Pastor, Rev Thomas H. Wheeland
Father Wheeland was born and grew up in Elmira, NY. Since his ordination on June 4, 1966, he has been assigned to four Churches in the Rochester area. He spent two years in Irondequoit and all the rest of the time he has ministered in churches in the northwest section of the city. Since June of 1982 he has been pastor of Holy Cross Parish. He has seen the great spirit of the parish and has been enriched by the commitment of the people and the parish staff.

He welcomes and embraces technology that will allow Holy Cross to touch as many people as possible and he plans carefully for the future while maintaining the present. And yet, his personal passion continues to be the direct interaction with parishioners in all of their joys and sorrows and healing, on each one's journey toward God.

Father Wheeland enjoys the goodness of the people of Holy Cross, and the natural beauty of the area. He enjoys celebrating Eucharist, preaching and teaching. He likes to serve the wider community by his involvment with Diocesan committees, his ministry as Chaplain to the Rochester Police Department and his involvement as a member of the Board of Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. He has collections of Hess trucks, lighthouses, and paintings by Tom Lotta.

Parochial Vicar, Rev John T. Reif
Father Reif joined the parish staff in 1999. Born in Rochester, he grew up in the Maplewood-10th Ward area. Attendance at Sacred Heart School and Aquinas Institute preceded his years of study at St. Andrew’s and St. Bernard’s Seminaries.

Father Reif was ordained to the priesthood on June 5, 1965. His assignments included three Monroe County parishes before serving as pastor at St. Rita’s in Webster through the 1980’s and 1990’s. His years in Webster included chaplainry at the Trinity Council of the Knights of Columbus. Before coming to Holy Cross and since then, he has become involved in several pro-life activities in the Rochester area.

He has enjoyed several European trips including sabbatical studies in Ireland in 2000. Closer to home he enjoys annual trips to Canada for the Shakespearian and Shaw festivals at Stratford, Ontario and Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Weekend Assistant, Rev Frederick F. Eisemann
Upon retiring in June of 1990, Father Eisemann was sent to us at Holy Cross and has stayed ever since. Each weekend he drives in from naples to help out with Eucharist, Penance, and preaching. You can reach Fr. Eisemann through the parish office.

Deacon, Ed Giblin
Ordained in 2000, Ed Giblin is a native of New Jersey and a graduate of Seton Hall University and St. Bernard's Institute. His diaconal service at Holy Cross includes Service of Word, liturgy and charity. Ed is a policeman for the City of Rochester, and he and his wife Patty, a Holy Cross Parish visitor, have three children, Molly, Erin and Eddie.

Parish Ministry Coordinator, Karen Henrichs
Karen has been ministering at Holy Cross Parish since 1986. She began volunteering in the Religious Education Program, teaching 2nd grade and helping with the sacramental programs. Then in 1991 she joined the Holy Cross Parish staff as Coordinator of Religious Education. In June of 2004, she moved to her present position, with her new responsibilities including, Funeral Planning; Baptismal Preparations; R.C.I.A.; Liturgy Planning and Preparations, and Spiritual Life.

Asst. Coor. of Parish Ministries, Mary Martell
Mary and her family have been parishioners at Holy Cross for 12 years. She has two sons who attend Holy Cross School and one son who attends St. John Fisher College. Mary has served in a variety of roles at Holy Cross from School Advisory Board member to Religious Education teacher to CYO mom. Her current role encompasses many exciting opportunities to help with the many ministries of Holy Cross Church. Mary is enjoying becoming familiar with all of the dimensions of parish life including: being a collaborative member of various parish committees, assisting with Pre-Baptism, working with many dedicated volunteers, serving as a Liturgical Coordinator, participating in staff meetings, and helping out wherever else she is needed.

Bereavement Minister,
Sr. Marie Concepta
Sr. Marie Concepta was born in Rochester, NY and grew up in the Tenth Ward. She belonged to Holy Rosary Parish intil she became a Sister of St. Joseph.

Her past ministries include teaching at Our lady of Lourdes School for eight years and then ministering to mentally challenged children at School of the Holy Childhood for forty-six years.

Sister's third ministry brought her to Holy Cross where she embraces working with the bereaved in the parish.

Tween/Teen Ministry Facilitator, Donna Jacobi
Donna is a life-long member of Holy Cross who has worked a great deal with youth from the time her girls were involved with Brownies. Now that her children are young ladies, she continues her interest and involvement through her work in Teen Ministry. She lives her belief that it is important for adults to allow, welcome, and encourage teens to minister as we minister to them.

Religious Education Coordinator, Mary Toot
Mary and her family have been parishioners of Holy Cross for 12 years. Before taking on the title of Religious Education Coordinator, Mary was a pre-school teacher at Holy Cross School with a Masters degree in Education, and she was also a mentor for new teachers through the U of R. She volunteered for many years as a religious education teacher at Holy Cross and was part of the Vacation Bible School team. Mary feels very blessed to help children learn more about their Catholic faith.

Parish Visitor, Sister Kathy O’Connell Sister Kathy coordinates our Pastoral Ministries to the sick and shut in. She works with the priests and volunteers to coordinate our outreach to parishioners. She also works with our volunteers in the areas of Social Ministry and Stewardship. Sister Kathy adds much to the ministry of our Parish.