Meet our Confirmation Team
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Jim Soltau, Youth Ministry Coordinator
510-471-7766 ext 22 - ym@saintannecatholic.org
Hello, and thank you for taking the time to read these bio’s!! My name is Jim Soltau and this will be my forty-fifth year of being a Youth Ministry & Confirmation Coordinator (forty-three at St. Anne’s). I’m most looking forward to this year as one of hope and building new relationships with one another and strengthening our journey of faith.. We (myself and the staff) are going to do our very best to provide a Confirmation experience that will allow you to love and learn about your faith in unique ways.
My wife Lucy, who is the Director of Religious Education at St. Denis Church in Menlo Park, and I have been married for 40 years. We live in Union City and have two children, Mike and Becky who are both married, and a Grandson, Greyson. I continue to be an avid Giants and 49ers fan since I grew up in San Francisco. When time and a creaky shoulder allow, I love playing golf.
Most of all I want to give credit to our Confirmation Staff...they are the best!!! Each one and collectively as a group are passionate about their faith and live that out every single day. I am so proud to work with them and call them my friends as well.
My favorite Saint, Saint Francis, wrote and closed his letters with how I will do so here...a wish for you and your families throughout this year: Peace and all good!
Kathryn (Kat), Eddie, Vince, & JJ
Kathryn
Hi everyone!! I’m Kat and I’m happy and grateful to be teaching again. This is my 13th year teaching Confirmation at St. Anne’s and have been teaching for over 20+ years at different parishes within the Oakland diocese.
When I’m not teaching at St. Anne, I’m working from home as an Event Project Manager for Autodesk. I love being outdoors and onto the next adventure. I have 4 kids; AJ (30), Isaiah (21), Kamryn (20) and Gregory Jr. (18). Now that my children are adults and doing well on their own, I have time to travel with my husband, Brad, and care for my fur-babies; my dog, Loki and cat, Torch.
With God and my faith as my focus, I believe I can do EVERYTHING and ANYTHING I put my mind and determination towards. In challenging times, I lean into my faith and the church as my support and voice of reason. As ministry has been a part of my life for over 20+ years, I am blessed to have an opportunity to share it with our community. Teaching our young adults about our faith and how it fits into their daily lives is one of the passions I carry with me. I am an open book and pray that my life experiences can help another person’s point of view and choices. As much as I love to teach, I also love to learn from my students.
I’m excited and looking forward to this year of Confirmation and sharing this faith journey with all of you!Eddie
Vincent
Aloha! My name is Vincent and you can call me Vince! I’m always down for good laughs or puns, so if you have a good one send it my way y’all! This is my 9th year as a confirmation staff member and I am always excited to share my faith with you. I serve on the eucharistic ministry here at St. Anne’s church which I am blessed. God is love and our Catholic faith calls us to serve one another in Jesus name and to love God above all things! HE>i
A little bit about myself. I grew up most of my young life in Hayward and moved to Union City in 2001. I lived in Hawaii for 3 years. My favorite food is spam musubi, so send some my way and I will love you forever! My education/work background; attended James Logan High School, San Jose State University with a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering and currently work for TDSynnex Corp. I enjoy playing basketball, watching the Golden State Warriors, action and comedy movies, hiking/outdoor activities, going to the beach, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. Traveling is something I look to do more of, because St. Augustine said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” I’ve been to the Philippines, Australia, Thailand and Japan. I’ve been married to my lovely wife Necy Decierdo for two years now. We are both lucky enough to be first time home owners out in Tracy, CA. The commute is wild, but we make it happen. My deepest passion is to serve God and through my thoughts and actions I hope to be a spark of light to you on your faith journey. I’m really down to earth and take the laid back approach to things, so please send some positive vibes my way! I’d really love to get to know each and everyone of you! I’m excited for this journey along side you! Let me know how I can pray for you today? ALOHA & MAHALO! \m/
ALL ARE WELCOME! ALL BELONG!
GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME! <3JJ
Hi! My name is JJ, one of the Confirmation teachers here at St. Anne’s. I’ve been teaching catechism and serving in the church pretty much all my life starting at St. Joachim’s in Hayward. I’m now starting my 7th year, I think, of teaching confirmation here at St. Anne’s. Teaching confirmation has always been something that I wanted to do more than any other ministry. It’s my way of making sure that the youth of our community know about our faith and that our faith is much more than just going to church. It’s about service to others, leadership, humility and overall just being a good person.
To me, teaching the youth is dual purpose. It doesn’t just teach the youth, it involves the entire family, Parents, siblings, relatives, and friends. When one learns, everyone learns. As adults, we get caught up in our everyday lives and sometimes we forget about our faith. Sometimes it takes our youth to help us get back on track.
A unique aspect that impressed me about the St. Anne’s Program is that many of our Confirmation students move on after confirmation and join our peer youth leadership group, Emmaus. These individuals choose to join, they are not asked, and that inspires even myself that many of our youth want to be leaders and mentors and serve their community. That’s what moves me!
As for myself, I have a degree in Health Science, from Cal State HAYWARD!!!! but don’t work in the industry. I'm a realtor and I work at UC Berkeley as an IT Systems Admin. I grew up in Hayward, where we still live with my wife Jasmin and our 3 kids Jamie, Joey, and Joshua, all who were confirmed at St. Anne’s and were in Emmaus. One tidbit about myself, is that I spent much of my life as a parishioner of St. Joachim’s church which also happens to be my name. Yes, JJ stands for Joachim John. Peace be with you all.
