Saint Frances Cabrini - Meet Our Staff

Father Sean McGrath
Fr. Sean McGrath was ordained a priest in 1991. He has served in various parishes in the Archdiocese of Denver. Before coming to St. Frances Cabrini he was Pastor of Guardian Angels Parish. He was also an instructor at St. John Vianney Seminary. Fr. Sean is also serving as a chaplain to the Denver Police and Fire Departments.

Fr. Timothy Hjelstrom
Fr. Timothy Hjelstrom was officially assigned as Parochial Vicar June 27, 2007.

Deacon Paul Grimm
Ordained in 1984, Paul has been at Cabrini since 1993. He and his wife Mary have four grown children.

Deacon Chet Ubowski
Ordained for the Archdiocese of Denver in 1994, Deacon Chet has been at Cabrini since 2003. He and his wife Sandi have five children. In addition to his duties at St. Frances Cabrini, Deacon Chet serves as one of the Masters of Ceremonies for the Archdiocese of Denver, usually assigned to assist Archbishop Daniel Kucera, OSB, the retired archbishop of Dubuque, Iowa, who assists Archbishop Chaput throughout the diocese.

Deacon Witold Engel
Ordained in 1999, Deacon Witold and his wife Carmen (married for over 35 years) joined Cabrini in December 2005.  Deacon Witold was born in Stryj, Poland.  He, along with his two sisters and two brothers, was imprisoned as a child for five years in Siberia.  His family and he are also survivors who were imprisoned in both Auschwitz and Dachau.  In 1951, Deacon Witold immigrated from Germany to the United States.  He served in the United States Army for six years.  Deacon Witold previously served at Our Lady of Refuge Parish in Long Beach, CA.

Sherwood Owens holds a Doctorate in Ministry, a Master's in Marriage and Family Counseling and is a certified Spiritual Director. His department oversees Baptisms,Marriage preparation, RCIA, and adult education. Sherwood and his wife, Marianne, have two children, Jacqueline and Nicholas.

Karen Crum recently moved to the Denver area from Plano, TX.  Her husband Les is a Denver native and they are very happy to be near his parents after 22 years on the road.  Together they have two children and have recently become empty nesters.

Laura Kushner joined the St. Frances Cabrini staff in May 2007 as the Community Life Program Coordinator.  Laura holds a Master of Arts in Counseling.  She moved to the Littleton area in August 2005 from Cincinnati Ohio.  Laura is excited for this opportunity to use the gifts God has given to her to further His kingdom.

Sandi Ubowski  joined the staff on January 9, 2006 as the Director of Outreach and Assistance.  Her work in Parish Ministry over the past 20 years include RCIA, Religious Education, liturgical ministries, Youth Minister and most recently Women’s Ministry.  In addition to her ministry at Saint Frances Cabrini, she works with the Diaconal Seminary spiritual formation team forming the wives of future deacons.

Kathy Seefried Kathy has been in Religious Education for 25 years.She was the Director of Religious Education for 12 years in Orlando, Florida before moving to Colorado in 1996. She joined the staff at Cabrini as Director of Religious Education in July 1997. Kathy and Joe, our Business Manager, were married in May, 2000.

Jennifer Jackson joined the staff of St. Frances Cabrini December 2004 as the Assistant to the Director of Religious Education.  Before coming to St. Frances Cabrini, she worked as a Tech. Support Associate with EDS Corporation.  Jennifer and her family have been members of this parish for over 25 years, and she has volunteered in several ministries for over 10 years.

Dan Wyatt has a Master of Arts in Sacred Music from Catholic University and has worked in music and liturgical ministry for 30 years. Before coming to Cabrini in 1990, Dan was the Director of the Office of Worship and Music for the Diocese of Peoria, Ill. He and his wife Judy have three children.

Shannon Gunning joined the Youth Ministry team in August 2005.  She is the Director of Youth Ministry for all high school and junior high school and confirmation.  She has been a parishioner since 1996 and participated in the youth program here at Cabrini as a teenager.  Shannon received her bachelor's degree in Theology and Religious Education from Franciscan University.  Shannon's favorite saint is Saint Therese.  She loves coffee and celebrates every feast day with ice cream.

DeAnn Larson offcially joined the staff in April 2006.  DeAnn and her family have been parishioners at Cabrini for over 10 years.  She is married to Tony and is the mother of four children ranging in age from 13 to 19.  DeAnn was a religious education instructor for over 10 years.