Board of Directors
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Mary Jane Fox & Deacon Tom Fox
Parish: St. Matthew
The call we received from the Lord to serve in the field of Catholic evangelization has been a most enlightening, inspirational and challenging vocation!
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Debbie Garza
Parish: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
On pilgrimage, I know the ears and eyes of my heart have been opened by God’s grace and I’ve experienced the Joy of the Gospel. I am committed to helping other pilgrims experience their personal journey of faith.
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Victor Negron
Parish: St. Matthew
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Patty Parma
Parish: St. Mary Church
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Robert Polka
Parish: St. Brigid
As a recently retired father and husband, events like the conferences and pilgrimages have helped me deepen my faith and driven a desire to share this Good News with others. Tom & Mary Jane are living witnesses to a life of trust in God, and I am honored to be able to help Pilgrim Center of Hope advance in their important mission of Catholic evangelization.
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Jeff Weaver
Parish: Holy Spirit
Jeff is a retired executive from AT&T where he spent 35 years working in IT, Engineering, Marketing, Sales, and Program Management. Jeff was a 20 year resident of San Antonio before moving to Florida to support family. He and his wife were active parishioners at Holy Spirit Church.
Jeff’s involvement with Pilgrim Center of Hope (PCH) has been extensive over the last 15 years, starting with his first attendance of a Catholic Men’s Conference. He has journeyed with PCH on three separate pilgrimages (Italy, the Holy Land, and Marian shrines in Portugal & France).
Jeff says, "The pilgrimage experiences were, literally, life changing. In addition to the spiritual companionships developed with the other pilgrims, visiting sites once inhabited by Jesus, His blessed Mother and the Saints has deepened my faith and love for the Catholic Church." When he talks about PCH to others, his favorite comments is, "You can go on tours with anyone, but if you want a true pilgrimage, go with Pilgrim Center of Hope."
He is honored to be associated with PCH in any capacity.
Jeff is married to his wife, Sarah, of 44 years. They have three adult children and nine grandchildren.
Advisory Board
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Nan Balfour
Parish: St. Francis of Assisi
Nan worked as Pilgrim Center of Hope’s events coordinator for 10 years. As a Missionary of Hope volunteer, she continues to serve Pilgrim Center of Hope as a writer for The Pilgrim Log blog and "Living Catholicism" column in the Archdiocesan newspaper, Today’s Catholic.
Nan also serves as a Shroud Ambassador for the "Who is the Man of the Shroud?" Exhibition; guiding visitors, writing, and speaking for "A Journey with the Shroud" presentations.
Nan is a monthly benefactor, daily prayer intercessor, and contributes from her years of experience at Pilgrim Center of Hope as an Advisory Board member.
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Lea Kochanek
Parish: Church of the Good Shepherd (Schertz)
Lea Kochanek began her career in media relations for the U.S. Olympic Festival 1993, then in community relations at the San Antonio Express-News for 11 years.
After taking time off to nurture her grandchildren, Lea worked as Director of Donor Relations at the San Antonio Area Foundation. She then served as Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Oblate School of Theology, where she managed the School’s fundraising, marketing, public relations and communications for more than 10 years prior to retiring in March 2020.
In addition to serving on our Advisory Board in the area of funding development, Lea is active in her parish, Church of the Good Shepherd in Schertz, serving on several committees, also with the Catholic Daughters of the Americas and Fellowship of Catholic Christian Women. She is a member of SA 100 and helps various Catholic nonprofits with their fundraising efforts as a volunteer.
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Bill and Lupita Winters
Parish: St. Anthony Mary Claret
Lupita Winters worked as Pilgrim Center of Hope’s Accountant for almost 4 ½ years and assisted in various conferences and fundraising events. Prior to joining PCH, Lupita worked as a Senior Staff Accountant in the hotel industry as well as substitute and computer technology teacher for NISD.
Her husband Bill works for the Department of the Air Force and serves as a Commander in the US Navy Reserve. He has served as a Missionary of Hope supporter through sponsorships and volunteering for several years.
Bill and Lupita taught Catechism at St. Anthony Claret Parish for over a decade. Together they contribute their creativity and administrative/managerial knowledge to Pilgrim Center of Hope in their role as Advisory Board members.
Staff
Deacon Tom & Mary Jane Fox
Co-Founders & Directors
Full-Time Staff
Email the Foxes
Deacon Tom and Mary Jane Fox had a re-awakening of their Catholic faith in the 1980s. While on a trip through the Holy Land, they were directed by a local priest to take a silent walk along the Sea of Galilee. There, Jesus unmistakably spoke to them each.
In September 1986, Deacon Tom and Mary Jane Fox left their respective careers in hotel management and the travel industry to work full-time for St. Matthew Catholic Church. For the first seven years, their main ministry was door-to-door home visitation; in the first few years, they visited over 10,000 families.
During those seven years at St. Matthew Church – they helped establish Perpetual Adoration, faith formation ministries, produced secular radio programs “advertising” the Catholic Church & St. Matthew’s Chapel, and other outreach ministries at St. Matthew.
Tom was ordained to the permanent Diaconate in August 1988.
In 1993, they founded Pilgrim Center of Hope, an evangelization apostolate to guide people to Christ and the Church through evangelization outreach, media productions, conferences, parish missions and pilgrimages.
Tom and Mary Jane’s mission has included travel to parishes in California, Kansas, Louisiana, Mexico, and within Texas to give presentations on their ministry experiences, Parish Missions and on Door-to-Door Home Visitation Outreach. They assisted the pastor of St. Ignatius Parish in Belize City, Belize, in a parish-wide evangelization effort.
Their ministry of pilgrimages has led them to Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Greece and Turkey. Their specialty (and dearest to their hearts) is the Holy Land, having traveled there more than 63 times since 1986.
