About Us
Parish Staff
Father James Mayo, Pastor
Father James Mayo, our pastor, was installed as pastor of St. Michael's in July 2005. Assigned to St. Michael's to help shepherd the parish as it sought to preserve the best of its near 120 years of parish life, and building new buildings to house it for the next century, Fr. Mayo was welcomed by a community of kind, generous, prayerful diverse, and thoughtful people.
Fr. Mayo is of Irish/German ancestry, born in Mississippi, but raised in Ashland, Oregon. He is a convert to Roman Catholicism Church from the Southern Baptist church. He is the oldest of five children. He did both undergraduate and graduate degrees at Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict, Oregon, and was ordained in 1976. In the early 1980s he studied Canon Law at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
Assigned to St. Michael's in 2005, Fr. Mayo has served in city, suburban and country parishes. He works in the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese as a Judge and at Mt. Angel Seminary as a Spiritual Director.
Deacon Charles Amsberry, Pastoral Associate
I am the oldest of my parents’ 8 children – all sons. We are “cradle” Catholics, blessed by the faith and love of our parents. I attended Mt. Angel Seminary, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy and M.Div. in Theology. I decided to not pursue ordination to priesthood, but have worked in Church ministry save for 9 years when working as a professional librarian (I also earned a M.L.S. degree.). I married my wife, Carol, on October 1, 1988 and we have three children: Francis (18), Anthony (16), and Clare (13). I was ordained a married (permanent) Deacon on October 16, 2004. I am blessed in my marriage, family life, and my opportunity to serve the Lord in His Catholic Church.
Glenn Rymsza, Campus Minister
Glenn Rymsza hails from the suburbs of Chicago and has an identical twin and a younger sister. Glenn received his education from the University of Notre Dame: A B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.A. in Theology/Biblical Studies. In 1987, he joined a lay Christian community called the People of Praise. In 1989, he joined the Brotherhood of the People of Praise, a religious community of priests and brothers. Glenn did some campus ministry work at Notre Dame and then began working at St. Michael's as the campus minister for PSU in September 1996. Glenn currently resides in North Portland and lives a life in common with four priests in his community.
Rosemary Rettig, Social Services Minister
Social Services Co-Coordinator. Rosemary also works half-time at St. Andrew Catholic Church in N.E. Portland as a Catechist of the Good Shepherd for children. In addition to church ministry, she is a liturgical artist and AMI certified Montessori teacher. Born and raised in California, she has a BFA from San Francisco College for Women, University of San Francisco. After college she joined the Martin de Porres Catholic Worker Community in San Francisco which served meals to the homeless in the Mission District. Rosemary moved to Portland in 1979 with her two children and is a recent grandmother.
Jerri Schultz, Parish Secretary
Jerri came to St. Michael as a temp in December 2000, falling in love with the gardens & Michael the church cat. A transplant from northern Indiana, she appreciates the evergreen, everblooming nature of Portland. “I miss the thunderstorms, fireflies, red winged blackbirds, & Eastern bluejays of Indiana,” she says. “Yet, the mild year round weather here suits me better. And I'd never see an eagle on my walk to the grocery store back home!”
Meghan Jackson, Music Coordinator
Meghan Jackson grew up in Tigard, Oregon, attending Mass at her family parish, St. Anthony's, and graduating from Tigard High. She received a B.A. in Music from Linfield College in McMinnville, then moved to Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, to earn her Masters in Vocal Performance from the University of Illinois. She missed Oregon greatly and returned to Portland in 1996 to join the Portland Opera Chorus, with whom she still performs today.
In 1998, she began cantoring at St. John Fisher Parish in SW Portland. She sang there and assisted the Music Director for eight years. In 2007, she joined the staff at St. Michael's as a cantor, then became the Music Coordinator in 2008.
She is the proud mom of two daughters, Shannon (7) and Erica (3).
