Leadership & Councils

(1 vote)

What does the Parish Council do?

The Parish Council is an advisory leadership body, guided by the Holy Spirit and the Gospel, that assists the Pastor and the Parish Staff in discerning the needs of the Parish and, by recommending strategic goals and priorities, guides the Parish in fulfilling its mission as a Christian community.

A big part of fulfilling this mission is listening so we can understand the needs and concerns of our parish members. To that end, we invite you to get to know the council members, learn more about St. Monica, and voice your ideas and thoughts. One way to do this is by attending “Coffee with Council'' which is held on the first Sunday of each month after the 7:30 am and 9:30 am Masses. Just look for the sign or find anyone wearing their parish council badge and introduce yourself! Feel free to come by and just say hello!

The council would also like to make it easier for parishioners to discover, engage, and become involved in meaningful ways. To that end, Christine Gerety and Dominik Gnirs have respectively launched two new programs.

Navigators - This program assists individuals in identifying parish ministries and opportunities that are best suited to their talents.

Called and Gifted - This program helps individuals identify their charisms (gifts of the Holy Spirit) and how to best apply these through service to others.

We invite you to learn more about these ministries and explore the best opportunities for you at St. Monica! For a full list of all the ministries at St. Monica, click the “Ministry Councils” tab below.

I’m looking forward to the journey ahead and growing together in faith and community with all of you. In November of 2022, a group of over 50 pilgrims journeyed through the Holy Land. The trip was led by Msgr. Torgerson, Patricia Garcia and Merrick Siebenaler. It’s a trip that really makes the humanity of Jesus jump out and puts us in a place of humility, love, and friendship. It's disappointing that we had to postpone this year's trip due to the conflict. My hope is that many others will be able to experience this spiritual journey as we pray for peace in the Holy Land.

I invite you to share your thoughts, concerns, questions, and ideas with us. We have a dedicated email address which is continually monitored: - as well as a telephone contact (310) 566-1522 to leave a voicemail.

We thank you for your support and prayers.

Peace and God Bless,

Roland Labana

St. Monica Parish Council Chairperson

310-566-1522

What does the Parish Council do?

Navigators - This program assists individuals in identifying parish ministries and opportunities that are best suited to their talents.

Called and Gifted - This program helps individuals identify their charisms (gifts of the Holy Spirit) and how to best apply these through service to others.

We thank you for your support and prayers.

Peace and God Bless,

Roland Labana

St. Monica Parish Council Chairperson

310-566-1522

What is the Parish Council?

Parish Council

The Parish Council advises the Pastor on a wide range of issues including, but not limited to, developing a Pastoral Plan; providing feedback on ministry outreach; and shaping our response to public health crises. Effectively, the council acts as additional eyes, ears, and mouth of the Pastor.

Our Parish Council has been in place since 2000 and is led by our pastor, Msgr. Lloyd Torgerson, Roland Labana, Kelly Lill (Brooks), Director of Administration Felipe Sanchez, Director of Development & Strategic Communications Merrick Siebenaler, along with a maximum of two representatives for each of the six Ministry Councils, and four at-large members appointed by the pastor. Click the “Council Members” tab below to see all of the council members.

The Council’s deliberative process is guided by a Covenant Book that sets out its role as threefold: to investigate, ponder, and make recommendations on Parish matters. We meet bi-monthly, but will engage on urgent issues in between regular meetings as necessary.

The Council aims to reflect the diversity of voices in our Community, and its members are always open to feedback, ideas, and questions.

To reach the current Chair of our Parish Council, Roland Labana, contact parishcouncil@stmonica or call (310) 566-1522 to leave a voicemail. Depending upon the nature of your query, you may be connected with a specific Council member who may introduce your concern at a future meeting or discuss it with the Pastor directly.

