Redemptorist Staff and Associated Faculty

Rev. Stephen T. Rehrauer, C.Ss.R.

Father Stephen T. Rehrauer, C.Ss.R., is the Director of the Redemptorist Renewal Center. He is a former Provincial of the Redemptorists of the Denver Province. A native of Wisconsin, he was ordained a Redemptorist priest in 1980. His early years of priesthood were spent doing parish ministry, preaching parish missions, and overseeing the formation of future Redemptorists. After securing his doctorate in moral theology, he taught at the Pontifical Institute, the Alphonsian Academy in Rome, the Pontifical University of St. Thomas, the Beda College, and the Vincent Paotti Institute besides traveling extensively offering workshops and seminars in Colombia, India, the Philippines, and Nigeria, among other places. He has written extensively contributing regular to the Liguorian Magazine, and authoring Theology for Today’s Catholic – A Handbook.

Rev. Brian Johnson, C.Ss.R.

Father Brian Johnson, C.Ss.R., is the new Rector of the Church of Our Lady of the Desert (2021-). Fr Brian was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa. He attended grade school at the local Redemptorist parish. He was ordained a priest in 1986 and has worked exclusively in parishes across the western 2/3s of the country.  Fr. Brian has a lot of experiences in pastoral ministry, especially in the area of faith formation. He enjoys conducting the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, Bible and spiritual programs. He is planning to run a Bible study and spiritual development for the churchgoers here. (Please look for the announcement of this Bible series in the bulletin). He would love to see OLDC parishioners continue to grow deeply in our relationship with God. He looks forward to ministering parishioners of OLDC.

Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ

Br. Guy Consolmagno, SJ was born in 1952 in Detroit, Michigan. He is director of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in 1974 and Master of Science in 1975 in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his PhD in Planetary Science from the University of Arizona in 1978. He was a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer at the Harvard College Observatory from 1978 to 1980, and continued as postdoc and lecturer at MIT till 1983. He was in Kenya as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1983-1985. Upon his return to the U.S. he taught physics at Lafayette College until his entry into the Jesuit order in 1989. He took vows as Jesuit brother in 1991, and in 1993 he was assigned to the Vatican Observatory. He has served on the governing boards of the Meteoritical Society, the International Astronomical Union’s Division III, Planetary Systems Science, and Commission 16, Moons and Planets, and the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences.

Rev. Paul Coury, C.Ss.R.

Rev. Paul Coury, C.Ss.R., is a former Director of the Redemptorist Renewal Center. A former member of the Provincial leadership team of the Denver Province of Redemptorists, his ministerial experience includes Redemptorist formation communities, the retreat apostolate, and Liguori Publications. Father Paul holds Masters degrees in theology, religious education, art, and psychology.

Allen Dart

Mr. Dart received his Bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of New Mexico in 1973 and his Master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1983. He has worked and volunteered as a professional archaeologist in New Mexico and Arizona since 1975 for government, private companies and non profit organizations. His studies have focused on southern Arizona’s prehistoric Hohokam culture, but he also has participated in archaeological research on other prehistoric and historical Native American cultures of the Southwest. Allen is currently the Executive Director of Tucson’s nonprofit Old Pueblo Archaeology Center, which he founded in 1993 to provide educational and scientific programs in archaeology and culture. A Registered Professional Archaeologist, he has been a recipient of the Arizona Governor’s Award in Public Archaeology for his efforts to bring archaeology and history to the public.

Rev. Paul Gabor, SJ

Rev. Paul Gabor was born in Slovakia. A Jesuit, he was ordained a priest in 2004. He earned a PhD in astrophysics in 2009 in Paris. Father Gabor joined the Vatican Observatory in September 2010 and was assigned to the Vatican Observatory Research Group in Tucson, AZ. He became its vice director in September 2012.

Rev. Greg May, C.Ss.R.

Rev. Greg May, C.Ss.R., was raised in a farming community west of Wichita, Kansas. He professed vows as a Redemptorist on July 24, 1983 and was ordained in Wichita on September 10, 1988. He has been active in parish ministry for more than 25 years. His primary focus has been with the Spanish-speaking community. He has run programs for lay leadership and Redemptorist spirituality. He is a graduate of the Hesychia Program for Spiritual Direction. He has an interest in history, especially in those areas that pertain to the Sacred Scriptures.

