akubalanza@stapostle.org
630-355-8980 ext. 124
1500 Brookdale Road, Naperville, IL 60563
Annette is here at St. Thomas to direct the pastoral needs of our parishioners. She serves St. Thomas Parish as a pastoral care minister and spiritual consultant, and in that capacity, she counsels people on spiritual matters when they need someone to talk to.
Annette wrote her doctoral thesis on sacred stories. Stories have a mystical quality; God comes to us through the unfolding of the everyday events of life. This is part of Annette’s pastoral mission at St. Thomas: To help people notice God’s presence through the stories of their lives.
Annette oversees:
- Pastoral Care Program
- Eucharistic Visits: Ministers of Care
- Blood Pressure Program
- Wellspring
- Prayer Shawl Ministry
- St. Thomas PrimeTime
Something in Common with Pope Leo XIV
On her road to her position as Director of Pastoral Care, she crossed paths (geographically, at least) with Pope Leo XIV. Annette was born at Mercy Hospital in Bridgeport, the same as the Pope. She earned both her BS and MS in education from Northern Illinois University. She went on to earn her MA in pastoral studies from the Catholic Theological Union, a school the Pope also attended, though not at the same time. Annette went on to earn her EdD in education, also at NIU.
Before taking on this position at St. Thomas in 2022, Annette had been retired for a year and a half. Before retirement, Annette was the pastoral associate at St. Irene in Warrenville for 25 years.
Among her other accomplishments, Annette is blessed to have been married for over 50 years. She and her husband are parents of seven grown children, ten grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Past Volunteer Activity
- Hesed House volunteer
- Member of Ignatian Volunteer Corps
- Warrenville Persons in Ministry
Annette on St. Thomas
“St. Thomas is a very welcoming community. Although it is a very large parish, it feels like a small one. I can talk to anybody about anything here.”
– Annette Kubalanza, EdD