Jeffy & Alfred & Nikki
Jeffy
Hello, my name is Jeff, but I’m known as Jeffy (Jeff A.). I have been involved in the Youth Ministry program here at St. Anne since 1989. I have watched this wonderful program grow through the years and I know Jim didn’t think it would be like this.
When I’m not teaching confirmation, I’m a eucharistic minister, I sing in the choir on the 4th Sunday, I coached CYO for St. Anne (boys and girls) for the past 15 years.
I tell my students that music is how I pray: listen to the lyrics and GOD is speaking to you. I look forward to helping the young church of today in their faith journey.Alfred
Hi everyone! I’ve been involved with the Saint Anne Confirmation Program for as long as I’ve had a driver’s license. (When you realize how old I am, you'll realize that's a long time!) I was on the confirmation retreat staff as I finished high school, college, and grad school. I’ve been teaching confirmation for more than twenty years. It’s great to watch young people grow, develop, learn about themselves, and witness them go on to various ministries and live out their faith. I look forward to getting to know you and seeing the people all of you grow into becoming.
Nikki
Hi Everyone! My name is Nikki. This will be my first year as a confirmation teacher alongside Jeffy and Alfred. I began my faith journey at St. Anne’s Youth Ministry (SAYM) in 2013. The following year, I went through the confirmation program at St. Anne’s with Alfred and Marisol as my teachers. Getting to know individuals within the SAYM program, including the wonderful group of Emmaus, and the experiences I had at retreat inspired me to join Emmaus. I was highly involved in Emmaus and SAYM until 2019 when I stepped away to focus on college.
I kept in contact with Jim and my fellow Emmaus, offering to help wherever I could. Last year, I went on my first confirmation retreat as a staff member. I had the most amazing time getting to know the confirmation students and bonding with the confirmation teachers. My time at the confirmation retreat inspired me to become a confirmation teacher this year! It's amazing to see how far I've come, now teaching alongside Alfred, who was my confirmation teacher when I went through the program at St. Anne’s. This has been such a full-circle experience and I am excited for what’s to come.
Bridget Stacey Jerico
Bridget
Hey all! My name is Bridget Panopio and this will be my sixth year teaching Confirmation! I’ve grown a lot in my faith and as a person here at St. Anne’s. I’ve participated and continue to still be very active in the Parish.
Just a little bit of personal information about me: I really enjoy cooking and baking! I actually have too many cookbooks that I am not allowed to buy anymore until I start using them haha! I love to travel and hope to travel both in the US and Internationally in 2025!
I am looking forward to being with you during your faith journey. We’re in this together and I can’t wait to take this ride with you. Can’t wait to get to know, learn and grow with every single one of you!Stacey
Hello Everyone! My name is Stacey Sarmiento, and this is my first year as a confirmation staff member. I have been involved with the Youth Ministry Program since 2002. Being a part of SAYM plays a huge part in who I am and how I strive to live my faith daily. I’ve been blessed to participate in many ministries at St. Anne, including altar server, CYO, Eucharistic Ministry, CCD/Faith Formation, Lector, Emmaus Peer Ministry, and our podcast God in Company.
When I’m not at church, you can find me coaching basketball at Logan, IVC, or AAU, spending time with family and friends, barbecuing and cooking for fun, or watching my favorite shows and movies, such as One Tree Hill, The Rookie, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and all the Fast and Furious movies.
I’m so excited for this upcoming year! When I look back when I was going through Confirmation, I am reminded of the impact it made in my life. I was able to find my own way of building my relationship with God and allow God to work through me and share His love in everything I do. I pray that God continues to guide us, bless us, and give opportunities to share our faith with one another, grow closer to God and be open to the “God Moments” we can experience.Jerico
Quynh-Vy & Collins
Quynh-Vy
Hi, my name is Quynh-Vy (Quinn V), you can call me QV or Vy (V). I have been teaching confirmation for 12 years, but officially at St. Anne’s for three :). I am thrilled to be a part of this year’s Confirmation Staff.
When I am not teaching confirmation, you will probably see me playing the piano for different parishes around the Bay Area. When I'm not playing piano, I am probably stuck in my lab at work researching or out and about trying to enjoy any little break I can get!
Some fun facts about me: I am an only child born and raised in Union City. I went to St. Bede K-8, attended James Logan High School, have my Bachelor's from UCSC, and my Master's from CSUEB. I love playing video games, watching anime, drama (currently super behind) and streams, going to concerts, napping, and eating ice cream!
I can't wait to help and teach each and everyone of you to grow in faith. <3Collins
Hi, I am Collins. I am so happy that I get to be part of this awesome confirmation staff this year. This year marks my tenth year with the Confirmation program. I am on this journey of learning more about all of you and myself. I grew up at St Anne’s and most people recognize me from the Altar. I really discovered my faith through this Youth Ministry program. The last few years of my life I have dedicated a good portion of my life back to the church and I have been more than blessed to be part of Emmaus peer ministry. I have also been a First Communion teacher and involved with every liturgical ministry with the exception of the Music Ministry (I can’t sing). Needless to say you will see me all around the church grounds and beyond feel free to say hello. St. Anne’s has been home for me in the highlights of my life as well as the low times of my life. I have been some of the greatest people because of my involvement with this program. I am so excited to give back to it in any way I possibly can. Confirmation is where you get the chance to say that you want to be Catholic for your life and that decision should be made with great pride and honor. I hope to see all of you proudly say Amen when you become sealed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
I look forward to working with all of you in one way or another throughout this coming year.
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