Meet Our Staff
WELCOME TO ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE
Fr. Lobsinger
Pastor
Born and raised in Waterloo County, Fr. W.L. Lobsinger has served the Diocese of Hamilton as a priest since his ordination to the presbyterate, May 7, 1994.
He has a background in music, having entered the honours music program at Wilfrid Laurier University following secondary school graduation in 1985. However, he transferred to Resurrection College, U. of Waterloo after a year to complete a general B.A. degree program. He attended St. Peter’s Seminary, London, earning a Master of Divinity degree and was ordained to the diaconate in April, 1993.
Fr. Lobsinger has served in several parishes of the diocese and held several diocesan posts, such as Master of Ceremonies to Bishop Ustrzycki, chairman of the diocese’s Presbyteral Council, and the diocese’s representative to the Canadian National Federation of Prebyteral Councils. Currently, he is a member of the Diocesan College of Consultors, and since September 2014, is the Episcopal Vicar for Consecrated Life and a member of the Bishop’s Episcopal Board. He also serves as part-time spiritual director at St. Peter’s Seminary in London.
Fr. Tim Theriault
Associate Pastor
Growing up in the small town of Amherstburg, near Windsor, Fr. Tim was blessed with a loving and close-knit family, both immediate (his mom Linda, his dad Gerry, and his younger sister Kim) and also extended with many aunts, uncles, and cousins (who are really more like siblings). Fr. Tim’s experience of family taught him the foundations of love, sacrifice, selflessness, and humility…and also the importance of a witty sense of sarcastic humour, a most important survival skill in his family!
After some brief studies in Social Work at the University of Windsor, Fr. Tim finally heeded the Spirit and entered St. Peter’s Seminary in London where he studied Philosophy before transferring to Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, NY where he completed his Theological studies. Ordained on May 5th, 2018 for service in the Diocese of Hamilton, St. Thomas the Apostle Parish is Fr. Tim’s first assignment as a priest!
Dc. Victor V. Kubrak
Permanent Deacon
Deacon Victor V. Kubrak was born in 1950 in Hamilton, Ontario. There he met and married his beautiful and multi-talented wife Christine. They moved to Burlington, Ontario in 1987, where they currently reside. They have one daughter Alexandra (Lexie) who is the joy of their lives.
Deacon Victor’s service in the the Diocese of Hamilton has been long-standing. He has served as a Minister of the Word (Lector), and as an Extra-ordinary Minister of Holy Communion; he has been a member of parish council, is a Knight of Columbus and an auditor for the Hamilton Marriage Tribunal office. On June 10th of 2006 he was ordained by Bishop Anthony Tonnos, to the Holy Order of Deacon.
Victor was a parishioner at the Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King until 1987 and then at St. Gabriel Parish in Burlington until 2014 when he was assigned to assist our pastor as Deacon both in the liturgy and the pastoral ministry of the parish.
Deacon Mark Shaw
Permanent Decon
Deacon Mark Shaw is the oldest of three children. He was born and raised in Montreal and has been active in his Parish community since he was a young teenager. When he was eighteen, his family moved into a different parish, where he joined the youth choir. It is in that choir that he met his future wife (and his sister met her future husband). Eventually, he became the choir director of that very choir.
In school, he studied Theology and Education and became a high school teacher at the Sacred Heart School of Montreal. After nine years there, he and his wife, Maureen and their daughter, Amanda moved to Waterdown where they have been members of the St. Thomas community ever since, and he has taught Religion for over thirty years. After leading the choir for over 10 years, he felt God’s call to take on a new role in the Church, that of Permanent Deacon..
He is very happy to be “stationed” here in his family’s parish of St. Thomas and being of service to the community in any way our Heavenly Father asks him to be.
Jonathan Reitzel
Seminarian Intern
Raised in the town of New Hamburg (near Kitchener), Jonathan is the eldest of three children.
Jonathan attended high school at Resurrection C.S.S., spending most of his summers as a camp counsellor. After graduating from Resurrection C.S.S., Jonathan spent two years at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, completing the Associate Certificate in Christian Humanities. Following his time at OLSWA, Jonathan entered the seminary with the Diocese of Hamilton. He completed his philosophical studies at St. Philip’s Seminary (Toronto), graduating with a Bachelor of Thomistic Thought. Upon completion of the philosophical program, Jonathan transferred to St. Peter’s Seminary (London), where he is completing his theological studies.
Now mid-way through the Masters of Divinity Adv. program, Jonathan has been assigned to St. Thomas the Apostle parish for his pastoral year (internship). Jonathan will spend the year here, getting immersed into parish life and assisting in various pastoral ministries.
Trevor Price
Director of Music
Mr. Trevor Price is an award-winning organist and keyboardist with choral studies from the Royal Canadian College of Organists. Trevor brings a wealth of expertise and experience to his role, having served as Music Director in many religious and secular settings for decades across the Greater-Hamilton-Burlington-Niagara area. He continues to enjoy being Musical Director for many musical theatre productions and beyond, including recently at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre and Conestoga College Convocations. Trevor is a Music Teacher with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and lives in Hamilton with his wife and their two wonderful young daughters.
Debbie Mazzaferro
Parish Nurse (RN)
Debbie Mazzaferro was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario. After graduation from Confederation College as a Registered Nurse (RN), she married Rocco. Together they have three children: Thea, Adam, and Adrian. Since moving to Waterdown, Debbie has received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Ryerson University. Debbie has been a RN for many years and is currently working at Hamilton Health Sciences in the Operating Room at the McMaster site. Debbie has completed the Foundations of Parish Nursing program at St. Peter’s Seminary. As the Parish Nurse, Debbie works in collaboration with the staff to promote health and wellness in our parish by enhancing spiritual and physical wellbeing.
Latest Homilies
Fr. Tim Theriault – The Most Holy Trinity (June 16, 2019)June 17, 2019 - 10:38 am
Fr. Lobsinger – Pentecost Sunday (June 9, 2019)June 10, 2019 - 8:50 am
Dc. Mark Shaw – Seventh Sunday of Easter (June 2, 2019)June 5, 2019 - 9:06 am- Fr. Tim Theriault – 6th Sunday of Easter (May 26, 2019)June 5, 2019 - 9:00 am
Fr. Greg Merkley – 5th Sunday of Easter (May 19, 2019)May 20, 2019 - 9:42 am