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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Stanley Francis "JR" ZerkowskiFortunate Families, a national Catholic network of parents of LGBT+ sons and daughters, has appointed Stanley Francis “JR” Zerkowski to be its first executive director.
A resident of Lexington, Kentucky, Zerkowski joins Fortunate Families after a long career in pastoral care and diversity topics. He is the Founder of Lexington UNITED Interfaith Encounters and Lexington UNITED Interfaith Dialogues. He designed and facilitated Lexington’s 1st Pride Interfaith Service at the Lyric Theater to cap Lexington Pride Month and the Lexington Pride Festival, bringing together 23 interfaith leaders: Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Muslims, as well as civic and community leaders, including Lexington’s mayor, police chief and fire chief.
In the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, he founded and leads LGBT Ministry “Together on the Bridge,” the Catholic LGBTQ ministry, and he founded “Together on the Journey,” an LGBT Family, Friends, and Allies Ministry, now Fortunate Families Lexington.
His monthly faith-based article appears in LinQ, the Pride Community Services Organization of the Bluegrass LGBT magazine. He has been a contributor to Pastoral Liturgy Magazine, Liturgy Training Publications. He completed his undergraduate and first graduate program at Barry University, Miami, FL. After earning a masters degree in Church Management and Administration from the Villanova University School of Business, he was awaded the highest honor a graduate student can attain at Villanova University: the Bartley Medallion. He is a member of the honor societies of Phi Kappa Phi and Beta Gamma Sigma. He has received three Mayoral proclamations for his interfaith and LGBTQ initiatives; was made a Commonwealth Ambassador by the Kentucky Secretary of State; was given the honorary commission of Kentuckly Colonel in 2013; and, in 2017, received the Lexington Fairness’ Jonathan Barker Leadership Award given in part because he “has taken the words of Pope Francis to heart and has worked to build bridges between the LGBT and faith communities.” He is a member of the Board of Directors of Lexington Fairness and the Executive Board of the Kentucky Council of Churches.
Board of Directors
Ed Buechel, Kentucky
President
Ed received his undergraduate degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati and his law degree from the University of Kentucky. He practices law in Northern Kentucky. Ed and his wife Kathy live in Edgewood, Ky. Ed and Kathy each have a gay son, and they are very proud of both of them. Ed also has a daughter and son-in-law, and Ed and Kathy have one grandson. Ed has participated in numerous parish activities and is involved in a number of community organizations. He serves as the first lay Chair of St. Charles Care Center, Inc. Ed and Kathy host Catholics Embracing the LGBT Community, a support group for parents of LGBT individuals in Northern Kentucky.
Michael Duffy, Illinois
Cathy Hoffmann, Indiana
Treasurer
Cathy is a lifelong resident of southern Indiana. Cathy and her husband, Chris, have been married for 28 years and have two grown sons, one straight and one gay.
Cathy received her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting at the University of Southern Indiana in 1988 and is a Certified Public Accountant. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Indiana CPA Society. Currently, Cathy serves as the Controller the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana. Her prior professional career includes 16 years with Karen L Schenk and Associates LLC, providing accounting and tax services to individuals, small businesses, trust and estates, and not-for-profits. She also spent 10 years with Deaconess Hospital in various roles in the finance and personnel services departments.
Cathy was raised catholic and has been a member of St Wendel Catholic Church since 1993 and has served on the building committee, finance committee and as a CCD teacher. She also served as a speech and debate coach and on the PTO of St Wendel Catholic School. Cathy was a YWCA Live Y'ers mentor in Evansville, Indiana for several years.
Penny Smith-Bogert, New York
Secretary
Penny Smith-Bogert lives near Albany, New York with her beloved Jack Russell Terrier, Jackie. She is a retired speech/language pathologist, a devoted yoga practitioner and the mother of a 34-year-old daughter and a 29-year-old gay son.
She participates in various local LGBT+ events and volunteers for the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Penny is a very active member of her parish, and has served as a Eucharistic Minister, Faith Formation Teacher, Confirmation Team Facilitator and Chaperone to the National Catholic Youth Conference. She currently sings alto in her church's music ministry group and considers herself blessed to be part of such vibrant secular and religious communities.
Beth Garascia, Indiana
Beth has a B.A. in elementary education from Thomas More College in Fort Mitchell, Ky., and a master's degree in human development from the University of Maryland. She currently lives in South Bend, Ind., but is originally from Erlanger, Ky.
Beth has been a teacher for thirty-two years and is currently teaching GED classes for the Adult Education Department of the South Bend Community School Corporation.
Beth and her husband, Tony, met as members of the Advent Community, a Marianist lay community, and they have both been lay members of the Marianist Family ever since.
Beth was a founding member of the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative’s GLBT Initiative and has been chair since 2008. She and Tony are the proud parents of three grown children, one straight and two gay, and have one granddaughter.
Tony Garascia, Indiana
Tony received his master's in counseling from Indiana University at South Bend in 1986. In addition he received a master's degree in liturgical studies in 1978 from the Catholic University of America. Tony has more 25 years of experience counseling individuals, couples, families, adolescents and children. His areas of specialty include marriage and relationship issues, family difficulties, depression and anxiety, traumatic stress and bereavement work and sexual identity issues.
He works with clients from age 7 up. He is the author of the popular marriage preparation programs Before “I Do” and Catholic Remarriage (Ave Maria Press), Rekindle the Passion While Raising Your Kids (Sorin Books), and Getting Married, Living Together(Ave Maria Press). Tony is licensed in the State of Indiana as a clinical social worker.
Tony and his wife, Beth, met as members of a Marianist lay community and have been lay members of the Marianist Family ever since. Tony served as the president of the International Organization of Marianist Lay Communities from 2005 to 2009. They are the proud parents of three grown children, one straight and two gay, and have one granddaughter.