Lori Nicklay

Hello! I am Lori Nicklay, Administrative Assistant at St. Mary’s Parish. I was invited to join the St. Mary’s Staff in August of 2020.

My husband, Bruce, and I have been members of the parish for the past 30 years. We and our three children have been active in many parish ministries and activities during that time. Liturgy and Eucharist are very important to me, so I have been actively involved with the ministries related to liturgy, including serving as a Eucharistic minister, minister of the Word, music minister (choir, cantor, bell ringer), and hospitality minister. The music and strong singing at Mass at St. Mary’s have been a great source of joy for me. I have also been involved with the River City Festival, Teams of Our Lady, prayer shawl ministry, Donut Sunday ministry, youth ministry, prayer/study groups, baking, and social events.

I attended the College of St. Teresa and earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with an area of concentration in Bilingual Education and a minor in Spanish. In 1998 I received a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the College of St. Scholastica. I have enjoyed a long and fulfilling career in Catholic education. The first years were spent at St. Francis School in Rochester, MN. I have been serving the students and families of Winona Area Catholic Schools since 1990, first as a general elementary education teacher, and most recently as a reading support teacher and school librarian.

Outside of the parish my favorite pastime is playing and reading with the grandchildren and spending time with my family. I also enjoy reading a variety of genres, cooking, theater and music events, embroidering, nature, walking, and knitting prayer shawls.

I am grateful to have this opportunity to serve the people of St. Mary’s Parish in a new way and to be able to give back to the faith community that has shared so generously with my family and me.