General email to: info@stpiusxblgs.org
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Reverend Steve Tokarski - Pastor Fr. Steve has been pastor of St. Pius X Catholic Church for the past
twelve years. He was born and raised in Billings and graduated from Billings Central Catholic High School. He was ordained in 1969. His ministry has included teaching at Great Falls Central High School and the University of Great Falls, serving as Diocesan Vocation Director and serving on various
Diocesan boards and committees. Before being assigned to St. Pius, Fr. Steve was pastor at St. Leo's in Lewistown, Montana. His hobbies include reading, running, backpacking, mountain climbing and photography. As pastor of St. Pius X, Fr. Steve presides at liturgy and provides parish leadership and pastoral ministry. He works closely with the Pastoral and Finance Councils, the various Parish Commissions and the parish staff. |
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Deacon Bill has been a member of St. Pius
X since 1963. He became a permanent deacon in 1976 and has been assigned to St. Pius
X since that time. He and his wife Evelyn have been married for
fifty years, have six sons, sixteen grandchildren, and
five great-grandchildren. Bill retired from the City of Billings as Assistant Fire Chief. As
the parish deacon, he assists Fr. Steve and the staff by celebrating
Weddings, Baptisms, and funerals and assists at other liturgies during the year.
Deacon Bill and Evelyn created and maintain the Heart Too Heart program which cleans and refurbishes used pacemakers for donation to the needy in Third World countries. Many people have been blessed with new life through the donation of these pacemakers.
Deacon Bill says his favorite pastime is storytelling (and he is good at it!). |
Bob Bender Bob serves as the Business Manager and Pastoral Minister for St. Pius X. He assists Fr. Steve in overseeing all financial activities of the parish and works closely with the Finance Council, Development Committee and Diocesan Business Office. He is also an ex-officio member of the Calvary Cemetery Board. Bob's pastoral minister duties include coordinating the marriage preparation ministry – by offering counseling, spiritual direction and guidance to engaged couples preparing for marriage; coordinating the marriage annulment process by supervising annulment advocates, referring petitioners to advocates and maintaining communication with the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal. Bob and his wife, Carol, have two sons, Ryan and Brett. They have been members of St. Pius X since 1995. Bob and his family enjoy boating, fishing, camping and working together on home improvement projects. |
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Dee Martenson
Dee is in her sixth year as our front office staff person. She greets visitors; answers questions or directs them to the proper people; handles the telephones and mail; sends out meeting announcements, schedules Mass Intentions, records marriages, baptisms, confirmations and funerals in the record books and computer and sends out proper certificates. Dee also updates parish data as people join, leave or change addresses within the parish. She handles sales of cemetery plots when Calvary Cemetery manager, Curt Sauber is unavailable. Dee, and husband Al, have been married for over forty years and have one daughter. She has actually been a member of St. Bernard's Parish since 1973 but attends St. Pius occasionally. Dee's hobbies include reading, photography and and travel. One of her favorite trips was the month she spent at an archaeological dig at Bethsaida in Israel. |
Colleen Eisenman
Colleen returned to Billings and St. Pius X Parish after spending sixteen years in the "Valley of the Sun" in Arizona. She attended Kino Institute in Phoenix and received her certification in ministry followed by three more years of classes using her training in a volunteer capacity. She returned to Billings in 2003 and started working at the parish in August 2004 as the Liturgy Coordinator. Her primary responsibilities include coordinating ministries to engage the gifts and involvement of the community. She oversees recruitment, training, resources and scheduling of all liturgical ministries. She serves on the Worship, Parish Life and Education Commissions. Colleen prepares the weekly parish bulletin, manages the advertising, coordinates and schedules use of parish facilities for all events and activities, receives and sends out prayer chain requests and serves as backup for the parish administrative assistant when necessary. Since her return to Billings, Colleen has been involved in Beginning Experience, a "peer grief resolution ministry for the widowed, separated and divorced and for their children". After her life-changing weekend experience in Phoenix, she made the decision to move back home to Montana to be closer to family and friends. Her favorite Scripture verse is Jeremiah 29:11: "I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, they are plans for good and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope." Colleen has two sons living in Anchorage, Alaska and two grandchildren. Her hobbies include listening to music, playing the piano and reading when she isn't shopping or walking through the Mall. |
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Jessica Westberg
Jessica has been a member of St.