Rev. Thomas Picton, C.Ss.R.

Rev. Thomas Picton, C.Ss.R., is a licensed marriage and family therapist. A former provincial of the Redemptorist Denver Province, he belongs to the American Association of Pastoral Counselors and the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. He has been a clinical pastoral therapist in private and community practice for twenty-four years.

Rev. Thomas M. Santa, C.Ss.R.

Rev. Thomas Santa, C.Ss.R., a former pastor of St. Michael’s Church, a Redemptorist parish in Chicago. A former director of the Redemptorist Renewal Center, he is also the former President and Publisher of Liguori Publications (1992-1999). In addition to his role and expertise in Catholic Publishing, he is also a published author whose works include “Marian Shrines of the United States”, “Dear Padre: I Have A Question”, “Understanding Scrupulosity”, and four contributions to “The Essential Catholic Handbook” series published by Liguori Publications. These include Handbooks on the Sacraments, the Bible, and the Liturgical seasons of Advent and Lent. His recent book is “Retreats, Exploring A Great Religious Tradition” (Ave Maria Press). In recent years, Father Santa has contributed to the process of nurturing and encouraging authors through his leadership in the formation of the Catholic Writers Retreat and Workshop annually sponsored by the Redemptorist Renewal Center. He currently serves as Theological Editor and Consultant for the E. T. Nedder Publishing Company, Tucson, Arizona.

Rev. James E. Shea, C.Ss.R.

Father James E Shea, C.Ss.R., was born Oct. 14, 1938 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He grew up on his parents’ dairy farm. He attended the high school and college of the Redemptorist Seminaries in Missouri. He took his vows as a Redemptorist in 1960 and was ordained a priest in 1965. He got his Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University in Chicago. He has been involved in parish ministry, mostly as pastor of a Redemptorist parish in Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, and Texas. He was elected to become provincial superior for six years from 1990 to 1996. On September 1, 2019 he was appointed as a member of a pastoral team at the Redemptorist Renewal Center, Tucson, Arizona.

Peter Tran

Peter Tran is assistant director of the Redemptorist Renewal Center. He is a former editor of the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCANews) in Bangkok. Peter’s articles appeared in the World Migration Magazine, L’Osservatore Romano, Liguorian, Asian SUNEWS, National Catholic Reporter, Global Sisters Report. He is co-editor of A Catholic Response to the Asian Presence (National Catholic Educational Association, publisher). During his years as a Redemptorist, he was involved extensively in the work of pastoral care for refugees and migrants in the United States and at the Vatican.

Monica (Nicki) Verploegen, Ph.D.

Originally from Montana, Nicki Verplogegen holds a doctorate in Formative Spirituality and is a Visiting Professor at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati. For eight years she served as Director of the Spiritual and Ministerial Development at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, MA. She now teaches in graduate programs throughout the U.S.A., including Saint Michael’s College in Burlington, VT, University of Dayton, University of the Incarnate Word, and the Deaconal Formation program for Boston Archdiocese.

Rev. Charlie Wehrley, C.Ss.R.

Father Charles Wehrley, C.Ss.R., is currently a communications director in Washington, DC, and a former retreat director of RRC specializing 12 Step spirituality and Serenity Retreats. He also founded Soulshine, a support group for persons suffering from codependency and other addictive behaviors. He also starts retreats based on 12 Step spirituality. His popular retreats include The Addictive Personality, The Surrender Box, Shame and the Addictive Trap, Boundaries for Better Relationships, 12 Steps to Inner-Peace, The Nightmare Before Forgiveness and The Perfectly Imperfect ParentFather Charlie also serves as spiritual director, gives parish missions, and has taught in our sabbatical program and coordinated the RRC bookstore.

Rev. Greg Wiest, C.Ss.R.

Father Greg Wiest, C.Ss.R., received his Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union and was ordained a Redemptorist priest in 1989.  A former retreat director at the Redemptorist Renewal Center since 2008.  He coordinated the Hesychia Spiritual Direction Program at the Center and had developed the Center’s contemplative retreats.  His main area of concern lies in the intersection of painting, writing, and meditation. He is also concerned with how to help GLBTQ people benefit spiritually from the Catholic Tradition.