Council Members

Kelly Lill, Chairperson
Ryan Barba, Vice Chairperson
Roland Labana, Advisor and Past Chairperson
Mugs Cahill, Worship & Liturgy Rep
James Pena, Administrative Rep
JD Carney, Faith Formation Rep
Michelle Youssef, Faith Formation Rep
Lisa Labana, Spiritual Care & Engagement Rep
Joe Darrow, Justice & Peace Rep
Kristen Kosinski, Justice & Peach Rep
Jennie DiPaolo, At-Large Member
Joanne Dietch, At-Large Member
Katie Sayegh, At-Large Member
Gabriel Sayegh, At-Large Member

Roland Labana, Chairperson

Roland Joined St. Monica about six years ago after relocating from Chicago. His first experience was a powerful one through the Bereavement Ministry. He has served on Hospitality, Cornerstone, Parish Council and other ministries. He co-led the 2018 Men's Cornerstone retreat and is currently its core team ministry leader. After retiring from a career in technology and holding senior positions at Motorola, Google and Snap Inc., Roland was looking for ways to give back. He found a perfect match in teaching Enginering part time at St. Monica Prep where he is currently enjoying this work! Roland and his wife Lisa enjoy family, travelling, hiking, cooking, and music.

Kelly Lill (Brooks), Vice Chairperson

Kelly was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona and attended University of San Diego. She is a CPA and for the past 12 years she has been the controller for a small agriculture company in Beverly Hills. She joined St. Monica in 2010. Her first Mass was on Father's Day, where Fr. Willy told a tear-jerking homily. Kelly jumped right in to getting involved in YMA and volunteered on Core Team and as an advisor for many years. She has also been a Eucharistic Minister and been a member of the Community Life Council. This is Kelly's 3rd year on the Parish Council. Kelly got married at St. Monica by Monsignor Torgerson in 2023 and has participated in the First 5 ministry with her husband, Chris. She looks forward to getting her son baptized at St. Monica this year, since Kelly and Chris are joyfully expecting! Kelly loves being a part of the St. Monica community and all the wonderful friends she has met here through the years. She enjoys traveling, spending time with family, friends, and her Goldendoodle, Melvin, and beer tasting wherever she goes.

Katie Sayegh, At-Large Member

Katie is originally from Chicago and lived in Detroit for 5 years before relocating to Los Angeles with her now husband, Gabriel. They joined the St. Monica community in 2018 and have served in many different ministries since then. Katie was a YMA Retreats core team member and advisor, is a station lead for the annual Thanksgiving Boutique, and cantors as part of the St. Monica Music Ministry. Katie and Gabriel were married by Monsignor in August of 2021 and are now on the leadership team for First5-- a ministry supporting couples in their first 5 years of marriage. They also celebrated the baptism of their Godson in February of 2023 and have shared many other life milestones with friends here over the years. Katie enjoys traveling the world, playing music, and exploring new restaurants. This is Katie's first year on Parish Council, and she's excited to make a difference.

Gabriel Sayegh, At-Large Member

Gabriel is an LA native who was lucky enough to be working in Detroit where meet his now wife, Katie. The couple found their way back to LA and joined St. Monica in 2018. Gabriel has helped lead YMA Vespers, the Thanksgiving Boutique, Men’s Cornerstone, Fishers of Men, and First5. He intertwines his love of music with his faith as a regular choir member at the Sunday 5:30pm Mass and can often be found expressing his love of cooking for others either in the kitchen or behind the bar at any given ministry event. Gabriel continues working on his personal relationship with God through reading, and he completed SEEL in 2024, which was an enlightening experience. Gabriel finds he is closest to the Spirit when he is either immersed in the sounds of nature or silent in the quiet meditation of Adoration. He couldn’t be more excited to be on Parish Council together with his wonderful wife!

