Father John Unni grew up in North Reading, Massachusetts. Before entering the seminary, Father John taught English at Christopher Columbus High School in Boston’s North End and ran his own landscaping business. He attended St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, where he earned a master of divinity degree and was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Boston in June 1992. For the past 20 years, he has been the pastor of Saint Cecilia Parish, where he has focused his ministry on education, health, and spiritual growth—especially for those who are marginalized and impoverished.

When he is not presiding at Mass, Father John keeps busy serving on the board of directors for Saint Cecilia House, a residence for seniors of limited income in the Fenway, along with Health Equity International/St. Boniface Hospital and Build Health International, organizations dedicated to providing essential health services to the people of southern Haiti, especially the most vulnerable. Father John is also Chief Chaplain of the Boston Fire Department and Chaplain for Berklee College of Music.

Nicole joined the parish staff in June 2023 as Pastoral Director of Operations. In this role, Nicole works with Father John and the parish staff to further the mission and vision of the parish and its ministries. Nicole holds a master’s degree in education administration and Catholic school leadership from Boston College and was the recipient of a National Association of Independent Schools’ Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads. For more than two decades, she has held leadership positions at both Catholic and private schools, which includes serving as the interim head of school at her Newton alma mater, Mount Alvernia High School. Before her time in education, Nicole worked as a reporter for The Pilot. Nicole’s family has generational roots at Gate of Heaven Parish in South Boston where she has been involved in many parish activities. Nicole enjoys yoga, traveling, and spending time with her husband and two teenage children.

Scott was raised in Wakefield, Massachusetts. He had been part of the Saint Cecilia community for many years but began officially working for Saint Cecilia in 1997 as Director of Faith Formation. Scott’s position is composed of three parts: faith formation, parish visibility, and development of lay ministerial leadership. While there are multiple facets to his career at Saint Cecilia, he most prefers his role as the director of faith formation because he enjoys accompanying individuals on their journey to developing a deeper faith in Jesus Christ. In an earlier life, Scott was the manager and caterer for the Hasty Pudding Club at Harvard and he also catered private events. In his free time, he enjoys reading, cooking, theater, and listening to music.

Lisa started at Saint Cecilia in February of 2016 and feels truly blessed to be part of this thriving community. Her responsibilities include facility management and coordinating and executing large parish events. Before joining our parish, Lisa worked for Catholic Charities in a family shelter for three and a half years where she managed the office and facilities and also direct care. While busy raising her family, she managed to take on a variety of jobs as a working mom including cleaning disabled adult homes, restaurant manager, and pharmacy technician. Lisa and her husband Ralph have been an active part of the Marriage Ministry at Saint Cecilia and have been married for almost 30 years. They have four children and one grandchild. Lisa has a personal connection with people struggling with addiction and is excited to start 12-Step meetings in our new community room space. Lisa enjoys cooking for family and friends and spending long days on the beach.  

Rob oversees the music program at Saint Cecilia and also serves on the faculty at Brandeis University as associate professor of the practice of choral music. At Brandeis University Rob oversees the vocal program, conducts the Brandeis choral ensembles, teaches conducting and choral methods, and serves as the performance track adviser for vocalists. Rob has served on the faculties of Dartmouth College, Pomona College, Claremont Graduate University and Mount St. Mary’s College. He holds degrees in conducting, piano, and voice from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Temple University and the University of Southern California. Additionally, he served as director of music for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. An active commissioner of new music, Rob has given several world premieres of works for both orchestral and choral forces. He served as counsel to the New Hampshire Council on the Arts and is the past president of the Eastern Region of the American Choral Directors Association.

Fr. Jim works on the parish staff part-time to assist with pastoral support, the celebration of Mass, and the sacrament of reconciliation. Fr. Jim joins the cadre of staff who graduated from the College of the Holy Cross. Born and raised in Dedham, Fr. Jim entered the Jesuits in 1971. He started working at Tufts Medical Center in 1986, a commitment he’s maintained, volunteering at Tufts Medical Center in the palliative care department. Fr. Jim looks forward to seeing new and old faces as all continue to venture out!

Joe is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but has called Boston home since 2018. He is a 2022 graduate of Boston College (BC), where he received a bachelor of science in biology. His most meaningful experiences at BC came with his participation and service in the Kairos retreat program, which eventually contributed to his decision to pursue his master’s in theology and ministry at BC’s Clough School of Theology and Ministry. Joe was fortunate to work with Kairos in a ministerial capacity as a graduate student, as well as with the CSTM’s Continuing Education program. He graduated from BC CSTM this past spring. At Saint Cecilia, Joe seeks to further his mission of accompanying young people as they discover the meaning of faith and spirituality and explore their images of God. In his free time, Joe loves running, biking, and baseball, especially the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Tyler is a Boston-based vocalist, voice teacher, and professor who specializes in the teaching and singing of diverse and versatile repertoire. He holds a Master of Music from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee in Vocal Pedagogy as well as a Bachelor of Music from Westminster Choir College in Music Education. Tyler has held numerous positions as soloist/cantor, chorister, music director, and teacher at various churches and schools in the greater Boston and Philadelphia areas. Tyler has been a featured soloist in many major works and operas including Bruckner’s Requiem and Te Deum, Cesar Frank’s Messe à Troi Voix, Basillio in NEMPAC Opera Project’s Le Nozze di Figaro, and Romboidal in Boston Conservatory’s L’île de Tulipan. He is extremely honored to be a part of the musical program at Saint Cecilia.

Brett is an award-winning organist, conductor, recording engineer, and filmmaker based out of Worcester. As an organist, he has performed at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and with the Boston Pops under John Williams. He won both First Prize and Audience Prize at the Biarritz International Organ Competition in France. Brett is the Assistant Director of the Assumption University Chorale. His video company, Crow Hill Productions, provides AV solutions to classical musicians. A passionate student of traditional crafts, Brett is a woodworker, spinner, and sourdough baker who likes to rock climb and read books. 

Daniel, a native of Chicago, is a Roman Catholic convert who went through the RCIA program at Boston’s Paulist Center in 1983. In addition to holding organist positions in different parishes in the Archdiocese, he spent twenty years on the faculty at Stonehill College. He also taught at the Longy School of Music and Northeastern University and has been a piano accompanist for ballet and modern dance classes at Emerson College and the Walnut Hill School. Now semi-retired, he continues as one of the pianists at the Symphony Café at Symphony Hall, Boston. Daniel was interim organist at Saint Cecilia in 2019 and became a parishioner at that time. He is delighted to return!