Board of Directors
Jozef de Groot Scottsdale, Arizona
Jozef de Groot has lived in Scottsdale, Arizona (and been a member of St. Patrick Catholic Community) since 1984. He is currently married, is “Pop” to five children, and “Opa” to seven. At age nine he emigrated from the Netherlands to California’s Central Valley. He was raised and educated in California but has lived in Arizona since 1968. His education was mostly in Franciscan seminaries: St. Anthony’s High School in Santa Barbara, a college degree from San Luis Rey College (majoring in philosophy), and three years of theology in Santa Barbara. After leaving the seminary, he worked thirty-four years as a counselor, supervisor and manager for Rehabilitation Services Administration - which provides vocational and independent living rehabilitation services for individuals with physical and/or mental disabilities. He has been an SCC member since 1990 and is currently the coordinator for the parish’s SCC “Core Team”. Jozef has also volunteered his time over the last seven years as a member of the Valley Interfaith Project which is part of the Arizona Interfaith Network: i.e. community organizing for social justice. He is also a recent JustFaith graduate.
Ana Garcia, San Bernardino CA 
Ana has been the secretary for the Office of Small Faith Communities in the Diocese of San Bernardino for four years. She has just received her AA in Liberal Arts from Chaffey Community College and plans to continue on to Cal State San Bernardino to receive her Bachelor’s in Sociology. Ana is an active member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish where she has been a catechism teacher for the past 8 years. Her goal is to continue to be of service to leaders, members and all who are dedicated to the ministry of Small Faith Communities.
Mary Ann Jeselson, Ho Ho Kus, NJ
Mary Ann is a wife, mother, grandmother and retired teacher. Mary Ann serves on the SCC Core Community of her parish, Presentation in Upper Saddle River, NJ. She and her husband, Steve, have been members of their SCC, the Sojourners, for more than ten years. Committed to social justice issues, she prays and works for the success of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, particularly the eradication of extreme poverty and the insurance of environmental sustainability.
Pati Krasensky, Philadelphia, PA
Currently the Director of the Marianist Center in Philadelphia. The Center works with Marianist Lay Communities to offer support and networking, as well as formation and leadership training.
My educational background is in accounting and organizational management –more recently I have pursued education and training in lay leadership, Spiritual Direction, and have taken numerous online courses with UD’s virtual learning community on faith based and theological topics.
My hopes for SCCC is to expand its relevance to Small Christian Communities by encouraging networking opportunities as well as sharing of resources, both professional and all those wonderful resources that communities come up with on their own, that are often hidden or unknown – and unshared and to challenge all small Christian communities to reach out beyond themselves and engage in the greater Church and the world.
Catherine Nerney, Philadelphia, PA
Cathy, a Sister of St Joseph from Philadelphia, and a systematic theologian, has been working with small communities at the parish, diocesan and national levels since 1982. She first addressed Buena Vista at its inaugural session in 1987. As co-founder of the North American Forum on Small Communities in 1984, she has been closely affiliated with all three national organizations serving the small Christian community movement here in the United States. Her great desire to work with Buena Vista/SCC Connection at this time emerges from her growing conviction that it is more urgent today than ever to promote the life of the Church at it’s most basic level, that of small communities. At a time when diocesan and parish priorities are shifting, she envisions SCC Connection as the prime motivator of this pastoral work and stimulator of its vision, since Buena Vista originated as a prophetic conviction of grassroots people. As an idea person and a good strategizer, Cathy brings a passion for people, an understanding for organizational development and a commitment to hope as the virtue most characteristic of and needed by communities on this pilgrim journey.
Sue Provost
Sue Provost is married with four children and four grandchildren. She is an active spiritual director, religious education teacher for both children and adults, and author of Where is God in Your Life? Three Retreats in Christian Spirituality.
Sue has a master’s degree in Spiritual Formation from Regis University, in Denver Colorado. She is the chairperson for SCC in her local parish. She writes a daily blog about the message of Jesus on her site “Let Your Life Sing” . Sue goal in live is to bring awareness that Jesus walking with us on this earthly journey
Jeanne J. Sando, Carlsbad, CA
Steve Valenzuela, San Bernadino, CA
Steve is currently the Director of the Office of Small Faith Communities and a Master Catechist for the Diocese of San Bernardino. He completed his studies for the MA in pastoral theology from Loyola-Marymount University in Los Angeles. He studied religion and communications as an undergraduate at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Over the past 19 years, as a professional lay ecclesial minister, Steve has held various positions in the diocese including campus minister at state university, parish pastoral associate and coordinator the diocese’s lay ministry institute. Steve is committed to helping the movement of small Christian communities grow and he sees Small Christian Community Connection as an important vehicle for that growth. He wishes to use his gifts and talents to help build up the multicultural and multilingual aspects of the movement.
Advisors to the Board of Directors
Peter Eichten, Minneapolis, Mn
Pete is the Parish Administrator at the Church of St. Joan of Arc in Minneapolis, MN. Peter, and his wife Jane, are returned Peace Corps Volunteers (Iran 1970-72). They have five children, and two grandchildren. Peter spent ten years in the retail shoe business and has been working for the church since 1984. He has a BA in History & Education and an MA in Theology from St. John's University in Collegeville, MN. He has been a Buena Vista member since 1991, and has served on the Board twice, from 1994 – 98, and from 2003 – 06.
Nora Petersen, Alameda, CA
Nora Petersen is Pastoral Associate for Adult Faith Formation at St. John Vianney in suburban Walnut Creek, CA. She has spent many years in parish and diocesan offices developing and supporting small Christian communities, including coordinating RENEW for the Diocese of Oakland. Nora has been a member of many small communities; women’s groups, family community and, with her husband, was part of a community that was together for over 25 years. She credits those experiences in faith communities with her passion for, and commitment to, the mission of Jesus.
Administrative Assistants to the Board of Directors
Bill & Jeanne Breay, Arvada, Co
Bill & Jeanne serve as Assistants to the Board of Directors. Their responsibilities include handling and responding to the mail, send out all necessary mailings for membership renewals and all membership mailings, respond to phone calls and e-mails, keeping the member data base up to date, maintain the resource inventory, ship resources as orders are received, do the bookkeeping, handle special projects as assigned by the board and keep the board up to date on all business matters. Bill prepares the layout for Ink, Buena Vista’s newsletter and The Resource Page and is the webmaster for Buena Vista’s website buenavista.org. Bill’s professional background in computer software development has proven to be very advantageous in the fulfillment of these responsibilities. In 1973 as their new parish, Spirit of Christ Catholic Community in Arvada CO, was being formed Jeanne was part of a group that implemented small Christian communities in the parish, while Bill was a member of the building committee and served as president of the first parish council. Bill & Jeanne have belonged to the Oilers SCC for 30 years. They joined Buena Vista in 1991. Bill & Jeanne have 6 grown children and 17 grandchildren.