Pius X her entire life, being
baptized, confirmed and married
here. She graduated from Billings
Central Catholic High School in
1996. In 2000, she began
volunteering with the high school
youth group and become the part time
high school youth minister during
the summer of 2002. In May of 2003,
she became the full time youth
minister, and in the fall of 2004,
took over junior high ministry as
well.
Jessica was instrumental in getting the renovation of the Youth Center going. She loves teaching the youth about Jesus Christ and His Church; planning youth group nights, and hanging out with the youth. In her free time, she likes to be with her husband of over 5 years, and play with their daughter, Cecelia. She invites you to stop by the Youth Center and see the facility! |
Rosalie Foster
Rosalie has served as our Director of Music since 1997. Prior to joining the staff at St. Pius X, she was choral director at Billings Central Catholic High School from 1989 to 1998. Rosalie's position is three-quarter time and she is responsible for developing and coordinating a comprehensive parish music ministry program. She serves as a resource consultant for parish liturgies, seasonal celebrations, weddings, funerals and special parish services. Rosalie has been a member of St. Pius X since 1992. She and her late husband Don are the parents of five children, Laura, Michael, Bryan, Maelynn and Elisa. |
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Mary Carol Rachac
Mary Carol joined our staff on a part-time basis as Coordinator of Outreach Ministry in 2002. She arranges for home visits and Eucharist to sick and shut-in parishioners in their homes, the hospital, and nursing homes by parish volunteers. She works with the parish nurses to assess the needs of parishioners who may need light housekeeping or meals due to illness or injury. She is
the chairperson of the Outreach Committee which also includes grief ministry, educational programs and resource referrals to parishioners.
Mary Carol was drawn to her ministry
through her husband's diagnosis of
cancer in 1998 and death, seven months
later, as well as her own bout with
cancer. She is a Hospice Volunteer and works as a substitute teacher for the Billings Catholic Schools. Mary Carol has been a member of St. Pius X since 1984 and has three grown children: Krista, Greg and Sarah. Greg graduated from MSU-B, Sarah from the University of Portland, and Krista and husband Jay Wahl have made her a grandmother for the second time in April of 2005. Her favorite pastime is being with family and visiting with her many friends. |
LaRayne Riedel
Girl Friday LaRayne is a part-time assistant who describes herself as a “Girl Friday”. Her responsibilities for the past two years include tending to the church plants and greenery, lending assistance for parish weddings and substituting in housekeeping. She also took on the position of Sunday Hospitality Coordinator. She picks up the doughnuts for “Coffee and Rolls” and prepares the kitchen and Fellowship Hall for the hospitality after Sunday Masses, which includes overseeing the volunteers who serve each week. She previously worked in housekeeping, was
Nursery Coordinator and sang in the choir. LaRayne is a
Communion Minister for home visitation and belongs to CCW and St. Michael’s Circle. She and her husband Peter also worked on the “Couple-to-Couple” marriage preparation sessions. She has been a member of St. Pius
X for twenty-five years. LaRayne and Peter have five children; Annette Patterson, Rich Bohn, Christa Duray, Michael Riedel and Marc Riedel. They also have six grandchildren.
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Bill Walker
Custodian
Bill became our full-time custodian six years ago, and is responsible for cleaning the church, the parish offices and the youth center. He also does minor maintenance and painting, tends to the physical plant, maintains lights, carpets, tile, boilers, the mechanical room, windows, campus sprinkling systems and "whatever else needs to be done".
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Curt Sauber
Curt has been a member of St. Pius X "off and on" since 1959. He is employed part-time by the church and is generally in the office on Mondays and Wednesdays or as needed. Curt oversees the buildings and grounds as
Manager of Calvary Cemetery, handles sales of plots and columbarium niches and supervises the groundskeeper. He and wife, Linda, have been married for
seven years and he has three grown children –
one son, two daughters, and
three grandchildren. Curt likes to travel and is an avid Seattle Seahawks fan. Curt and Linda are the proud adoptees of two retired racing Greyhounds, named Jennie and Bob, and most of the exercise Curt gets is walking the dogs.
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