Meet the Staff
St. John Paul II Catholic Church is blessed to have a group of guiding individuals committed to providing parishioners a wide range of opportunities to explore and grow their Catholic faith.
Father Richard Pagano, Pastor
Fr. Rich Pagano holds a Master’s degree in Divinity and a Master’s of Business Administration in Executive Production and Communications from St. Vincent DePaul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, FL. Prior to being assigned to St. John Paul II on May 1, 2019, Fr. Rich served as parochial vicar of Resurrection Parish, Jacksonville. He also served as a consultant to the diocesan Office of Communications and as a campus minister at Jacksonville University. He was ordained on May 18, 2013, and first served as parochial vicar at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Palm Coast, FL, his hometown parish.
Fr. Pagano was named a Missionary of Mercy by Pope Francis on May 20, 2021. Missionaries of Mercy are given a special mandate form the Holy Father to lead missions or facilitate specific initiatives with particular attention to the sacrament of reconciliation. Fr. Pagano focuses on carrying out these activities in an exemplary way as a sign of the church’s maternal solicitude for all who need God’s mercy.
Fr. Pagano is the co-host of The Catholic Talk Show, a vibrant Catholic podcast that can be found on YouTube and on almost any podcast streaming platform. Check out their website here – The Catholic Talk Show | Catholic Podcast
Fr. Pagano speaks at nationwide conferences and has a passion for empowering the faithful through proclaiming the Gospel. He attributes great vocational inspiration to St. John Paul II, who continues to inspire him to serve all of God’s people and embody the incarnational calling that “from the Eucharist comes strength to live the Christian life and zeal to share that life with others.” St. John Paul II
Deacon Anthony Colichio
Deacon Tony Colichio was ordained as a permanent Deacon in 2011 by Bishop Felipe Estévez and assigned to St. John Paul II in 2015. Deacon Tony holds a certification in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University and is a certified life coach. He has been a catechist for religious education, and has directed RCIA adult confirmation and preparation for marriage and baptism. He also serves as chaplain at nursing homes and to Catholic hospital patients and assists Fr. Rich in the pastoral care of the families of Saint John Paul II. Deacon Tony and his wife, Carmela, have three children and three grandchildren.
Dominic Salamida, Family Life Coordinator
Dominic grew up in Rochester, New York, and at age 16, made a life-changing pilgrimage to Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina that ultimately guided his journey in the Church and transformed his relationship with God.
He earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Theology at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio and a Masters degree in Theology from Gannon University in Erie, PA. He has held many positions involving faith formation at different parishes, and at St. John Paul II supervises youth ministry, sacramental preparation and RCIA. Additionally, Dominic also organizes teen masses, volunteer opportunities and social activities. He and his wife, Ginger, have eight children, which has him well-suited to lead the parish’s family faith initiatives.
Kim Gourd, Pastoral Coordinator
Kim received a Bachelor’s of Science in BioEngineering and a Bachelor’s of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. She also earned a Master’s in Business Administration from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
She moved to Florida in 2003 to take a position at Vistakon, where she met her future husband, Dominic. They have lived in Nocatee since 2008 and have three children.
After volunteering in the church for many years, Kim now serves as Pastoral Coordinator, responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Church facility and assisting all staff and volunteers in ministering to the needs of the parish community.
Joseph Iannotti, Finance Manager
Joe Iannotti is currently Finance Manager, after initially serving in a volunteer capacity at the church and then assuming part-time financially-related duties. Joe is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Accounting from Sacred Heart University and a Master’s of Finance from Fairfield University. Previously, he was with Web.com as Vice President Financial Reporting for two years and Rayonier Inc. as Vice President Corporate Controller for 15 years, both in Jacksonville. He and his wife, Kitty, have lived in the Jacksonville area for 19 years, and the couple has two children and one grandchild. Joe’s mother, Tina also lives in Ponte Vedra and attends SJPII.
Michael Nowlan, Asst. Finance Manager & Internal Controls
Michael grew up in a military family and continued the tradition by serving for 22 years in the U.S. Navy. He also earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Environmental Design at the University of Washington, Seattle, and a Masters of Science degree in Petroleum Management at the University of Kansas. His work in the military included finance management, inventory control, logistics operations and supply management.
Following his military retirement, Michael held several business-related positions, including Internal Auditor and Pastoral Center Accounting Service Supervisor for the Diocese of Pensacola/Tallahassee. He has handled accounting duties at St. John Paul II since 2019.
Michael and his wife, Vicki, live in the World Golf Village area, spending time with their two children and four grandchildren. Michael has a beautifully framed picture of Mister Rogers in his office. Do ask him about it.
Gus Carlson, Maintenance Coordinator
Gus is a retired law enforcement officer, spending 33 years with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office working in several areas such as patrol, community policing, school resource, crime prevention, domestic abuse and police academy. After retiring as a Sergeant he worked at the University of North Florida Police Department for ten years.
Gus has worked in many different volunteer capacities at St. John Paul II, including his current role overseeing maintenance at all parish facilities.
Gus was married for 31 years to his wife, the late Jackie Carlson, and the couple had two children. He is a fourth degree member of the St. John Paul II Knights of Columbus, and serves as an usher and Eucharistic minister.
Melissa Delgado, Office Volunteer
Melissa was born and raised in south Florida and moved to the Jacksonville area in 2020. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University in Accounting and began her career at Ocwen Loan Servicing. She then met her husband Rich and they have four children. After a profound encounter with holy seminarians in Boynton Beach, Melissa’s love for the Catholic faith grew deeper. She volunteers full time in the church office handling day to day operation tasks, baptism schedules, altar server and EEM schedules as well as greeting parishioners in the office. Melissa is also a member of the Pastoral Council.
With a deep desire to serve, Melissa is excited to continue to give of herself to St. John Paul ll.
