Ana Paula Panzarini was born and raised in a loving and caring family of four siblings in the southern Brazilian city called Ponta Grossa (PR), where she earned her teaching degree. She grew up involved in her parish as an assistant catechist, a member of the choir, and of the youth group. It was there, at Paróquia São Sebastião, that she came to meet the Focolare Movement, an international Gospel-based ecclesial movement for spiritual and social renewal. In 1998, she felt called by God to join the community as a consecrated member, and after a period of formation and studies in Brazil, then Italy, and Switzerland, she was assigned to the community in Los Angeles, CA. From 2003 to 2010, she served as the coordinator for the youth ministry of the Focolare Movement on the West Coast while pursuing the validation of her teaching degree in the United States. In 2009, she earned her BA in Liberal Studies with a minor in Math from California State University Dominguez Hills.
In 2010, Ana Paula transferred to the community in Chicago, where she served in the Office of the Archbishop from 2011-2018. Although her main responsibilities were related to administrative support as a member of the Cardinal’s personal staff, with a heart for service and a passion for nurturing faith, she dedicated her free time to volunteering as the youth minister in her parish as well as coordinating activities and retreats for the youth of the Focolare Movement in the Midwest, continuing to accompany the teens in their faith journey. Houston, TX, was the next assignment, where she worked as a pre-calculus teacher and Campus Minister at Incarnate Word Academy, and in 2021, she earned her Master of Arts in Faith and Culture from the University of St. Thomas. Ana Paula also has post-grad studies in the Culture of Unity from Istituto Universitario Sophia in Florence, Italy, and Fundamental Moral Theology from the University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Chicago, IL.
She joins Holy Name of Jesus – St. Gregory the Great Parish after a couple of years of service in the International Headquarters of the Focolare Movement in Rome, Italy.
Ana Paula enjoys baking and biking. Her favorite scripture is: “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.” (1 John 4:16)