PARISH STAFF
CLERGY
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Much to his surprise and delight, Fr. Leo Walsh, was born in Anchorage, Alaska in November 1964. The youngest of eight children born to Leo and Beverly Walsh, he grew up in Turnagain and graduated from West Anchorage High School in 1983. He holds a business degree from the University of Notre Dame.
At the age of 24, he felt the call to ministry and was sent by the Archbishop of Anchorage for seminary studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Anchorage in 1994. He has twice returned to Rome for further studies and holds four post graduate theological decrees including a Doctorate in Sacred Theology and a License in Canon Law. He has served as the Pastor of St. Andrew Parish, Eagle River; St. Benedict’s Parish in Jewel Lake and St. Patrick’s Parish in Muldoon. From 2009-2011 he served as the Associate Director and Interreligious Specialist for the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, DC. Currently, he serves as Judicial Vicar for the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau, and is a member of the College of Consultors and a Trustee on the Priest Pension Trust.
Locally, he has served on numerous charitable and civic boards. He is currently serving on the Board of Commonwealth North and hopes soon to join the board of Covenant House Alaska.
He is a private pilot with multiple ratings. His plane is parked at Lake Hood. He is also a certified beer judge and licensed Rugby referee.
When he is not at the parish, he is likely out in his float-equipped Citabria 7GCBC with his faithful canine co-pilot, Maeve, at many secret fishing and hunting spots in the Alaskan wilderness.
Visit his blog here: https://frleowalsh.com/
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My name is Father Sebastian, and I am a priest from the Catholic Diocese of Khammam in India. I was ordained in 2014 and have since served in various capacities, including two years as an Associate Priest and nine years as a Pastor.
I was born in 1978 and come from a family of four siblings. Both of my parents are still with us, and I have three sisters and a brother. One of my younger sisters is a nun, living a religious life.
My education has been a blend of religious and secular studies. I attended religious institutions for my schooling and have completed a B.A. and B.Ed., as well as a Master's in Social Services, alongside my religious studies.
I am grateful for the life I have as a priest and am happy to serve the Lord.
I especially want to thank the Almighty for giving me the opportunity to render my services here in this Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau. My special thanks to Most revered Archbishop Andrew for assigning me as a Parochial Vicar. My heartfelt gratitude to Fr. Leo for his warm welcome and I hope to have a pleasant time being with you all. Have a good day.
STAFF
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Sarah grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. She has been a part the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton community for 30 years and is an alum of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School. She holds a BS in Psychology from the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Sarah began her current role in 2017, managing parish communications and ensuring our volunteers are well-equipped to carry out their ministry. She enjoys supporting the church through her work.
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Caroline was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and moved to Alaska in 1971 with her parents and siblings. They attended Saint Anthony Parish in her childhood. As an adult, she joined Saint Patrick’s until officially registering at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in 2011.
Caroline and her husband Mike have three children: Dustin, Ashley, & Nicholas. Nicholas attended Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton School, where their family has been involved since 2005. Five grandchildren bring extra joy to their days.
With a professional background as a Computer Programmer/Systems Analyst, Accountant, Pastoral Associate of Elementary and Adult Faith Formation at Saint Patrick’s, and Manager of Accounts Payable and Travel at Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Caroline is right at home in her position at SEAS as our Business Manager. Earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Saint Joseph College in Maine in 2022 further equipped her for serving within the church.
Over the years, many volunteer opportunities in the parish have kept Caroline busy, including the Peace & Justice Ministry, Pastoral Council, Sacristan, RCIA (OCIA) Team, Faith Formation Catechist, and Vacation Bible School, as well as within our parish school by serving as the Faith in Action Coordinator and in various duties with the School Auction.
Caroline says, “What originally drew me to register my family at Saint Elizabeth’s is the service that our parishioners provide within our doors and beyond, especially to those in need, and the community that Nicholas and I had experienced within the school and parish. This community feeds my faith and inspires me to go out of my comfort zone in serving others. It is a double blessing to serve this community in my current role and work together with the entire parish staff to serve our parishioners as they grow in the love of Christ and strive to further His mission.”
Photographing all of God’s beautiful creation, crocheting and quilting are all ways she enjoys her free time.
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Lauren Rannals was born in Hillsdale, Illinois and moved to Alaska in 1998 at the age of five. She grew up in the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton community both as a parishioner and as a student at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton School grades K-6. She then attended Lumen Christi High School grades 7-12 and graduated in 2011. She attended University of Portland and Gonzaga before settling and graduating at Benedictine College in 2015 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology.
In the time following her education, Lauren married her husband Michael and they have three children- Peter, Ava, and Katara. She has spent most of the time since her son’s birth in 2017 as a stay at home mom. Her son Peter now attends Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton School, which inspired Lauren to enter into the church community on a deeper level by leading the weekly Mom’s Play Group and becoming a Family Guide leader. She is very grateful and excited to have accepted a part time position at the parish where she can serve her church community even more.
Lauren loves reading, cooking, puzzles, board games with her husband and friends, and spending quality time with the incredible number of extended family they are blessed to have living in Alaska.
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Coming soon!
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Theresa Austin was born and raised in Southern California with a strong Italian and Irish Catholic background. She went to the California Maritime Academy and graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration in addition to her license to navigate commercial merchant vessels all over the world. In 1993, Theresa married Keith Austin and started sailing for Scripps Institute of Oceanography out of San Diego.