Michelle Youssef, Faith Formation Rep

Michelle Youssef is a Catechetical Formation Consultant in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, helping parishes with intergenerational whole family catechesis and sacrament preparation. She earned a BA in Theology from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters in Pastoral Theology from Loyola Marymount University. Michelle is also a Pastoral Associate with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Michelle is a life-long Angelino. Early in her professional career, Michelle worked as a Theology teacher and Director of Campus Ministry at her alma mater Marymount High School before joining the Archdiocese's Office of Religious Education as the Elementary Consultant. From there, Michelle became the first Director of Faith Formation at the Cathedral of our Lady of the Angeles for eight years. Michelle’s time at St. Monica began in 1981 when she enrolled in Elementary School. In middle school, her theology teacher was Monsignor Torgerson himself! Michelle’s father, the late Nabih Youssef, was the structural engineer who helped save St. Monica after it was badly damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Michelle and her husband Geoffrey Forgione were married at St. Monica in 2007 and Michelle has served as a lector since then. Michelle and Geoff’s two daughters, Colette and Nadia Forgione, participate in the middle school program and Bridges of Faith respectively and both serve as altar servers at the 9:30a Sunday Mass. Currently, Michelle volunteers with the St. Monica faith formation team and leads the St. Monica Bridges of Faith Sunday school program for grades 3-5.

Mugs Cahill

Originally from the East Coast, Mugs studied Philosophy at Boston College and has a B.A., Economics from Trinity University. Attending mass at St. Monica during an LA visit, she knew that she had found a home and joined the St. Monica community after moving to Santa Monica for a career in screenwriting. Mugs began her service at St. Monica as a volunteer in the Religious Education program, and for the past 17 years she’s been a member of the Lector Ministry. In addition to serving as lector at Daily and Sunday masses, Mugs assists in the training, scheduling and fellowship for the ministry. She continues to be an avid student of Ignatian Spirituality and fulfilled a bucket list item during a trip to Spain when she prayed in the Cave of Mancresa.

Jennie DiPaolo

Jennie has been a member of St. Monica Parish for over 25 years. She first served on YMA's core team as a co-chair of their Peace and Justice Ministry. While serving for YMA, she met and married her husband Michael. All three of their children have been baptized at St.Monica and have attended St. Monica Preparatory School. She has continued to serve most years at the Thanksgiving Dinner and feels that this is one of the best outreach activities we do at St. Monica. As a triple degree Bruin, she currently has a tutoring business working with young learners in preschool through the 4th grade.

James Pena

james pena parish council picture

This is James's first year on the Parish Council. James has been a member of St. Monica Church for over 25 years. He is originally from Pacific Grove, CA and graduated with a degree in Theology from Georgetown University. At St. Monica's, James is on the core team of the Men’s Cornerstone Ministry, serves annually with his wife and daughter at the Thanksgiving Feast and Boutique and had previously served on the YMA Core Team as a co-chair of the Social Committee. While serving for YMA, James met and married his wife, Lisa. His daughter, Anna-Sophia was both baptized and confirmed at St. Monica and she attended St. Monica Preparatory School. For fun, James enjoys golfing and running along the beach.

Joanne Dietch

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Joanne joined St. Monica in 2010 and appreciates being part of our vital community. She helps
lead the St. Monica Film Club that regularly brings “screenings with meaning” to our Parish. She
serves as a Hospitality Minister and remains humbled to welcome and join others in worship.
Joanne is grateful for the many and varied volunteer activities at St. Monica and encourages
others to participate. She holds a BS in Journalism from Temple University’s College of Media
and Communication and spent her career developing and implementing communication
programs that would ease change in major businesses worldwide. Her career included a special
interest in health care issues as well as developing user-friendly web tools to increase employee
engagement, understanding and action. Joanne is finishing an eight-year term on the Board of
the Saban Community Clinic and served as a volunteer at Getty Center for 16 years.

