Volunteer Spotlights Archive - The Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi

Volunteer Spotlight

Vicki Carrillo

Vicki Carrillo came by her volunteer spirit naturally. “As a child,” she remembers, “I grew up in a very religious family, and we were always participating in the community church. My mother continued that tradition of supporting the church with volunteer service in Mexico. Later, she moved to Oklahoma City and continued her volunteer work.” That inspiration and experience were all Vicki needed. “I started doing the same with my children about 18 years ago because we have faith that if we help others, they will help someone else,” she says, putting the ‘pay it forward’ concept into action!

December 4, 2025 No Comments

Volunteer Spotlight

Pam James

Pam James can weave, and not just a great story! Pam has been in Weaver’s Guilds, each with over 200 members, in three different states, Colorado, Texas, and North Carolina, and has been an avid weaver and mixed media artist for a long time. Every two years, there is a convention where she says, “Every well-known weaver attends and is probably teaching a class.” This past year, the convention was in Wichita, Kansas, where she entered a piece in the Mixed Media category and won 3rd Place!

September 12, 2024 No Comments

Volunteer Spotlight

Trish Villareal

Trish Villareal grew up as an Episcopalian, not a Catholic. When she married her husband Lou, who was raised Catholic, she knew the Catholic faith shared several similarities to high Episcopalian. She felt strongly that they should worship together, so Trish decided to take RCIA classes to become Catholic. That was one of the first steps in what has become a life of service.

August 29, 2024 No Comments

Volunteer Spotlight

Mae Villanueva

“Gratitude is a huge part of my personal experience of faith, and it drives me to volunteer in a variety of ministries,” says Mae Villanueva. As a school parent and frequent ministry volunteer, Mae is a continuous presence around the St. Francis campus.

August 15, 2024 No Comments

Volunteer Spotlight

Nancy Falanga

When Nancy Falanga thinks about her time in service at St. Francis, she unsurprisingly thinks of Jesus. Two phrases stick in her mind as she works in ministry: I hear, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you. Also, I think of the commandment, ‘Love your neighbor.’” She volunteers in the Emmaus and Stephen Ministries.

August 1, 2024 No Comments

Volunteer Spotlight

Michael and Julie Ducatte

When you go to Mass at St. Francis and appreciate the service’s beauty and the message’s impact, know there are many ‘behind the scenes’ people ensuring that special experience goes off without a hitch. Michael and Julie Ducatte are two of those who coordinate and make sure the Masses have the decorum and elegance befitting the weekly celebration of the Eucharist. “First and foremost, we want to make masses as beautiful as possible,” says Julie. “The liturgical ministries help everything flow smoothly. We want to serve because of our faith and enjoy being part of the Mass”. Michael adds, “As Mass Coordinators (MCs), we also have a teaching role, assisting the other ministers in training to serve at Mass.”

July 18, 2024 No Comments

Volunteer Spotlight

Jacob House

Coming from a “spiritual but not religious” family and choosing to be baptized Methodist as a teen, Jacob House has always been religious. However, his “high school crush’s invitation” to attend Catholic Mass with her family led him to Catholicism. Whatever the influence to join the Church, St. Francis has been the beneficiary of his decision to become an active member.

July 10, 2024 No Comments

Volunteer Spotlight

Tim Burns

Tim Burns loves basketball. As a former college basketball player, his passion for the game is unsurprising, but that passion has led to more. “When I moved to Raleigh shortly after college,” says Tim, “I immediately started volunteering at the YMCA as a referee. When I started dating my wife, we attended a few services at St Francis, and I noticed the basketball ministry contacts listed in the Church Bulletin.” The rest, as they say, is history.

June 23, 2024 No Comments

Volunteer Spotlight

Jim Sutton

Jim Sutton says he was fortunate to have the opportunity to explore his faith deeply as a teenager. “We were blessed to have a priest in my small hometown who started a youth center and was also responsible for developing the altar server ministry,” he recalls. “I was involved in the youth center, first as a member, then as a leader, and as a server at daily and Sunday masses, weddings, and funerals, and especially the feasts of Christmas and Easter, where I was a Master of Ceremonies.”

June 6, 2024 No Comments

Volunteer Spotlight

Mary Cockrill

You can find Mary Cockril on Wednesdays during the school year “MC’ing” (Master of Ceremony) at the school Mass with her ‘partner in crime’ Joanie Madormo. As usual, the Mass goes off without a hitch, even when Father Jim is saying the Mass. However, that’s only a tiny glimpse into all Mary does at St. Francis.

May 23, 2024 No Comments

Vicki Carrillo

Pam James

Trish Villareal

Mae Villanueva

Nancy Falanga

Michael and Julie Ducatte

Jacob House

Tim Burns

Jim Sutton

Mary Cockrill

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