St Paul Staff
Pastor Ross Goodman is a graduate of Wake Forest University, Princeton Theological Seminary and the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He received a Doctor of Ministry from Andover Newton Theological School in 1995. He served Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in North Quincy for ten years before coming to St. Paul in 1996. Since he has been here St. Paul has expanded in membership, staffing, programming, outreach and facilities. While he is full time in his ministry here, Pastor Goodman also consults with Children’s Hospital Chaplaincy, assists the New England Synod with various projects, and he maintains standing as a Fellow with the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.
Abigail Johnson
Abigail (Abby) Johnson is a fourth year Masters of Divinity student at United Lutheran Seminary, Philadelphia and seeking ordination in the ELCA. She holds a degree concentration in Ecology & Theology and certificate studies in Family Faith Formation and Rural & Small Church Ministry. Abby is passionate about exploring the relationship between faith and earth, and how our Gospel call intertwines with issues such as food justice and environmental conservation. Prior to seminary, Abby participated in the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission program in South Africa 2015-2016 and spent many years working in camp ministry. She also works as a chaplain at Beverly Hospital and as a freelance artist. Abby holds a Bachelor’s degrees in Neuroscience and Studio Art from Susquehanna University.
Ryan Patten is an organist, scholar, and composer based in the Boston area. He holds a Master's degree in sacred music from Boston University and a Bachelor's degree in organ performance from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. He is currently earning a PhD in Editorial Studies from Boston University's Editorial Institute where he is focusing on the creation of scholarly critical editions of music, with a particular focus on repertoire of the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Era. In addition to his studies, Ryan also works as a Teaching Fellow in BU's Humanities department and as an organist at the School of Theology. As a composer, Ryan primarily works with organ and voice, and some of his work is published through MorningStar Music Publishers.
Kourtni holds a Master of Divinity from Boston University. She will be joining us on October 1st and will be responsible for all aspects of preschool, children, and youth education. Kourtni is working toward ordination as a member of the clergy in the United Methodist Church. She has been involved in various aspects of Children’s ministry for almost ten years and has a particular love of Church History and exploring artistic expressions of faith..
Paul became St. Paul’s business Administrator in 2014. He brings with him over 35 years of financial experience ranging from being the Chief Financial Officer at a nonprofit social service agency, to managing the finances and administrative responsibilities at a residential remodeling company. Paul majored in accounting at Providence College, graduating with a degree in Business Administration. When he is not in the office, Paul enjoys woodworking, cooking, and traveling around New England. He lives in Woburn with his wife, with whom he shares three grown children and eight grandchildren.
Dennis O’Brien takes care of upkeep and routine maintenance at St. Paul. After graduating high school, he attended East Coast Aero Tech and was trained as an airplane mechanic. He began his long career in automated equipment maintenance, working at such companies as Teradyne and and Millipore (where his achievements included winning an award for modifying a machine to increase productivity). More recently, he spent six years as Maintenance Manager at Photo Etch Technologies in Lowell. With an extensive knowledge of carpentry, Dennis enjoys helping friends and family with all kinds of remodeling projects.