Life Teen Core Team 2

Life Teen Core Team

JILL ORBAN

Director of youth ministry

I have been involved in youth ministry for over a decade. Born and raised in the beautiful state of Michigan, I am a Chippewa alumna, but also follow all things Big 10. Go Green! My husband, Scott, and I moved to Georgia 23 years ago, where we have raised our four boys. I love hiking, writing, singing and traveling, especially to a beach or Disney World. I am blessed to be a part of such a vibrant ministry at St. Ann’s. Few things bring me as much joy as walking with teens towards Christ. Contact me at jorban@st-ann.org.

MARY-GRACE WARD

High School youth minister

I was born and raised in Atlanta and grew up attending the Cathedral of Christ the King. I was very active in the Life Teen program and loved attending all of the conferences, summer camps and especially any and all dance parties. I served as a summer missionary at Life Teen's Camp Covecrest and felt the call to say yes to Jesus and the mission of Life Teen. I served as a full-time missionary 2021-2022 along with 11 other missionaries. Throughout that year I learned how important my personal relationship is with Jesus and felt a strong desire to bring him to teens. I love Chick-Fil-A, Diet Coke and riding around in my Jeep! I'm so excited to continue to say yes to Jesus by creating an environment to encounter Christ with the St. Ann community!

Contact me at mgward@st-ann.org.

CJ DONNELLY

Originally from New York, my family and I moved to Cobb County in 1986 and St. Ann’s became our new parish. Life Teen started my Junior year of high school in 1992 and better prepared me for life after graduation and entering the military. After leaving the Army, I graduated from Kennesaw State University and currently work as a Sales Executive in Atlanta. I live in Woodstock with my wife and four children and I’m grateful to be part of Life Teen once more to help lead teens closer to Christ.

ALLY GREENE

I was raised on the North Fork of Long Island, New York, and began moving south when I attended James Madison University in Virginia. My husband Mike and I have lived in metro Atlanta for the past 20 years. We became members at St. Ann's about ten years ago, and our two children are actively involved in the St. Ann's Youth Ministry. I am a middle school teacher, currently earning a graduate degree in special education. In my free time, I love watching my kids play soccer, reading (which mostly means listening to audiobooks), traveling, and spending time at home with my family, including our Golden Retriever, Peaches. I am thrilled to be a part of the outstanding Life Teen Core Team.

CARL NIPCON

I love the energy and faith of our teens! It’s an honor and joy to be with you as you pray, explore faith, worship, ask deep questions, and grow through life’s challenges. Thanks for the privilege of walking side by side with you! At St. Ann I also serve on the Parish Council and am part of the liturgy team as a Sacristan/Mass Coordinator. Lyn (my wife, also on Core) and I have two boys at Georgia Tech. I am an entrepreneur, a mergers and acquisitions business advisor, and an adjunct professor in the MBA programs at UGA. And yup, I love a good donut!

JESSICA GIBSON

This is my first year as a member of the Core team. I grew up attending Transfiguration Catholic Church right down the street. I volunteered in the religious education program at Transfiguration for many years. My family moved to St. Ann’s a few years ago because my daughters fell in love with the Life Teen program. I am excited to get more involved in our new parish. I have three girls. Julia is in her third year at UGA, Amanda is in her first year at Augusta University and Becca is a junior at Lassiter High. I graduated from Kennesaw State University for my undergrad and the University of Delaware for my Master’ degree. During the day, I teach economics and government at Wheeler High School. In my free time, I love meeting friends for coffee and playing tennis. I have worked with students of all levels, but teens are my very favorite because they have a great sense of humor and they are not afraid to consider challenging questions.

JOEY FERRANTE

Now in my eighth year of Core for St. Ann Life Teen, this is my first year without my own kids in the program. My faith and relationships have grown so much through the Life Nights, Retreats, and Mission Trips that I plan to continue. My wife, Kathleen, and I believe very strongly in this ministry and two of our kids have served as Summer missionaries and one is currently a full-time missionary for for Life Teen. It's a wonderfully worthy ministry and a very rewarding way to spread God's love.

JENNY VASQUEZ

I was born and raised in South Florida and now have called Georgia home for almost 9 years. I love spending time with family, walking and enjoying nature and animals, reading, dancing, movies, and writing.

My first true encounter with Jesus was my Junior year in high school. My parish youth program introduced me to the greatest love that exists (Jesus). It has brought me so much joy to encounter Christ through my time with the amazing teens at St. Ann’s. With my own 3 children going through the program and through just a few years in Core I am reminded of His continual pursuit of our hearts, His vibrant presence, and His unconditional love. I can’t wait to journey with your teens this year!

JOSE VASQUEZ

I have been greatly gifted by God’s mercy and grace. My life as a Man of God, as husband and father allows me to live out my greatest call of “family man.” My wife Jenny and I have focused on raising our three kids very close to our faith journey, hoping they experience Christ as we pursue him authentically. As of today I am going on 9 years of serving as a Core member and it’s been a truly transformative experience in my life. Everyday I am given the chance to live, I aim to pursue Christ and to share my love for Him with any and all who are curious to listen. Serving the teens of St. Ann’s alongside such admirable humans as the rest of the Core team has contributed tremendously to who I am today and I hope to honor the call as best I can.

JOHN PARISI

I am a Chicago transplant who moved to Roswell in 1997 with my wife, Debbie, and our kids who were aged 2 and 4 at the time. Now, some 25 years later, my kids are grown, and we just seem to be adding dogs to our family. My daughter was involved with Life Teen, but “barred” me from participating, so it was camping and hiking with my son with the Scouts until I received an invitation to chaperone a lock-in at St. Peter Chanel some ten years ago. I have been involved with Life Teen ever since. It’s been a great experience to witness these young kids discover and experience their faith, be it at a Bible study, a retreat or doing service at Catholic Heart Work Camp.

JOY WHICHARD

I would describe myself as someone with a childlike spirit who loves to have fun and soak up the joys of life. I enjoy many hobbies including frisbee, soccer, swimming and basically almost any sport. I currently play on a Whiffleball team and used to play in a dart league. I grew up in North Carolina, so I am a big Tar Heel fan for college basketball. In football, I root for the East Carolina Pirates (ECU alumna). I love Life Teen and look forward to seeing the teens who inspire me every week. I pray that I will be the mentor and encourager they need to grow closer to Christ and their faith: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will never depart from it" - Proverbs 22:6

LYNN PATRICK

Originally from New York (Go Yankees), I live in Inman Park and have been a parishioner at St. Ann’s for the last 30years. I’ve been married to Kip for over 30 years and have two grown children who both attended The University of Georgia (GO DAWGS). Shannon is a graduate of Emory Law School and works here in Atlanta. Brian recently received his Master’s in Aerospace Engineering from the University of IL and moved to Colorado Springs, CO to begin his career. I have been a Life Teen Core member for 12 years and love relational ministry and leading teens closer to Christ. I work for the best global investment management firm - Capital Group | American Funds, and love my “2nd career” job. In my spare time, I enjoy all sports and traveling, especially visiting family.

MEGAN RITCHIE WOHLFARTH

My family and I reside in Marietta and have been parishioners at St. Ann since 2016. David (my hubby) and I have identical twin daughters (23) and another daughter Hannah (17). We adore our two sweet mini-Aussies and Ragdoll kitty - pure unconditional love! I enjoy traveling - especially to Italy. Growing beautiful roses and doing Pilates bring me joy as well. I am so grateful for my Catholic faith. Confirmed at 33, my faith has pulled me through life’s ups and downs in powerful ways. Recently, I became a Eucharistic Minister and I am so looking forward to my first year as a part of Core and Life Teen. Last but not least, my favorite Bible verse is Romans 8:28.

MADELINE WEILAND

I went through the Life Teen program as a teen (Walton ‘16) and joined core after graduating from Georgia Tech in 2020 to pour back into the program that shaped how I love, lead, and - most importantly - know God. I work for Deloitte Consulting to elevate Customer Experience for various government agencies to improve the daily life of Americans, using a technology and data focus. Forever seeing God’s blessings in this life through waterfall hikes, beach sunrises, country concerts, smoothies/frozen coffee, paddleboarding on the river, and a GT win!!

ROB STOLTZ

I am originally from New York and have been a member of Life Teen Core for five years. My wife Christine and I have two daughters: Gillian (Junior: Syracuse University) Mikayla (Freshman: NYU). We've been members of St. Ann’s since 2006. I have enjoyed watching our two daughters grow in their faith through the faith formation fellowships at St. Ann. I am an ophthalmologist with Georgia Retina, but in my free time I love traveling, cooking, baking and cake decorating, skiing, and tennis; but most of all I love just spending time with family and friends. Prior to joining Core, I taught in the Edge and Launch programs. I love working with the teens and watching them grow closer to Christ, as well as with the other Core members who continuously inspire me. I am glad to continue my faith journey with such a loving parish community.

SCOTT MANWARING

I grew up in Tokyo, Japan, got my degree in psychology from Michigan State University, then moved south to attend the University of Georgia, where I met my beautiful wife, Elisa. I have three kids and a dog named Harley. I’m a healthcare sales executive with AT&T. I was raised Methodist, but have been part of the St. Ann’s family for 20 years. After all that time, I just recently was confirmed a Catholic. The primary reason for this commitment was to see firsthand the positive impact Life Teen had on my daughter's spiritual growth. I have two sons aged 15 and 12 and look forward to sharing an even bigger part of their journey. I love football, soccer, photography, exercise and travel.

STUART ROBINETTE

I grew up in Deerfield Beach, Fla., and attended college at Florida International University in Miami. I moved to Atlanta in 1996. Mary and I have been married for 20 years. Our son Andrew has been attending St. Ann's since 2012 and is now a leader in Life Teen. We previously attended St. Jude's in Dunwoody where I went through OCIA. We began attending St. Ann's and I taught Launch to elementary-aged children. After attending the Life Teen Mass for a couple of years and helping with the kitchen crew, I decided to join the Core program after I saw how it is for teens. I love to travel, enjoy the ocean, play golf, and be a part of the UGA lacrosse program.

TARA DRISCOLL

Hey y’all! My name is Tara and I was born and raised here in Alpharetta, GA. I was involved with LifeTeen back in high school and I absolutely adore being a core member for St. Ann’s LifeTeen! I am a Kennesaw State Alumni (Go Owls) where I graduated with a degree in Nursing. I work with babies and I absolutely adore them and my job. In my free time, I love to take my puppy outside on runs and walks, or you can catch me glued to any sport that’s on TV. I love the community here at St. Ann’s, and I can’t wait to dive down into my second year as a core member with you all by my side!

LYN NIPCON

I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and Carl and I met at the Catholic Student Center at University of Chicago. We moved south in 2002 to join the family business, and our sons Elijah and Jonah were born and raised here in

Atlanta, Georgia. Though we live in Dunwoody, we have been proud parishioners of St. Ann's since 2005, drawn here first because of the music, and then for the incredibly vibrant, life-giving community. I have faithfully served youth and families throughout my life in some capacity-- as a high school summer camp counselor, to a residence hall counselor for both high school students in Michigan and college students in Chicago, as an active member of my sons' schools PTAs, as a social worker in Chicago Public Schools, and currently as a School Counselor in Atlanta. Walking beside youth, particularly on their spiritual journey, brings me joy and fulfillment-- a true blessing from God. Other things I count as blessings: great conversation with friends (new and old) over a delicious meal (especially Thai food), any book that moves me to tears, walking my dog Lily in the park, spending time with family, especially my sons (who both attend Georgia Tech- not too far!), and the opportunity of new experiences. This is my first year as a CORE member-- an exciting new experience where I'm certain my spiritual journey, and those of the teens I serve, will surely flourish

Catholic Church of St. Ann

4905 Roswell Road, Marietta, Georgia 30062 | 770-552-6400