Last updated: 
January 04, 2008

Clergy & Staff

Alphabetical listing, by last name:

Rev. Joseph Knerr

 

Pastor
Office Phone: (714) 970-2771, Ext. 113
E-mail: JosephK@smdpyl.org

 

Our pastor, Rev. Joseph Knerr grew up in Fullerton near St. Mary Church. This is where he was Baptized and made his First Communion.  Fr. Joe said that there wasn’t room in St. Mary School because of all the baby boomers so he went to school on the eastside of town at St. Mary Annex until fifth grade. This became St. Juliana Parish and School in 1965.  Then, his family moved to Orange in 1965.  There was no room in Holy Family School.  St. Norbert School had just opened and at the time only went up to the fourth grade, so his parents enrolled him in Saint Catherine Military School where he graduated in 1968.  He then decided to go to Queen of Angels Seminary High School in San Fernando.  From there he went to St. John Seminary College and Theology.  Fr. Joe was ordained to the priesthood for service in the Diocese of Orange in 1980.  He served as a parochial vicar at St. John the Baptist in Costa Mesa (1980-1984), St. Bonaventure in Huntington Beach (1984-1987), St. Norbert in Orange (1987-1992), St. Boniface in Anaheim (1992-1994).  Fr. Joe was made pastor of Holy Spirit Church in Fountain Valley in 1994 where he served until coming to St. Martin de Porres Church on July 1, 2003.

 

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Rev. Thai Trinh

 

Parochial Vicar
Office Phone: (714) 970-2771, Ext. 115
E-mail: ThaiT@smdpyl.org

 

Father Thai Trinh was born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, his father served as an officer in the army against the invading Communists, then became a P.O.W. (Prisoner of War), later escaped the country by himself as one of the “boat people” and a political refugee. His father finally sponsored the entire family to the U.S. Fr. Thai has two brothers, three sisters, and eight nieces and nephews, all now living in California. He studied language and literature in the University of Saigon and has been living in Orange County, California, since 1992. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science at U.C. Irvine—planning to become a dentist—but then decided to join St. John's Seminary, Camarillo, for his Priestly Formation Program and graduated with a Master of Divinity degree and a Master of Arts degree in Spiritual Theology. Fr. Trinh was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Orange on June 11, 2005. He has served the community of Our Lady Queen of Angels Church, Newport Beach, as his first assignment since his Ordination. His second assignment is at St. Martin de Porres Church, Yorba Linda, in Summer 2008.

 

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Denis Zaun

 

Deacon/Parish Director
Office Phone: (714) 970-2771, Ext. 130
E-mail: DenisZ@smdpyl.org

 

Deacon Denis Zaun was born and raised in North Dakota attending Catholic grade and high school there. He received his BS in Business and an MBA Degree from North Dakota universities, and served as a Finance Officer in Germany with the US Army. He returned to North Dakota and began his career in aerospace manufacturing working in North Dakota, Wisconsin and California.

In 2001, Denis left aerospace and accepted a paid position with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Orange County as their Development Director, and was promoted to Executive Director two years later. Also in 2001, he began the formation program leading to ordination as Deacon in April 2005.

Denis and his wife Peggy live in Yorba Linda and have been members of St. Martin de Porres Church for over 20 years. Their two grown children and grandchildren also live in Yorba Linda.

 

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Pam Bender

 

Children's Faith Formation Director
Office Phone: (714) 970-2771, Ext. 201
E-mail: PamB@smdpyl.org

 

Pam Bender has been a member of the parish since it was established in 1970. In 1979, she joined a group of friends to create the “Us in The Son” day camp, and served as a camp counselor and/or director for the first seven years. Pam graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a major in child development and a minor in religious studies. She received her teaching credential from Chapman College, and went on to teach elementary and junior high grades at St. Boniface Catholic School in Anaheim for nine years before taking her current position at St. Martin's. Today, she serves as our Children’s Faith Formation Director, work she enjoys very much. Pam has also conducted presentations for the Diocese in the areas of evangelization and catechesis, and is a chaplain for the Catholic Detention Ministry.

 

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Jeff Cassidy

 

Maintenance Manager
Office Phone: (714) 970-2771, Ext. 121
E-mail: JeffC@smdpyl.org

 

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TBA

 

Children's Faith Formation Assistant
Office Phone: (714) 970-2771, Ext. 202
E-mail: LizD@smdpyl.org

 

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Liz Diggin

 

 

 

Parish Secretary
Office Phone: (714) 970-2771, Ext. 110
E-mail: LizD@smdpyl.org

 

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Becki Krupsky

 

Office Assistant/Payroll
Office Phone: (714) 970-2771, Ext. 111
E-mail: BeckiK@smdpyl.org

 

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Shannon Nichols Kwan

 

 

Director Youth Faith Formation
Office Phone: (714) 970-2771, Ext. 131
E-mail: ShannonN@smdpyl.org

 

 

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Roz Odion

 

 

Liturgy Coordinator
Office Phone: (714) 970-2771, Ext. 116
E-mail: RozO@smdpyl.org

 

Roz Odion began serving at St. Martin's as a Sunday School teacher in 1983. In 1987, she and five other women from the parish formed the women's group, W.I.N.G.S. (Women In God's Spirit), which focuses on prayer, scripture study, and small groups. She also was involved in parish-sponsored women's retreats. Roz has served as lector, eucharistic minister, and member of the liturgy committee. In 1996, she was hired as assistant to the faith formation director. In 1998, Roz became the liturgy coordinator and later received her Diocesan certification in basic liturgical studies. She continues in that position today coordinating persons involved in liturgical ministries as well as helping plan for seasonal and special feasts.

 

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Cindy Piszyk

 

 

Adult Faith Formation Director
Office Phone: (714) 970-2771, Ext. 132
E-mail:  CindyP@smdpyl.org

 

Our Adult Faith Formation Director, Cindy Piszyk, was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She moved to California in 1985 and has been involved in parish ministries at St. Martin’s since 1987. She has committed a great deal of her time and talents to Women’s Ministries, particularly the Women’s Retreat and W.I.N.G.S. (for which she served as a moderator). Cindy worked as the assistant to the former director of Adult Faith Formations for six years, and became the director herself in 2003. In 2005, Cindy received her Master Catechist from the Diocese. In addition to serving the faith community, Cindy’s interests include reading, crafts and soccer. She’s quite the dedicated soccer mom who has been supporting teams since 1987. Her children continue to play soccer on a recreational level and her daughter just finished playing out her collegiate soccer career. Cindy also enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family. She and her husband Dave have been married for 30 years! They have three young adult children, Ryen, Staci and Drew and two Labrador Retrievers, Wrigley & Tori.

 

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Joseph Bazyouros

 

 

Music Director
Office Phone: (714) 970-2771, Ext. 114
E-mail:  JosephB@smdpyl.org

 

 

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Pat Wong

 

Bulletin Editor
Office Phone: (714) 970-2771
E-mail:  pwong12@roadrunner.com

 

Pat is a native of New Jersey who made her way west accreting bits of dance, music, native plant gardening, and awe of science fiction tales. After teaching in the then-CCD program here in the parish, she inaugurated children’s masses and then the Sunday mass children’s dismissal program. She has lectured groups on Media Literacy and has established disaster preparedness plans in several area schools as well as for St. Martins. For exercising brain and body, she and husband Malcolm do choreographed ballroom dancing. Their son Brian lives in Moreno Valley. He and wife Lara visit regularly with the grandpets. With her four sisters, Pat discovered almost-heaven in small ship cruising. Pat has an MBA from USC and a BS in chemistry from the College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York City.

 

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