Parish Pastoral Council

The Parish Pastoral Council is a consultative body whose primary role is to advise the Pastor in matters such as identifying and providing direction for the spiritual life, ministry priorities, broad goals, strategic planning, and policy-making of a parish.

View the Parish Pastoral Council Mission/Purpose Statement

Pastoral Council Members

SHEILA HEBEIN, CHAIR
E-mail Ms. Hebein
847.864.8064

My husband, Peter, and I have been members of St. Nicholas Parish for over 40 years. For more than 25 years, our son, Chris, who has Down syndrome, has been an altar server and he has received encouragement and nurturing through this ministry. In 2013 I served on the Transformation Steering Committee and also on the Implementation Team. I served on the Inclusion Committee for many years – one of our major accomplishments was getting the ramp built for the church. Later came the elevator for the social hall and accessible washrooms and a signer for the 9 o’clock Mass. Women in the Diaconate was a great group to work with, as is St. Nick’s List. Throughout the years, St. Nick’s ministries have brought challenges and rewards. | I worked as Executive Director of the National Association for Down Syndrome for over 30 years. Working with children and adults with Down syndrome and their families brought me great joy and many blessings. Since retiring I am happy that I now have the time to say, “Yes” to St. Nicholas. This is my second year on the PPC and I look forward to getting to know more St. Nicholas parishioners and helping them find a nurturing, welcoming community.

TRACI LAFFEY
E-mail Ms. Laffey
6304600807

I'm Traci Laffey and I've been a member of St. Nicholas since 2013. I moved to Evanston in 2007 when my husband, Marty, and I were married. We have two children - Johnny, a 3rd grader, and Carolyn, a 1st grader, both at Dawes Elementary School. I was a member of the SPRED (Special Religious Development) group at St. Nick’s for three years and have volunteered as a helper in the Religious Education classroom as well. Before having kids, I worked as a graphic designer for fourteen years and then as an Instructional Assistant for high school students with special needs for four years. My husband is a math teacher, soccer coach, and Special Olympics coach at New Trier High School. He is also a Eucharistic Minister at St. Nick’s. We joined St. Nick's because of its diversity and inclusivity and because of the warm welcome we have always received here. We feel this environment is the right place for us to nurture our faith as well as our children's.

CYNTHIA JUDGE
E-mail Ms. Judge
847.332.2511

Cynthia Judge joined St. Nicholas Parish in 2003. This is her first year on the Parish Pastoral Council. Cynthia was a SCORE teacher for ten years and an active parent volunteer at Pope John XXIII School, co-chairing Market Day for four years and helping with Arts Day. Cynthia was part of the Parish Transformation Process, chaired the School Committee, helped coordinate the Canonization Mass for Saint John XXIII and is currently working on the Implementation Team. She is a lector and a Eucharistic Minister. Cynthia is an actor and Speaker Coach and is married to Brad Armacost. They are the proud parents of Evan, a student at Boston University.

MARCO ANTONIO NORIA
E-mail Mr. Noria
847.693.1358

My name is Marco Antonio Noria
I was born in Mexico and I came to the USA in 1989. I’m married and have three kids - 2 boys and 1 girl. We arrived at Saint Nicholas Parish 21 years ago. My wife Maria was a Catechist in the Spanish Religious Program for over 5 years. She also is part of the 8:30 am Mass choir. My daughter Alejandra works in the Parish Office and was an Altar Server for 10 years. I am an Usher during the 8:30 am Mass and I also serve on the Liturgy Committee.

SUZANNE LEFEVRE
E-mail Ms. Lefevre
847.475.5258

Hello! I am Suzanne Lefevre and have been a parishioner at St. Nicholas since my husband, Tom Lenz, and I moved to Evanston in 1989. In the years since then we have raised three sons who are now young adults in their 20's. My participation in parish life has included being a member of the Baptismal preparation team, serving as a 5th grade SCORE catechist, a Eucharistic Minister, and seven years on the parish staff as Business Manager. My professional life has included many years working in finance, accounting, and consulting. Currently, I am responsible for finance and operations at Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette. In my spare time I enjoy a challenging crossword puzzle and reading with a monthly book club. It is a wonderful honor to be serving on the Pastoral Council.

