Home > Pastoral Ministries > Debbie Miller > About Me

ABOUT DEBBIE MILLER, PASTORAL ASSOCIATE

One of four children, I was born and raised in Detroit and attended St. Scholastica grade school and Mercy High. After graduation I entered the Adrian Dominican Community and received my degree from Siena Heights University. I began my ministry teaching primary grades in both Saginaw and Alpena Michigan.

When I joined the staff at St. William in Walled Lake, it was during the time when many Catholic grade schools were closing. So we studied the Documents of Vatican II concerning the role of parents in faith formation, and developed a Family Education program which changed my direction and thinking about the importance of family in the faith life of a child. I became one of three Directors of Religious Education at this parish. Children and parents came together to classes, each learning on their level.

After seven years of this type of ministry I decided to go into Chaplaincy and attended a program in Baltimore, MD. This set me in the direction of Pastoral Ministry, the ministry in which I was involved at St. Francis Xavier in Ecorse for 12 years.

My husband Rich and I were married in 1992, a couple years after leaving the Adrian Dominicans. I consider myself very fortunate and indeed blessed to have been a part of a religious community for over 20 years. It definitely formed me as a woman in the Church. It deepened my love for and dedication to God’s people. I feel well rounded in my experience of parish ministry. I absolutely love what I do.

At St. Thomas a’Becket my ministry involves working with adults through the Baptism program, pastoral counseling, visiting the sick at home and in the hospitals, often being present with a person who is dying and their family, helping families prepare for the funeral and following up with those who are grieving. I am also the liaison for the Christian Service Commission, which encompasses many aspects of service within our community, as well as working with parishioners who visit people who are homebound.

My ministry is in response to my baptismal call to share in the priesthood of Jesus. We are all called to this. I have chosen to spend my life this way and have a very strong sense that all people are my sisters and brothers, that each of us has our own sacred story and that we are all on this journey together.

You can contact me at (734) 981-1333 x16 or look for me in the Gathering Space after Mass. I always welcome the opportunity to get to know people, to encourage people to use their gifts, and to find out how the parish can best support and serve you.

Back to Pastoral Associate page