sense of humor.
Why do you feel called to serve on the Council? – Three parish members approached me to consider it. I am currently serving on the Parish Life committee.
How do you feel you can contribute to Divine Mercy? – Time, talent, and treasure!