Staff
Priests
Fr. Eric Nielsen
Pastor – Executive Director of St. Paul’s Catholic Student Center
Fr. Eric Nielsen has been the Pastor of St. Paul’s since 2006 and a priest of the Diocese of Madison since 1995. The oldest of seven children, Fr. Nielsen grew up in Oshkosh, graduated in 1984 from the UW in Civil Engineering, and entered Mundelein Seminary in 1990. As a young man he enjoyed a lot of outdoor activity and travel but now spends most of his time at St. Paul’s encouraging students to focus on study and prayer as a path to know, love and serve Jesus Christ. Contact Fr. Eric at enielsen@uwcatholic.org
Fr. Luke Syse
Parochial Vicar
Fr. Luke Syse also grew up in Blanchardville, WI and attended UW-Madison studying Biological Systems Engineering. He grew up in a Catholic home and thought about the priesthood at a young age. It was at St. Paul’s where Fr. Luke discerned his vocation to the priesthood, entering seminary after graduation in 2011. After two years of seminary in Detroit and four years in Rome Fr. Luke returned home and was ordained to the priesthood on June 30th, 2017. He loves to play sports, especially basketball, and enjoys a good hike or bike ride in the great outdoors of Wisconsin. Contact Fr. Luke at lsyse@uwcatholic.org
Fr. Gabi Lopez-Betanzos
Parochial Vicar
Fr. Gabriel Lopez-Betanzos grew up in Lansing, MI, and graduated from MIT in Computer Science and Engineering in 2005. He then worked in Rochester, Minnesota, before moving to Madison, where he first considered the priesthood while frequenting both St. Paul’s and the Cathedral Parish. After attending seminary for two years in Detroit and four years in Rome, Fr. Gabi was ordained to the priesthood in 2015. Having completed a degree in Canon Law in Rome, Fr. Gabi also serves as the Judicial Vicar for the Diocese of Madison. He enjoys cycling, walking, and reading, and gets excited about maps, infrastructure, and large machines. Contact Fr. Gabi at glopez@uwcatholic.org
Staff
Patrick Francis and Rosie Hess
Music Ministers
Rosie grew up in DeForest, WI, and is set to graduate from UW-Madison with a degree in Music Education in December of 2020. Patrick is from Ridgefield, CT, and is also studying Music Education at UW-Madison, set to graduate in May of 2021. Both Rosie and Patrick are instrumentalists (Rosie plays clarinet and Patrick plays euphonium, which is like a small tuba), and have been heavily involved in the music ministry at St. Paul’s since they started studying at UW. These two are also engaged to be married in 2021! If you’d like to get involved in St. Paul’s music ministry in any way, contact Rosie at rhess@uwcatholic.org, or Patrick at pfrancis@uwcatholic.org!
Kelli Trumble
Director of Operations
Contact Kelli at ktrumble@uwcatholic.org
Natalie Paczuski
Advancement Coordinator
Natalie grew up in Milwaukee, WI and graduated from UW-Madison with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She double-majored in Music-Cello Performance and English-Creative Writing. At Saint Paul’s, Natalie does the behind the scenes work for the Advancement Office. Natalie also performs professionally with the Wisconsin Philharmonic in Waukesha, WI. In her free time, Natalie enjoys hiking and spending time outside with her husband. Contact Natalie at npaczuski@uwcatholic.org or (608) 422-4818.
Professor John Boersma
Scholar in Residence
John Boersma received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Louisiana State University in 2019. Dr. Boersma completed his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Ave Maria University, and his master’s degree and J.D. from St. John’s University in New York. His article “The Accreditation of Religious Law Schools in Canada and the United States” appeared in the Brigham Young University Law Review and he is currently working on a manuscript examining the role of friendship in ancient political thought. His research interests include constitutional interpretation, political philosophy, and law and religion. Contact John at jboersma@uwcatholic.org
Pastoral Interns
Joe Heyrman
Student Outreach Intern
Joe is from Sussex, WI and graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Nutritional Science and Global Health. Joe claims that, “God, Family, and the Green Bay Packers…in that order” (Vince Lombardi) sums him up well. He is so excited to get new programs started geared specifically toward Freshmen and their transition to living their faith in college. Contact Joe at jheyrman@uwcatholic.org
Lauren Jessup
Marketing Intern
Lauren is from Brookfield, WI and graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Elementary Education. She is 1 of 32 grandchildren which heavily influenced her decision to become a teacher. As marketing intern, Lauren is the smiling face in charge of all the St. Paul’s social media accounts, helps update the website, and is the official PR woman of the Interns. The other interns also like to call her the “Brand Police.” Contact Lauren at ljessup@uwcatholic.org
Nathan Simon
Service and Liturgy Intern
Nathan is from Beaver Dam, WI and graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in History and Psychology (L&S Honors). A fun fact about Nathan is when he was just 3 years old, he memorized the location of all the U.S. states and capitals. Nathan is responsible for coordinating local service opportunities, and the scheduling and training of students for roles such as lectors and sacristans. Contact Nathan at nsimon@uwcatholic.org
Michelle Fernandez
Alpha Omega Intern
Michelle is from Marshfield, WI and graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Economics. She has been quoted saying, “I aspire to be like Joan of Arc but in reality, I am Jonah.” As Alpha Omega (AO) intern, she is in charge of our monthly large group event for undergraduate students. If you’re interested in joining AO Vision Team, contact Michelle at mfernandez@uwcatholic.org
Will Puchner
Retreats Intern
Will is from Elm Grove, WI and graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Economics. A fun fact about him is that he has dual citizenship with the United Kingdom! As retreat intern, Will is in charge of organizing and planning the numerous undergraduate student retreats alongside student lead teams. Contact Will at wpuchner@uwcatholic.org
Rosie Young
RCIA and Grad/YP Intern
Rosie is from Wauwatosa, WI and graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Biology. She was a member of the UW Marching Band and played the trumpet all 4 years! She is so excited to take over the role of Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and Graduate and Young Professional (Grad/YP) Intern this year. Contact Rosie at ryoung@uwcatholic.org
Noah Joseph
Hospitality Intern
Noah is from Plymouth, WI and graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Biochemistry. He loves playing guitar and soccer and is so excited to be the Hospitality, or “Hospie” Intern this year! If you like cooking and have lots of energy, hospitality team is right for you. Contact Noah at njoseph@uwcatholic.org to join!
FOCUS Missionaries
Lucas Nieto
Team Director
Lucas is from Converse, IN and graduated from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). He is the director of the FOCUS team here at St. Paul’s and at home he has a wife and three kids! He has been working for FOCUS for 6 years and his favorite aspect of mission work is introducing students to Jesus Christ and to His Church. Contact Lucas at lucas.nieto@focus.org
Courtney Roach
Campus Missionary
Courtney is from Marion, IN and studied Tourism, Convention, and Event Management at IUPUI. One time she drove around for ten minutes with a gas pump attached to her Jeep and had no idea it was there, ask her about it some time! She loves her relationships with students and helping them grow in understanding their identities as beloved daughters of the King. Contact Courtney at courtney.roach@focus.org
Austin Klarsch
Campus Missionary
Austin is from St. Louis, MO and graduated from the University of Missouri. In college, he was super pumped about Jesus after a day full of intentional conversations, that he decided he should do a back flip. Although he had good intentions, he broke his ring finger in the process. The good thing is, Austin can now spread that back flip type fire of the Holy Spirit to his new students! Contact Austin at austin.klarsch@focus.org
Sarah Ward
Campus Missionary
Sarah is from Auburn, AL and graduated from Auburn University. She loves being a missionary because she gets to encounter Jesus and others in a new way. A fun fact about Sarah is that she has an incredible memory for things she doesn’t need to remember. Contact Sarah at sarah.ward@focus.org
Luke La Salvia
Campus Missionary
Luke is from Arlington Heights, IL and graduated from Iowa State University. In college, he studied fashion and was able to study abroad in London. He loves being a missionary because he’s able to meet others who help him grow in the faith and inspire him to spread joy to others. Contact Luke at luke.lasalvia@focus.org
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