Category Archives: DMD 2019 Speakers

Kay King

Kay King is the older adults program coordinator and community educator at NAMI Minnesota (the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Minnesota) and has worked for NAMI 10 years. Kay teaches about 4,000 professionals, family members and people managing a mental illness each year in classes ranging from one to eight hours. She has a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Minnesota.

Kay is the former executive director of a retirement community in the Twin Cities that offers both independent and assisted living services. She managed a home health care agency. She also was a hotel and resort manager with over 25 years of hospitality industry experience nationally and internationally.

Kay is a family educator who teaches NAMI’s “Family-to-Family” 12-week education course and she is a mental health first aid and youth mental health first aid instructor.

Kay is a family member whose grandmother, mother, sister and niece (four generations) lived/lives with a mental illness.

Brenda Kresky

Brenda Kresky is a wife, mother of four adult children, and lay ecclesial minister. She currently is the director of pastoral planning for the Diocese of St. Cloud. Previous to that position, she served the church for over 25 years in catechetical ministry on the parish and diocesan levels. Brenda received her master’s degree in pastoral ministry from Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville. Brenda enjoys reading, walking, and telling her husband’s dog to go away.

Kathy Langer

Kathy Langer retired in 2018 after more than 30 years of ministry in the diocese. Most recently, as the director of social concerns for Catholic Charities, Kathy worked as an educator of Catholic social teaching, discernment and parish/community organizing. She has her master’s degree in theology from Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary and has taught as an adjunct instructor. She has a background in nursing, youth ministry/faith formation, campus ministry, spiritual direction and pastoral ministry. Kathy and her husband, Jerry, have three adult children and six grandchildren.

Kateri Mancini

Kateri Mancini is the director of social concerns for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud. She is also a wife, mother of four unique littles, lover of running, writing and smelling lilacs, and a community member passionate about bringing out the best in one another in order to help us all to thrive. A parishioner of Christ Church Newman Center in St. Cloud, Kateri holds her master’s degree in theology from Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville; she is certified as a lay ecclesial minister and is an Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) facilitator.

Geralyn Nathe-Evans

Geralyn Nathe-Evans is licensed in nursing and completed certification in death and grief education in 2000 from the Center for Loss and Life Transition at Colorado State University under the tutelage of Dr. Alan Wolfelt. Upon completing her master’s degree in pastoral ministry at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary in 2004, Geralyn was recognized by the USCCB as a lay ecclesial minister at the master’s level in both youth ministry and catechetical leadership. After serving parishes for over 38 years, Geralyn now serves as an educator, coach, retreat leader and consultant.

Cindy Pfannenstein and Erin Hatlestad

Cindy Pfannenstein is a first-grade teacher and Erin Hatlestad is principal at St. Katharine Drexel School in St. Cloud. They became interested in mindfulness when they first began feeling like they were losing their minds due to the stress and anxiety they were experiencing daily. As they began to search for ways to increase peace and calm, they discovered helpful tools to use with people of all ages in a variety of settings.

Matt Reichert

Matt Reichert teaches at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University in Collegeville. As an educator, Matt has served as an administrator, board member, and classroom teacher at the middle school, high school, and undergraduate levels. A frequent workshop leader, Matt has presented at parishes, diocese, and institutions across the country as well as at NPM and NCEA conferences, the Mid-Atlantic Congress and the L.A. Religious Education Congress.

Matt is co-host of the acclaimed “Open Your Hymnal” podcast, exploring the best-loved and most consequential liturgical songs through interviews with composers, text writers and other guests. He also hosts the “Ministry Monday” podcast, exploring a variety of pastoral ministry topics, for the National Association of Pastoral Musicians.

Matt co-directs the One Call Institutea program dedicated to the formation and engagement of young people and their advocates to maximize their gifts of music and leadership in service to the liturgy.

Fr. Robert Rolfes

Fr. Robert Rolfes has served the Diocese of Saint Cloud for more than 37 years — 16 years as vice chancellor, 14 years as chancellor and currently serves as vicar general and moderator of the curia. In addition to his service at the diocesan offices, he also has been pastor of various parishes in the diocese.