Staff at Straphael's Church Englewood, FL.

Fr. Niles Gillen was born and raised in St. Columbanus Parish on Chicago's South Side. He attended Mt. Carmel High School there, graduating in 1949. Ordained a Carmelite priest in 1956, his first assignment was as a teacher at Mt. Carmel. In July of 1961 he was appointed principal of Joliet Catholic High School. Five years later he was invited to serve as Superintendent of Schools for the Joliet Diocesan School System, a position he held for twenty years.

Leaving the Superintendent's position in 1986, Father Niles was named pastor of Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church and School in Louisville, KY, where he served until 2002. Since December of that year he has been serving as Associate Pastor at St. Raphael.

Deacon Bob was ordained in 1980 in the Archdiocese of Hartford Connecticut where he served as deacon for 18 years at St. Lawrence O’Toole Parish. In addition to his role as deacon, he also served as the full-time business manager of the parish during his last two years there. He comes to us most recently from St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in Port Charlotte, Florida where he has been since 1998. He and his wife Sandy are seasonal residents, spending their summer months in Connecticut. They have been married for 48 years and are the proud parents of 4 children and 11 grandchildren.

She grew up in the suburbs south of Chicago and is a graduate of St. Francis Nursing School in Evanston, Illinois.

Jean began as a catechist in the religious education program at St. Raphael in 2001. She became a member of the staff in 2006 as the Coordinator of the Religious Education program at the church. In addition, she also worked as a registered nurse for a medical practice. In 2008 Jean became a fulltime employee at the church and is currently serving as the office manager. Jean lives in Englewood with her husband Jim and their son, Gregory.

In 1976, Steve moved to Hollywood, Florida, and parlayed his education into a successful career as a software developer. Steve worked for several Florida Corporations on the east and gulf coasts.

In 1990, Steve moved to Tampa in anticipation of his marriage to Gladys (and her two children). Steve operated his own software development corporation, Basic Support, Inc., from 1997-2004, telneting from his home, with clients in California, New Jersey and Florida. Steve and Gladys moved to Englewood in 2002. In 2004, Steve began working part time for St. Raphael Catholic Church, and as they say, the rest is history!