Meet the Newest Members of Our Parish Council
There is common theme with all of our new members, when asked “Why do you want to be on the Parish Council?” They all answered they were looking to be more involved in the parish in one way or another. What a varied background these men all seem to have!
We sat down with each of our new parish council members, and asked to learn a little more about them, their parish involvement, their families, and their favorite things. We hope you are able to get to know each of these council members in person over the coming months!
Pat O’Brien
Pat not only works for the Illinois State Treasurer Office, he also serves on the Moline City Council. He brings great skill and experience to our parish. Pat is interested in our parish social activities.
Pat is a widow, whose wife was Celia. Many knew Celia as one of our lectors at 11:00 a.m. Mass, which Pat still attends today. He has one child, Kelly, married to Jeff Sidor. His grandchildren are Owen and Ian.
Pat loves Italian food, and especially enjoys Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse. When asked where he would like to travel, a person would expect Italy to be his answer, but instead, he replied Spain and Portugal.
Jerry O’Leary
Jerry is a retired member of the Local 25 Plumbers and Pipefitters. He was involved in protecting the welfare of its members and even worked with arbitrators. With his obvious talents, he will be able to work with Fr. Mark to help keep our campus in shape.
Jerry and his wife Julie attend our 7:00 a.m. Mass. Their daughter, Pam Stiffler, graced Jerry and Julie with a granddaughter, Sarah. Their daughter, Virginia Schuette brought them twins, Brett and Kelli.
Jerry loves to cook salmon, but if it is a night out that they are looking to enjoy, they head off to Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse. When asked where Jerry would like to travel next, with a smile, he said “anywhere that is warm in the winter!”
Ed Mulvaney
Ed is a retired high school teacher from Sterling, IL, and is a substitute teacher at both Alleman and Seton. At St. Mary’s in Sterling, Ed served on the Parish Council and Finance Committee. Ed is bringing many talents with him to Sacred Heart.
Ed and his wife Janice can be seen most often at 4:00 p.m. Mass. Their daughter, Alice, blessed them with triplet granddaughters. Their son, Stephen, is trying to balance the scales by blessing them with two grandsons.
Some worldly memories Ed shared were his and Janice’s first vacation to Japan after they stopped in Hawaii. When Ed retired, they flew off to Ireland for a tour. And last year at Thanksgiving, they decided to head to France, staying at a horse farm and then heading off to the Normandy beaches. They also saw the Bayeaux tapestry, recounting William the Conqueror’s conquest of England, and Mont St. Michael. But they are not done. They are looking forward to a Mississippi River Boat excursion so they can add a number of states to their lists of travel locals.
Dane De Decker
What has Dane experienced in his young life? Well, it’s a good thing this is an electronic version of our Heartbeat, because the list is long! Dane is a Culinary School graduate, and previously a Benedictine Monk of the St. Meinrad Archabbey located in St. Meinrad, IN. Today, Dane works as an Insurance Representative giving him business, budget, and marketing skills.
Dane, who is single, attends our 11:00 a.m. Mass. Asking Dane what drew him to Sacred Heart Parish, we heard about his Belgian heritage and how excited he is to mimic the determined Belgian immigrants who built this beautiful church that houses our Sacred Heart Parish. Like his Belgian ancestors, Dane is eager to give back to the parish while growing in his faith.
What is Dane’s favorite movie? “Saving Private Ryan”.
We are excited and looking forward to working with these four gentlemen on our Parish Council and seeing where they lead us.