St. Joan of Arc
CATHOLIC CHURCH

P: 440-247-7183 | 496 East Washington Street, Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44022

Parish Staff

Rev. Gary J. Malin, Pastor

Father Gary is from Cleveland’s east-side and was ordained a priest on June 7, 1986. After ordination he served as Co-Pastor and Member of the Pastoral Team at Our Lady Help of Christians in Litchfield. Next, he was Associate Pastor and Administrator at St. Mary in Elyria for ten years. Before coming to St Joan of Arc he was Associate Pastor at St. Gabriel in Concord Township and St. Francis of Assisi in Gates Mills. Father Gary has a doctoral degree in Biblical Theology and Homiletics and is an adjunct professor at St Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology. In his spare time, he enjoys music, traveling, reading, exercise, and relaxing with friends. Father Gary joined St. Joan of Arc in 2011 and was named pastor in June 2013.

Rev. Jeffrey Dunlop, Permanent Deacon

Jeff spent most of his formative years in the Chagrin area. Growing up, his family were members of St Joan's Parish where he was active in the Boy Scouts and as an altar server. He attended St. Rita’s school and Gilmour Academy. He received a Bachelors Degree in Business from Georgetown University and is a CPA. Currently Jeff is employed as the Chief Financial Officer for Frantz Medical Development, Ltd and Subsidiaries in Mentor, Ohio. He was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate in the Cleveland Diocese in May, 2000. As a deacon, Jeff assists at Masses, presides at baptisms, performs marriages and officiates at burial services. He is also the RCIA Coordinator. In his free time, he enjoys reading, walking/hiking, the theater and cooking.

Rev. Dennis Guritza, Permanent Deacon

Denny Guritza was ordained as a permanent Deacon in 2005 and serves his diaconal ministry St. Joan of Arc. Deacon Denny and his wife Diana (bride of 50 years) have 3 children and 6 grandchildren. Members of the St. Joan family since 1984, Deacon Denny & Diana lead the Pre-Baptismal Preparation Program at St. Joan’s for the local region. His was educated at Eastern Michigan University with a degree in Aquatic Biology along with an MBA from Xavier University in Cincinnati. Currently project work in developing Aquaculture opportunities, “ocean farming for families”, keeps Deacon Denny traveling to project sites. His favorite pastime, after centering prayer, is fly fishing on a quiet trout stream.

Mrs. Amanda T. Haberman, Pastoral Minister

Amanda has been involved in religious education for over 15 years, serving in various roles throughout the Diocese of Cleveland and the Diocese of Baltimore. She has been married to her husband Matt for 18 years and they have four children aged 16, 11, 9, and 5. A native of northeast Ohio, Amanda graduated from Chardon High School and then attended Ashland University graduating with her B.A. in Journalism and Religious Studies. Most recently Amanda completed her master’s degree in Catechesis from Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. She is also a level 1 Catechesis of the Good Shepherd facilitator and loves volunteering in this ministry. In her spare time Amanda enjoys taking walks, traveling and kayaking with her family, playing board games with her kids, frequenting the Cleveland Metroparks and reading a few chapters in a good spiritual book every day. She is very excited to serve as Pastoral Minister and work with the good people of SJA parish.

Sr. Judy Bucco, SND, Director of Religious Education

Judy has been in Religious Education for 14 years, the last 12 at SJA. Before beginning this ministry, it had been her privilege to teach primary children for many years in the Youngstown and Cleveland Dioceses. Being raised with an older sister and younger brother in an Italian-American home, and part of a large extended family, has given her a deep love for family, family traditions and wonderful memories! Some of her SND opportunities were to give religion workshops and be part of a Review Team for Loyola Press, to give in-services to new teachers in the diocese, and to be a director for young women who are beginning their discernment for religious life. Sr. Judy feels she is especially blessed to witness to God’s Goodness within the many ministry opportunities she has at SJA!

Mrs. Stacie M. Webster, Principal

Mrs. Webster comes to us with over 20 years of strong experiences in Catholic education, classroom teaching and educational leadership. Among her professional experiences (in addition to excelling at teaching) she has served on the School Leadership Team, Curriculum Committee Chair, and co-Chair for Accreditation.

Most recently Stacie had been serving on the staff at Gesu Catholic School in University Hts., OH since 2013.

Her passion for Catholic education and commitment to staff and student leadership and development will help ensure St. Joan of Arc School’s legacy of Catholic educational excellence will continue.

Stacie is an alum of the University of Toledo (Bachelor of Education), John Carroll University (Master of Education) and Notre Dame College in South Euclid (Educational Leadership).

Director of Music

Ralph Holtzhauser (b. 1993) grew up in Rocky River, Ohio. At the age of two he started to play the piano when his neighbors gave his parents a piano and even at such a young age, he knew he wanted to play music for the rest of his life. Starting in second grade at St. Christopher Church, he began learning how to play the organ and soon played full Masses by the end of that year. Ralph continued to forward his liturgical music career by playing at St. Luke Church and Annunciation Parish into his high school years. Following high school, he attended Baldwin Wallace University where he earned a degree in organ performance and composition. After graduating in 2016, he became the music director at St. Bernadette Church and was asked to become the music teacher in 2018. Outside of the liturgical and school world, Ralph enjoys going to jazz and rock concerts. His love of these musical styles continues to take him many different places, including the Kennedy Center where he played with three time Grammy winner Graham Breedlove. He most recently recorded at the LA Congregationalist Church, home to the largest church organ in the USA.

Ms. Allie Gall

Allie is the Coordinator of Youth Ministry at St. Joan of Arc Parish. A Cleveland native, she grew up in Solon and recently moved to Bainbridge. She is a graduate of John Carroll University, where she is also completing her master's degree in nonprofit administration. While this is her first full-time ministry position, Allie has many years of experience volunteering in many youth ministry roles at Church of the Resurrection. Allie's vision for youth ministry at SJA includes helping teens be able to use and express their faith in real-life situations and teaching them how to live a prayerful, spiritual life and how to understand events in their life through the lens of their faith. In her spare time, Allie enjoys playing violin, singing, crocheting, and art projects. She also enjoys spending time with her dog Ricky and doing yoga.