Clergy

Clergy

Father Peter Wittman, Pastor

Father Wittman was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Richfield where he attended St. Peter’s School, followed by De La Salle High School. As a student at St. Thomas College, he majored in sociology and received his teaching certificate. Upon graduation, he began working as a teacher at St. Michael’s School in West St. Paul where he taught science, history and religion to seventh and eighth graders. (One of his former students was Kathy Rowe, current junior high English teacher at St. Joseph’s).

After teaching for a while, Father Wittman entered the St. Paul Seminary and following his ordination in 1975, he returned to St. Michael’s, this time as the associate pastor. Father Wittman also served as a teacher and campus minister at Archbishop Brady High School in West St. Paul, where he first met several former students who are now St. Joe’s parishioners with families of their own.

Father Wittman went on to serve as associate pastor at St. Mark’s in Shakopee; during those years he also acted as principal for the consolidated St. Mary’s/St. Mark’s school, which brought the two schools together to create a K-8 school. In 1984, Father Wittman was named pastor at St. John the Baptist in Savage, where he served for 20 years. After several months at All Saints in Lakeville, Father Wittman began serving as pastor at St. Joseph’s in late January 2005.

Father Wittman is a member of several leadership boards in the Archdiocese: The Catholic Spirit Board of Directors, the board of the Catholic Finance Corporation and the Board of Directors of the Archdiocese itself. He also served for several years on the advisory board for the Archdiocese's lay ministry formation program.

Praised be Jesus through Mary. This is Father Gallas, and I am the associate pastor here at the Church of St. Joseph. I grew up on the East Side of St. Paul, and went to high school in White Bear Lake. After graduation, I enlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard, and served for six years while attending college and minor seminary at the University of St. Thomas. In the fall of 2001 I began major seminary at the North American College in Rome. After four years of studies, I was ordained to the priesthood on May 28, 2005. I served for four months at the Church of St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony Park, and then returned to Rome for one additional year of study. I am very happy to be here at the Church of St. Joseph and look forward to serving you.
Deacon Gerald A. (Jerry) Scherkenbach
Deacon Gerald A. (Jerry) Scherkenbach was ordained on September 26, 1992 for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. He was assigned by Archbishop Harry Flynn to the Church of St Joseph in March 1, 2002. Prior to his assignment at St Joseph he served as deacon for nine years at the Church of St Leo in St Paul. Before that he served at the Church of St Bernard in St Paul. In 1989 he received a Bachelor degree in Business from the College of St Thomas. He also has received a Master of Arts in Theology from the University of St Thomas and a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Catholic University of America. In addition to his duties at St Joseph, Deacon Scherkenbach is assigned full time for the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis as a judge. Jerry and his wife, Penny, live in St Paul and they have five children and five grandchildren.