JOSE JUAN MORENO
E-mail Mr. Moreno
224.610.0752

Hello, my name is Jose J. Moreno; I have been a parishioner starting at Ascension Church and leading me to St. Nick’s in 1991. I have gotten involved at the church quite a bit. I am the Coordinator of the Spanish Lectors and starting this year I am also a member of the Parish Pastoral Council. I’m an active member of the Sharing Fest Committee. To this day I live in Gurnee but I can always be found every Sunday at the 1 o’clock Mass. I am married to Maria S. Moreno – she is involved and you may have seen her at church as well. I am a father of 3 kids: my oldest, Natalia is a freshman at DePaul University, a son Oscar is a junior in high school and my youngest daughter Sofia is a 3rd grader. I am always ready to serve and will be more than happy to answer any questions to anyone and everyone who may have a question.

YVONNE SMITH
E-mail Ms. Smith
224.534.7471

Yvonne Smith joined St. Nicholas Parish in 1994 after moving with her family from South Orange, N.J. She became actively involved in the parish as a Eucharistic minister. Her two younger children were enrolled in religious education classes and prepared for confirmation. Yvonne was a member of the Parish Transformation Team. After the transformation process she joined the Mass Schedule committee, which investigated ways to include a second Spanish language mass to the weekend mass schedule. She was an active member of Evanston Area Black Catholics, founded by our deceased sister in Christ, Margo Butler. Yvonne continues to lead this group, with a primary focus on fellowship, ReLent prayer group and Kwanzaa Mass. She is a board member of People For A Safer Society which advocates for sensible gun laws in Illinois. | Yvonne is a retired Chicago Public Schools teacher after teaching in Chicagoland and New Jersey for over twenty-five years. She is a National Board Certified Teacher who earned her bachelor degree from State University of New York at Stony Brook and Masters in Mathematics Education at the Illinois Institute of Technology. She was Mathematics Department Chair at Northside College Preparatory High School and served on the leadership team at Northside. | She lives in Skokie and has three adult children, Felicia, Celia and Michael, and two grandchildren Nathaniel and Lillian.

GRACIELA CARMONA
E-mail Ms. Carmona
7733635863

My name is Graciela Carmona and I was born in Michoacán, Mexico. I have four children, three boys and one girl. Two of my children are with me here in the United States and two are in Michoacán, Mexico. I was married for 10 years and then I was widowed. I emigrated to the United States and have lived in Chicago for 20 years.

My family and I joined the community of St. Nicholas 6 years ago, because we feel very comfortable and welcome by the community. I started serving in the parish as an usher and welcoming parishioners for 1 year. I also have been a sacristan for almost a year.

ROB SULLIVAN
E-mail Mr. Sullivan
8475638040

I am an IT professional who grew up in Maine and moved to Chicagoland in 1996. I met my wife Sara when we were undergraduates at Oberlin College. She trained in surgery at the University of Chicago, and the two of us moved to Evanston in 2012 after she graduated. I have worked in IT for over 25 years and have served as a manager of the systems engineering team at a global telecommunications company since 2008. In my free time I like keeping up with my family’s book club, being a Chicago Fire season ticket holder, and listening to and playing music with family and friends.
Our two daughters started attending Pope John XXIII school in 2014. We joined St Nicholas parish in 2018, where Fr. Tito baptized our kids. I've served as an usher, a greeter and a Eucharistic Minister at St. Nicholas, as well as worked on the COVID protocol team. I am happy to have found a spiritual home that reflects the Catholic values that I learned from my parents and grandparents - loving kindness and welcoming compassion for all people.