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Father Peter Muha Peter Muha was born on June 10, 1961 in East Chicago, Indiana, to Robert and Margaret Muha. He has four brothers. Peter belonged to St. Stanislaus Parish and lived directly across the street from the convent. His desire to become a priest took root there and further developed at St. John the Evangelist Parish in St. John when his family moved there in 1971. His parents were always active in the parish, in Scouting, and in the Knights of Columbus. He loved to serve Mass and was especially encouraged in his vocation by Fr. Joseph Till and the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration.Peter attended Lake Central High School for one year and then went to St. Lawrence High School Seminary (in Wisconsin). After high school he entered the order of Capuchin Franciscans and remained with them for three years. He then completed his college education at St. Meinrad Seminary in southern Indiana as a candidate for the Diocese of Gary. After college, Peter went to Rome to complete his studies for the priesthood, living at the Pontifical North American College and taking classes at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.Peter was ordained a priest by Bishop Norbert Gaughan on September 10, 1988. Since my ordination, he has served as an assistant at St. Paul in Valparaiso, St. Michael in Schererville, Our Lady of Grace in Highland, and St. John Bosco in Hammond. On July 1, 1998, he became pastor of St. Edward in Lowell, where he served for 11 years. On July 1, 2009, Peter was named pastor of Our Lady of Consolation where he remained for 13 years before being appointed pastor of St. Joseph in Dyer.His hobbies include art, architecture, and music. He has served on the Diocesan Liturgical Commission and as a Master of Ceremonies for the Bishop. He has been involved in the renovation of four churches in the Diocese: St. Thomas Aquinas in Knox, St. John Bosco in Hammond, St. Edward in Lowell, and Our Lady of Consolation in Merrillville. “The Sacred Liturgy is the heart of my priestly vocation.” |
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Deacon Gary Blue Deacon Gary Blue and his wife Susan have been parishioners of St. Joseph since 1987. Their two Daughters, Carly and Taylor were both Baptized, received first Eucharist and were confirmed at St. Joseph. Taylor and Eric Hurley were married here in October of 2021. Gary and Sue have been involved in a number of ministries throughout the last 25 years, serving as catechist, EOM, lectors and homebound ministers. In the Fall of 2007, Gary entered into the Diocesan Lay Ministry Program and in 2014, entered into the Permanent Diaconate Formation Program. In June of 2016, Gary was ordained a Permanent Deacon by Bishop Donald Hying. After working 36 years in the waste industry, Gary joined the staff of St. Joseph in the fall of 2019. Gary works as the head of Buildings and Grounds and as a Pastoral Associate. |
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Fr. David Krolczyk Fr. Dave came to St. Joseph in September of 2021 from St. James the Greater in Sauk Village, IL (Archdiocese of Chicago). Father Dave was born in Chicago and attended St. Mary, Star of the Sea School, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary and Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary South and University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. He served as associate pastor of Our Lady of the Mount, Cicero; Sacred Heart, Melrose Park; St. Mary of Czestochowa; and St. Jude the Apostle. He was pastor of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr, Posen; administrator of Queen of the Universe; and pastor of St. James the Greater, Sauk Village (2003-2021). He also served for four years as a field advocate for the marriage tribunal and four years on the building and renovation commission, as well as serving as chaplain of three Knights of Columbus councils.(Archdiocese of Chicago). |
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Patty Jarzembowski Patty has been married to her husband, Paul, for 52 years and has one son, also Paul. Patty and Paul were members of St. Maria Goretti since they lived in Northgate subdivision for 20 years. They then joined St. Joseph when they moved to Cedar Lake.Patty started at St. Joseph Church in March of 1991 as a secretary to Msgr. F.J. Melevage. Besides being secretary, Patty also did the bulletin, and was a receptionist. Patty served under Rev. Mark Pavlina, Rev. Terry Steffens, Rev. Ted J. Mauch and now Rev. Peter John Muha.Patty’s duties increased to include finance, gym rental, calendar keeper for the gym. gathering room, and priest schedules along various other duties. Patty’s joys come from meeting and speaking with all of the parishioners. “I am honored and privileged to still be working here at St. Joseph Parish.” |
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William Coble William’s Catholic ministry as a Music Director and Organist started in 1992 at St. Gertrude on Chicago’s north side. He formally joined the Catholic faith in 1999 with RCIA. In 2005, he began serving at St. Paul IV in Riverside. After 2013, he held various pt posts before arriving at St. Joseph in late 2016. His training includes several degrees e.g. the University of Chicago (Ph.D.) and The Curtis Institute. He taught grads and undergrads at seven colleges including the University of North Texas. His composing includes symphonies and chamber music that earned him awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and Illinois Council on the Arts. His performances include playing trumpet with an orchestra primarily of Chicago Symphony members (Apollo Chorus) and professional piano, conducting and singing. William lives in Munster with his wife Jenny and son Ben, a sophomore at Munster High School. |
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Mary Marszalek Mary was born and raised in Gary, Indiana along with her three brothers and a sister. She belonged to St. Mark Parish where she attended grade school. Shen then attended Andrean High School and graduated in 1969. After graduating high school Mary went to work in the banking industry for the next 33 years. After that, she worked at Town & Country Market for 15 years until she retired in 2018. After retirement, Mary relocated to the Dyer/Schererville area and became a parishioner of St. Joseph Parish where she is now employed as the Office Assistant. |
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Mark Gabrione Mark has been a parishioner of St. Joseph Parish for six years and is originally from South Holland, IL. Mark was a Senior Project Coordinator in the Telecom Industry and a Senior Pension Analyst for a corporate human resources firm. Mark is a third degree Knight of Columbus and is active in many Pro Life activities. He also partakes and serves on many St. Joseph Ministries as well as managing the Parish website, social media and communications strategy. |
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Rod Keelan Rod and his wife Debbie have been St. Joseph parishioners for 28 years and have been married for 50 years. They have six children and twenty three grandchildren. Rod has been a 3rd degree Knight of Columbus for over 20 years and he and his wife Debbie (and family) are actively in many Pro Life activities. They have attended the March For Life in Washington multiple times. Rod was born in Winona, MN and lived Calumet City, IL. He retired as an electrician after 37 years with IBEW 697 and went on to work in the software business warehouse for ten years. Rod is a veteran of the United States Air Force. |
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Gerald “Hap” Arentz “Hap” and his wife Shirley have been married for 53 years. They have three children and eight grandchildren. He originally began working maintenance with our St. Joseph Parish School until it closed. He then began working here at the church. |