Meet Our staff
Father Shane
Pastor
Fr. Shane was appointed pastor of the Church of St. George on July 1, 2022, after serving as the Pastor of St. Gregory the Great in North Branch from 2002-2022 and Sacred Heart Church in Rush City from 2012-2022. He was ordained at the Cathedral of Saint Paul on May 28, 1994, by the late Archbishop John Roach.
During his new pastorate at St. George, he has focused on providing excellent liturgies and promoting our church which is a hidden gem in Long Lake, Minnesota.
Read Full BioNuriel Abdenur
Director of Music and Liturgy
Nuriel has a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from USC and a Master’s in Vocal Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. Serving as assistant music director at St. George prior to assuming leadership in the music ministry, Nuriel also taught Preschool-8th Music in Catholic schools where she still substitute teaches. She and her husband Patrick were married at St. George in 2018, and have a beautiful baby named Erik. Her philosophy of worship is summed up by St. Augustine who noted that “When you sing, you pray twice.” Her favorite hymn is “How Can I Keep from Singing?” and she invites you to lift your voices during Mass!
Mike Dombeck
Head of Building and Grounds
Mike and his wife Rowanne have lived in Orono for over forty years. Mike is retired from Village Chevrolet where he worked in the auto parts department. A jack of all trades, he has helped the church as both a volunteer and employee with many different needs, including maintenance, repair, purchasing, and other special projects. Mike is a sacristan, altar server, and Eucharistic Minister, and he is also in charge of hospitality and instrumental in Corn Days efforts. He loves the outdoors, including hunting and fishing. He enjoys helping out where he can and is grateful for all of the friends that he has made in our church family.
Rowanne Dombeck
Office Assistant
Rowanne, along with her husband Mike, is a long-time parishioner at St. George. She is a retired Discovery Center pre-school assistant teacher and has also worked in several bookkeeping positions. She started at St. George doing administrative support for the faith formation program and now serves as an office assistant to both Paula and Sara as well as a money counter. Her passions are quilting, camping, kayaking, and cross-country skiing. She is proud to be a new grandma and enjoys helping out at church.
Sara Dore
Parish Secretary
Sara grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan where she met her husband, Chris. She taught at a public high school in Michigan and at a suburban Chicago Catholic School where she taught middle school English, Social Studies, and Religion. As a stay-at-home mother of three girls, she was active in the Women’s Council and Choir when Father Ralph asked her to start working part-time in the parish office in 2013.
Paula Luna
Bookkeeper
Paula grew up in El Salvador and moved to the US as a teenager. She worked in retail management until she started working at St. George in 2007, where she began to do accounting work. At the same time, Paula was also a business administrator at another parish. Paula finished her accounting degree while working full-time. Paula left St. George in 2018, and returned to do our accounting in 2022. Paula also has a small financial accounting business on the side. She likes to go hiking and listen to music in her spare time.
Matilde Narvaez
Church Custodian and Rectory Housekeeper
Matilde has been an active parishioner at St. George for over 12 years. She has performed in the Latino music ministry, has been involved in a Spanish-language faith group for moms, has coordinated the Corn Days Fiesta Dinner, and been involved in planning many parish events. She has two sons. Her favorite hobby is playing basketball, and her favorite food is mole. She also has a passion for flowers and gardening.
Fr. Tim Norris
Sacramental Minister, Latino Ministry
Fr. Tim grew up in St Paul, and his four brothers and their families still live in the area. He serves not only at St George, but also as the part-time parochial vicar at Saint Stephen-Holy Rosary Parish in Minneapolis. He was ordained in May 1994, at the Cathedral of Saint Paul with seven others including our pastor, Fr. Shane. He has served in various parishes in the Archdiocese. After learning Spanish, he spent nine years serving our Archdiocesan Mission Parish in Venezuela. He enjoys biking, kayaking, camping, and movies in his spare time. Father Tim commented that it is a great joy to minister to people as a priest, as we journey together with faith in Christ Jesus, through the awesome power of the Holy Spirit, to encounter the tender love and mercy of God, our Heavenly Father.
Abby Wooley
Director of Faith Formation
Abby assisted with Good Shepherd classes at St. George for several years and was a catechist for the 3–6-year-olds at St. John the Baptist Montessori school in Excelsior before taking on the role as Faith Formation Director. Abby earned a degree in photography. She married her husband Ryan 14 years ago and has two daughters, ages 11 and 6. When her family moved to Maple Plain several years ago, they became parishioners. Abby is looking forward to meeting more families as the Faith Formation Director of St. George!
Katherine Schmelov
Piano – Accompanist
Katherine is from Voronezh, Russia and came to the US in 2021. She is a piano performance major studying with Dr. Paul Shaw at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She loves cats, particularly her cat, Shostakovich, and she enjoys walking in Minneapolis where she resides. As well as being an accomplished pianist, she also likes speaking and learning different languages including Spanish, German and Greek.
Want to volunteer?
We are always looking for liturgical ministers, office help, and corn days volunteers.
Call (952) 473-1247