Parish Team
Fr. Matt & Fr. Greg
Our Parish Secretary, Rosanna
Our Parish Council
Our Paulist Fathers
Fr. Matthew Berrios, C.S.P.
Rector
Fr. Greg Apparcel, C.S.P.
Vice Rector
Paulist Fr. Greg Apparcel is parish’s vice rector and the Paulist Fathers’ Procurator General to the Holy See
He first served in Rome at the Church of Santa Susanna, previous home to the American Parish in Rome, from 1996 through January 2003. He later returned to serve as Rector of Santa Susanna/St. Patrick’s from August 2004 until October 2020. At that time, Fr. Greg moved to Washington, D.C. to serve as the Paulist Fathers’ Director of Formation and assisted with the completion of the new Paulist seminary building, Hecker House.
In July of 2023, Fr. Greg began his third tour of duty in Rome and returned once again to the American Parish in Rome.
Lay Staff & Volunteers
Ms. Rosanna Shedid
Parish Secretary
The welcoming voice on the other end of the phone here at St. Patrick’s Church is our parish secretary, Rosanna.
She is at the very heart of everything that happens at our parish and visitor center. If anyone knows the details or an event or program, it is Rosanna! Over the last twenty-five years Rosanna has acquired quite an expertise in visitor issues and questions about Rome! Rosanna has the most extensive email network of anyone in the parish! And she keeps up to date with the changing schedules and protocols of the Vatican.
She was born in Cairo, Egypt and is fluent in English, Italian, French and Arabic.
Rosanna is absolutely masterful in answering many basic questions about Rome and under her guidance, she has rescued many pilgrims and visitors. She knows the pope’s schedule and can tell you when he will and will not be in Rome. Her phone number in the Parish Office of St. Patrick’s American Parish is (+39) 06.8881.8727, though it is really easier to send her an email. Please note that we have had difficulty with our phone line lately, so if you need something write to Fr. Greg at vrector@stpatricksamericanrome.org
Or for emergency needs, call the Paulist Rectory at +39 347 754 9513 during business hours
She assists Fr. Matt with his correspondence and paperwork. Rosanna is very busy and she will respond to you as quickly as she can! That is when she is not keeping the parish correspondence or greeting visitors in the Church.
Dafrosa Cho and Raimundo Pereira
Co-Directors of Music
Raimundo was born in Caracas in 1972 and studied in his country of origin: Composition, Singing, Conducting, Piano and Venezuelan traditional stringed instruments. In Caracas he has been professor of Musicianship and Choir at the Lamas and Reyna Schools of Music, as well as a Cantor of the Tribuna Musical of the Cathedral.
Jung-Ah (Dafrosa) Cho, organist of St. Patrick’s Church, was born in Dae-gu, South Korea. In 1995 she graduated in organ at the Catholic University of Dae-gu. During studies in Dae-gu, she was director of Dae-myung’s church choir and organist in the Cathedral. After graduating she was the director of the Armed Forces Nursing Academy’s church choir. In 1996 she moved to Italy to begin her studies at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome. In 2003 under the tutorship of M° Giancarlo Parodi, she obtained her Master’s degree of organ.
Dafrosa and Raimundo were married in the Church of Santa Susanna on April 14, 2007.
In 1995 Raimundo won a scholarship from the Venezuelan government and moved to Rome to continue his studies in the Pontifical Institute for Church Music where he obtained his Degree as ‘Magister of Sacred Composition’, (Ivan Florjanc, Valentin Miserachs) and the “Licenza” in Gregorian Chant Luigi Agustoni, Nino Albarosa, Alberto Turco, Johannes Berchmans Goeschl and Daniel Saulnier; as well as Baroque music studies with Emma Kirkby, Gloria Banditelli, Lavinia Bertotti, Roberto Gini, Gianluca Capuano and Helmuth Rilling. He has sung in the Youth Choir of the Santa Cecilia Academy (Martino Faggiani, Myung-Whun Chung, Norbert Balatsch, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Rinaldo Alessandrini), World Youth Choir (Frieder Bernius, Gary Graden), Choir of the Teatro Regio di Parma (Valeri Gerghiev, Zubin Mehta, Fabio Biondi), I Madrigalisti Ambrosiani di Milano (Gianluca Capuano), Ensemble Concerto (Roberto Gini) and the World Chamber Choir (Tonu Kaljuste, Peter Dijkstra).
Raimundo’s compositions have been performed in various countries. He has made several recordings, participated in radio and television productions, and given concerts in various countries of America, Asia and Europe. He serves often as a Psalmist in the Pontifical Liturgy. Since 2001 he has been aCantor of the Pontifical Musical Chapel (Sistine Chapel Choir).
In recent years Dafrosa has participated in several specialization courses on Italian organ music of the 18th and 19th century. Since 2003 Dafrosa has been assistant to the chair of Organ at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music. In 2007 she recorded a selection of church music invited by the Korean Community of Saint Paul. Cho has played for many special occasions including the public audience with his holiness John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and at the aula Paolo VI for the Canonization of Arnold Janssen and Joseph Freinademetz. She has performed recitals in South Korea, Venezuela, Finland and various places around Italy.
Parish Council