Their ministry work has been featured in five nation-wide Catholic periodicals and on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) show Living His Life Abundantly in 1995 on the video I Am the Bread of Life, produced by Stepstone Productions, Inc. In February 2008, they received the Catholic Television of San Antonio (CTSA) Leadership Award. In March 2011, they received Guadalupe Radio Network‘s Pescadores de Hombres (Fishers of Men) Award. In 2011, they were invested into the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. In November 2012, they were awarded the Living Stones Solidarity Award from the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation for their work in the Holy Land.
They reflect, "The call we received from the Lord to serve in the field of Catholic evangelization has been a most enlightening, inspirational, and challenging vocation!"
Parish: St. Matthew
2024 Patron - Deacon Tom: Pope St. John Paul II
2024 Patron - Mary Jane: Pope St. John XXIII
Gloria Chapa-Solano
Administrative Secretary
Full-Time Staff
Email Gloria
I am happy to be back “home”. I used to work at Pilgrim Center of Hope seven years ago. I left PCH because I had just given birth to my daughter and my husband and I decided that I would be with her the first years of her life until it was time for her to go to school. Now, that I am back I’m excited to see all the new things that have taken place while I was gone and look forward to being here when all the great plans for Pilgrim Center of Hope come to fruition.
Parish: St. Anthony Mary Claret
2024 Patrons: Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin
Ann Gonsalves
Development Coordinator
Part-Time Staff
Email Ann
I’ve been so grateful to Pilgrim Center of Hope for helping me to grow spiritually in the last 15 years. The events, women’s conferences, blogs, podcasts and their encouragement have given me hope in the Risen Christ and His great love for me.
A graduate of Texas Tech University, with a BBA in Management Information Systems, I am thrilled to be part of this organization. In addition to work, I am a wife, mother and grandmother.
Parish: St. Peter the Apostle, Boerne
2024 Patron: St. Philomena
Jason Kelly
Accountant
Part-Time Staff
Email Jason K.
By God’s Divine Providence, I’ve arrived at Pilgrim Center of Hope at just the right time in my life, when I was ready to make a major change. My first encounter at PCH was a friend asked me to go visit the Shroud exhibit here, and several weeks later a job opened. God opened the door and I simply walked through it.
My background is in Special Education as a teacher for many years in the public school system. Graduating from Texas A&M with a business degree made me think I would be seeking a career in that setting, but God had other plans and is full of surprises.
Pilgrim Center of Hope’s outlook on ministry fits so well with my own spirituality. Having the Teresian Sisters as one of our inspirations is particularly meaningful for me, as they were both contemplative and apostolic.
Parish: Our Lady of the Atonement
2024 Patron: St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin
Michael Mayer
Maintenance & Groundskeeper
Full-Time Staff
In March 2022, my wife and I relocated from California to San Antonio, Texas, so that we could be closer to our daughter and granddaughters. We came across Pilgrim Center of Hope quite by accident and met Deacon Tom and Mary Jane Fox at that time. My background is HVAC and Construction. They offered me an opportunity to care for the grounds as a volunteer which led to me working part-time, then full time! I believe that God led us here, Deacon Tom and Mary Jane have been a blessing to me and my family!
Place of Worship: Gateway Fellowship, Bandera, TX
Jason Nuñez
Media Production Coordinator
Full-Time Staff
Email Jason N.
Greetings! I am a husband to an amazing and supportive wife, and father of two funny and ever-growing teenage sons. I was born and raised in El Paso, TX, and moved to San Antonio, TX in 2012.
I credit my “reversion” to Catholicism due in large part to attending an ACTS retreat in October of 2012. I currently serve as a catechist in the RCIA Ministry at my parish. I have a strong, personal devotion to Padre Pio and St. Benedict. I truly believe I have been called by God to spread the word about how others keep their fire burning for our Catholic faith. I am excited to be a part of Pilgrim Center of Hope and all the wonderful works that we have to offer! Jesus, I Trust in you!
Parish: Church of the Holy Spirit
2024 Patron: Bl. James Alberione
Rita Salazar
Events Coordinator
Part-Time Staff
Email Rita
Working at Pilgrim Center of Hope has been a true blessing. For many years, I’ve attended the Catholic Women’s Conferences which have renewed my love for God and deepened my understanding of my mission to bring life into my world. Now I get to work behind the scenes with a team of faith-filled missionaries to spread the message of hope.
I am a wife and mother of four. As life has allowed, I’ve maintained an active role in my parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Helotes) in the music ministry, ACTS, and faith formation. I’m also devoted to my apostolate work through Our Lady of Schoenstatt Shrine in Helotes.
Parish: Our Lady of Guadalupe (Helotes)
2024 Patron: St. Teresa of Jesus (Teresa of Ávila)
Angela Sealana
Media Coordinator
Full-Time Staff
Email Angela
From an early age, I knew that I wanted to apply my gifts in media for God’s glory. After a "chance" meeting with Mary Jane Fox at an international Catholic media conference, I began volunteering and then was hired. I facilitate the presentation and promotion of Pilgrim Center of Hope’s mission through new & traditional media.
My professional background is in marketing and graphic design for both non-profit ministries and for-profit businesses. I am a proud alumna of St. Mary‘s University in San Antonio, having earned my B.A. in English communication arts, with concentrations in marketing and theology.
One of my favorite things about this ministry is our emphasis on the kerygma; the heart of Christian faith, and our focus on Jesus Christ.
Parish: Mary, Mother of the Church
2024 Patron: Bl. Sára Salkaházi
In addition to these leaders, Pilgrim Center of Hope is grateful for the dozens of men and women who unite with us under the mission of evangelization, giving their time and talents as special servants within the various ministries of this apostolate. Thank you to each of you!