Ryan Barba

This is Ryan's first year on the Parish Council, serving our Community Life Ministries. He is originally from Rhode Island and spent most of his life living in Boston, MA before moving to Los Angeles and joining St. Monica's 6 years ago. He works on the business leadership team at VCA Animal Hospitals and also has a small side business coaching prospective MBA candidates on their business school applications. At St. Monica's, Ryan is an active member of YMA and served on the YMA Core Team for two years. He is on the leadership team for the annual Thanksgiving Feast and Boutique, and is also a leader within the Cornerstone ministry. For fun, Ryan enjoys cooking and beach volleyball.

Ministry Councils

The Parish Council links all six of the St. Monica Ministry Councils.

In general, the purpose of each Ministry Council is to:

Develop goals for related ministries that are aligned with our Pastoral Plan and that enableour parishioners to live out their faith fully
Oversee the implementation of these goals and provide support to individual ministries.

Therefore, each of the over 100 ministries and activities in the St Monica Catholic Community is covered by a designated Ministry Council. Two representatives of each Ministry Council sit on the Parish Council. In this way, the needs, concerns, ideas, recommendations and voice of each ministry can be brought to the attention of the full Parish Council, the Pastor and the leadership team.

Below is a representative list of the Ministry Councils, their Staff Advisors, Council Reps, and some of their Ministries.

Worship and Parish Life Council

Staff Advisor: (Merrick Siebenaler)

Parish Council Representatives: Mugs Cahill

Hospitality, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministry, Sacristans, Altar Servers, General Liturgy Committee, First Friday Adoration, Funeral, Art & Environment, 5:30 Vigil Liturgy Team, 5:30 Sunday Liturgy Team, Liturgical Dance, Sacramental Prep (Marriage Information Nights, Infant Baptism Prep), Special Events (Seder Dinner, Simbang Gabi).

Administration Ministry Council

Staff Advisor: Felipe Sanchez

Parish Council Representative: James Pena

Administration Ministries, Holy Grounds, Strategic Planning (Five-year Plans), Human Resources, Leadership Development.

Spiritual Care & Engagement Council

Staff Advisor: Christine Gerety

Parish Council Representative: (Open)

Pastoral Care: Active duty prayer, Always Beginning, Bereavement Ministry, Health Ministry, Sick Ministry, Phoenix Ministry, Stephen Ministry, Unemployed Together

Spirituality Center: Giving the Exercises, Monthly Spiritual Dir., Spiritual Exercises

Engagement: Navigators, Called & Gifted support

Justice and Peace Council

Staff Advisor: Delis Alejandro

Parish Council Representative: Katherine Harding

Justice and Peace Ministries: Black Lives Matter Too, Catholic Social Teaching, Green Team, Habitat for Humanity, Incarcerated Ministry, Holiday Outreach, Holy Cross Africa, Hope at the Door, Loaves and Fishes, Thanksgiving Dinner, Homelessness, Welcome MIgrants, Plus Archdiocesan orgs

Community Life Ministry Council

Staff Advisor: Delis Alejandro

Parish Council Representatives: Mark Yee, Ryan Barba

Young Ministering Adults (YMA), Theology on Tap, Vespers, Retreats, Thanksgiving Dinner and Clothing Boutique, Film Club, Gay and Lesbian Outreach (GLO), Parish-wide Events (Pancake Breakfast, St Patrick’s Day Party, All-Parish Movie Night, Parish Picnic / Feast Day Events,Lenten Sunday Night Soup Suppers), Primetime, Boutique, Thirty-Five Through Forties (TTF).

Faith Formation Ministry Council

Staff Advisor: Diane Gasper

Parish Council Representative: Maria Lingbanan, JD Carney

RCIA, Men’s Cornerstone, Women’s Cornerstone, Confirmation Prep, First Eucharist Prep, Early Childhood, Religious Education Grades 1-8, Children’s Mass / Children’s Liturgy of the Word, Vacation Bible School, Voices of Faith (Catholic Conversations, Parish Missions, JimFinley meditation events), Small Groups (Advent, Lent, Thomas Merton, Legion of Mary,Christian Meditation), Fishers of Men, Women on the Journey, Scripture Encounter, Bridges of Faith.

Notes