Our Staff
Fr. Dat Tran, CSP
Executive Director
Fr. Dat is a member of the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (Paulist Fathers). He is Rector of the Cathedral of Saint Andrew and oversees the mission of the Catholic Information Center.
Fr. Dat grew up in northern California and studied Political Science and American Studies at the University of California at Berkeley, where he first met the Paulist Fathers. He joined the Paulists in 2004 and was ordained a priest in 2011. His first assignment was Associate Pastor at Saint Paul the Apostle parish in Los Angeles. From there, he moved to Newman Hall – Holy Spirit Parish in Berkeley, CA, as Associate Pastor and Campus Minister. From 2016 until this year, he has served as the Paulist Father’s Vocation Director based in New York City.
Phone: 616.456-1454 ext.1905
Email: dtran@grcathedral.org
Fr. Mike Cruickshank, CSP
Associate Director
Paulist Fr. Mike Cruickshank is from Chelmsford, MA and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. He then worked as a financial advisor in New York City after college. Fr. Mike met the Paulist Fathers at the mother church, the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in NYC, where he was active in the parish’s vibrant young adult ministry. He was ordained on May 22, 2021 and became Associate Pastor of the Cathedral of Saint Andrew on July 1, 2021. His ministries include Young Adult Ministry and the Cathedral Social Action Team.
Phone: 616.456.1914
Email:fathermike@grcathedral.org
Mark Mann
Director of Programming and Institutes
Mark Mann is a native of Grand Rapids and has been involved in pastoral ministry since high school. His first full-time position was directing parish youth ministry at Holy Trinity in Comstock Park; that was in 1991. Most recently, he served as the director of Family, Youth, and Young Adult Ministries for the Diocese of Grand Rapids. He received a Master of Pastoral Theology from Loyola University New Orleans. He and his wife Cami live here in Grand Rapids. They have three sons and five grandchildren.
Phone: 616.459.7267 ext. 1801
Email: mmann@catholicinformationcenter.org
Sean Donovan
Director of Religious Education
Sean Donovan coordinates religious education and youth ministry at the Cathedral of St. Andrew. He has worked in the Diocese of Grand Rapids for the past 20 years as a parish staff member and elementary school principal. He received his B.S. from The United States Military Academy, West Point and his M.Div. from The Catholic University of America, Washington D.C. He grew up on a small family farm in upstate New Hampshire. When he wasn’t mucking out horse stalls, feeding the pigs, or splitting wood for the kitchen stove, he spent much of his youth backpacking through the White Mountains. He served as an Airborne Ranger in several light infantry units, based in Georgia, Hawaii, and Alaska, and he has traveled throughout the United States, Japan, Korea, China, Guam, and Panama. However, West Michigan is where his heart resides. In addition to helping children, youth and their parents encounter Christ Jesus as the Cathedral’s Director of Religious Education, he enjoys re-discovering God’s love with his wife, daughter, two cats, and an overly enthusiastic Weimaraner mix monster puppy.
Phone: 616.456.1454 ext. 1913
Email: sdonovan@grcathedral.org
Mary Martin
Program Coordinator
Mary Martin has been in parish leadership for over 20 years in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Serving at all levels of the Church, she has developed evangelization programs to help disciples live their faith in their everyday lives. Mary has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Sacred Heart Major Seminary. With a passion for small groups, she continues to help people grow closer to God through prayer and faith-sharing opportunities.
A mother of two young adult children and five grandchildren, some of whom live on the West side of Michigan, she loves cooking, travelling, and visiting sacred spaces.
Phone: 616.459.7267 ext. 1816
Email: mmartin@catholicinformationcenter.org
Kenny Williams-Buck
Graphic Design & Communications Consultant
Phone: 616.459.7267 ext. 1910
Email: kwilliamsbuck@catholicinformationcenter.org
Amanda Koch
Administrative Assistant
Amanda is responsible for hospitality, database management, scheduling and calendar systems, social media updating, and coordinating materials and information for meetings, events and presentations.
Phone: 616.459.7267 ext. 1803
Email: akoch@catholicinformationcenter.org
Claudia Hallberg
Evening Receptionist
Claudia was born and raised in Mexico; however, she has lived in Michigan since 1999. She studied Industrial Engineering at IEST-Anahuac University in Altamira, Tamaulipas, Mexico, followed by successful completion of ESL programs at GRCC and English courses at Baker College to refine her second language skills. Currently she lives in Newaygo with her husband Ed. They have a daughter, a son, and a grandchild.
Claudia has been actively involved in the community with various nonprofit organizations. She has devoted 23 years of volunteering service at St. Bartholomew Church, guiding parishioners of all ages through their Sacraments, directing the youth group, contributing as an Administrative Assistant and Director of Religious Education for the Hispanic Ministry and as a reader during the Spanish mass. Additionally, her engagement with the Diocese of Grand Rapids includes serving as a member of the Steering Committee for the Pastoral Plan and the V Encuentro, Technology Coordinator for the Institute of Leadership Formation for the Hispanic Ministry, and lately as an evening receptionist at the CIC, aligning with her commitment to serve the Lord in various capacities.
Claudia’s favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13 “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me”
Phone: 616.459.7267 ext. 1803
Email: challberg@catholicinformationcenter.org