In 2000 Theresa and Keith moved to Anchorage with their children, and she retired from sailing. In 2001 Theresa began teaching Catechism to middle schoolers and in 2002 Theresa started working for the Catholic Church directing youth and young adult ministry. Over time her duties increased, and before she knew it, she was organizing World Youth Day pilgrimages, assisting with the Alaska Catholic Youth Conference and putting on Vacation Bible School along with Faith Formation and Evangelization for the Parish. In her spare time Theresa enjoys working on her YouTube channel, playing golf, pickle ball, hanging out with young people and traveling with her husband Keith.
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A lifelong Alaskan, Amy has been a parishioner at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton since 1994 when she joined the youth group as a teen, and is a Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton School alum where she attended Kindergarten and First Grade.
Amy and her husband Shane have three children: Jeremy, Francesca, and Malcolm, all of whom attended Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton School from Kindergarten through Sixth Grade, and two of the three went on to Lumen Christi High School. The Lockes have run a graphic design business since 2000 that has offered them a platform to gratefully serve the church and school community for many years through many projects.
In both the church and the school, Amy has enjoyed various volunteer and leadership roles with the School PVO, on the Auction Committee and as Auction Co-chair, Youth and Young Adult Ministry, VBS, Faith Formation, the SPRED Ministry, retreat teams, and more. She and Shane host a weekly Bible Study group, going strong since early 2020. In Spring of 2023, she joined the staff at Saint Elizabeth Parish with great joy and is happy to help the team support the people of the parish in furthering the mission of Christ.
Faith, family, and friends are the cream in her coffee, and she survives the winters to celebrate sunny Alaskan summers. If you see her at church, around town, or out on the hiking trails, please say hello!
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I was born and raised in Southern California. I attended an all-girls Catholic High School run by the Sisters of Notre Dame. Even while in high school, I volunteered at my parish teaching faith formation. Upon graduation from UCLA in 2002 I began dating my husband Walter. After a ‘once in a lifetime’ cruise to Alaska we decided to begin our married life with an adventure up north. While the adventure was to last only a couple years, twenty years later Walter and I now call Alaska home.
Through those twenty years of marriage the Williams family has grown by three children (Aurora, 16, Wally, 13, and Desirae, 10), a dog (Roxy) and two frogs. As a family we love to travel anywhere we can chase the sun, but particularly if it is on a cruise ship. Summers in Alaska are our favorite as we get to camp and hike and enjoy the wonderful weather.
As a cradle Catholic, I consider it the greatest blessing that Walter joined the Church in 2016. That same year, I began volunteering to lead Vacation Bible School. This volunteer position was integral in my faith journey and commitment to faith formation. Being an integral part of a child’s faith walk and seeing sparks of light in their eyes as they see God’s love for them fills my heart. VBS led to volunteering as the Children’s Catechumenate Catechist. In preparing students for their Sacraments, I continue to learn more about my own faith. The greatest gift of teaching others our faith is that, in teaching, we also are learning. I love the heartfelt and honest questions children have in regards to faith and it is always surprising the depth of answers we can find.
I am grateful to have to opportunity to work for SEAS in a faith formation position. With each passing year, I can only hope that the seeds of faith I am planting will bear great fruit in the years to come, even if I am not the one who gets to see it. Our children are the future of our church and we need to instill in them a love for Christ and His Church. I am honored to be a part of team that will assist families in creating that future.
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COMING SOON!
Ed Haltness
Facilities Manager
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I was born one month after the 64 earthquake in San Diego as my father was serving in the Navy.
My father was indigenous Alaskan. My mother came to Alaska after WW2 on the lap of my grandmother via the Alcan in a Flatbed truck holding all their belongings. They spent the winter in Copper Center before my grandfather took a job shoveling snow in Valdez.
Raised in Valdez, I experienced the calamity of the Pipeline construction and the 1989 oil spill.
I graduated from UAA in 1987 and have worked in maintenance and real estate/property management since.
I enjoy photography and was one of the original trained professional real estate photographers when the sales industry evolved from print.
I bike 52 weeks a year and build custom mountain bikes.
I have two teenage girls who keep me on my toes!
I enjoy my job, the staff and community at SEAS.
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COMING SOON!
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Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish and School are pleased to welcome Molly McManamin, M.S.Ed., as our new principal. A proud third-generation Alaskan, Molly has dedicated her career to serving students, educators, and families across Alaska through leadership, collaboration, and a deep commitment to educational excellence.
Molly holds master's degrees in Educational Leadership and Special Education, along with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Over the course of her career, she has served as a classroom teacher, special education administrator, teacher leader, and educational consultant, bringing a wealth of experience in supporting students of all abilities and fostering positive school communities.
Outside of school, Molly enjoys spending time with her husband, Erich, and their two children, Nash and Ella. She loves exploring Alaska, cheering on her kids in their activities, and building meaningful connections with families. Molly is honored to join the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton community and looks forward to partnering with students, parents, faculty, and parish members to help every child grow academically, spiritually, and personally.
Officer Caleb Smith
School & Parish Resource Officer
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- Former Alaska State Trooper
- Born and raised in Alabama
- Graduated from Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC