It is the caring and professionalism of the people who form our organization, but above all their willingness to be guided by the Holy Spirit, that allow us to serve God to great effect. We would like to share with you who we are and what inspires us in this mission Christ has called us to.
Ministry Team
Tricia -- Founder and Mission Director
Fr. Isaiah Mary Molano, OP -- Chaplain & Associate Mission Director
Sally Brien Holper - Director of Operations
Tu Hoang - Executive Assistant & Project Manager
Fr. Gregory Liu, OP - Cultural Liaison & Program Assistant
Molly Stewart - Content Writer & Administrative Assistant
Board of Directors
Tricia - President
Fr. Isaiah Mary Molano, OP - Vice President
Courtney Therien - Secretary
Brent Beabout - Treasurer
Fr. Gregory Liu, OP
Mark Huang
Damian Rhodes
Fr. Stan Plawecki, SCJ
Tricia - Founder & Mission Director
Born in SoCal and educated at UC San Diego and Stanford University, Tricia is a missionary, working in places where mere mortals would ordinarily get arrested. A ninja for Christ, her Clark Kent persona is an international speaker as long as there's a happy hour involved and souls to be saved. When not summering at her private chateau off the Amalfi Coast and dancing the night away at Burning Man, she lives off food stamps, jello (shots), and the social welfare. Because, Jesus. She is currently upgrading her vibranium mesh tech suit and gear pack for her next mission.
Fr. Isaiah Mary Molano, OP - Chaplain & Associate Mission Director
Fr. Isaiah serves as the spiritual director and is a board member of the St. Francis Xavier Lay Missionary Society. He has had the fortune of being involved in many young adults and campus ministry programs, including Saint Dominic's Young Adults Group in San Francisco, Stanford University, Arizona State and UC Riverside. He has served on short-term immersion and mission trips in Hong Kong, India, and Central America. Fr. Isaiah’s focus is on helping young adults engage in their faith in a meaningful way, and also to discover Christ in popular culture. He is currently the religious superior of the Dominicans in Los Angeles. His interests include the theology of vocation, the spirituality of friendship, young adult literature, CS Lewis and all things about Hogwarts.
Sally Brien Holper - Director of Operations
Serving as an Administrative and Operations Contractor since 2016 for the St. Francis Xavier Lay Missionary Society, Sally had a thirteen-year career in the biotech sales and marketing industry that was the foundation for her success over the last twenty years in the non-profit world. Working with thousands of clients in hundreds of private and public institutions to provide value added products and services entails cooperation, negotiation and tenacity. The same skill set is needed when providing services that benefit the St. Francis Xavier Lay Missionary Society. The non-profit bonus doesn't come with a bigger paycheck, but rather a sense of accomplishment in assisting lay missionaries to bring the Light of Christ to Asia. When not working with NPOs, Sally can be found on the tennis court, sharing her faith with others, entertaining friends and family, and travelling with her husband, Dan, of thirty-two years. Her four children have taught her much about humility, patience and loving unconditionally. She is often called upon for "mom advice"!
Tu Hoang - Executive Assistant & Project Manager
Tu was born and grew up in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. After coming to the US in the early 2000s, he first lived in Orange County, CA before moving to Houston, Texas, where he has called home for the last two decades. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Arts in Biology with a minor in Business Administration. Soon after his graduation, he discerned a religious vocation with the Dominican Order, where he spent four years living out the four pillars of Dominican Spirituality: Study, Prayer, Community, and Preaching. Despite discerning out, Tu is still passionate about spreading the truth of the Gospel, and the experiences he gained during his time in the Order as a student brother have only aided him in that mission. As the Project Manager for the St. Francis Xavier Lay Missionary Society, Tu has the opportunity to leverage his experiences in religious life in furthering the mission of spreading the truth of the Gospel in Asia.
Courtney Therien - board Secretary
Courtney Therien is a corporate and tax attorney at Farella Braun + Martel. She specializes in working with nonprofit organizations of all kinds on entity formation, operational and governance matters, board disputes and mergers and dissolutions. Courtney also assists individuals with their complex charitable planning needs. She has served as Chair of the Tax Section of the State Bar of California’s Exempt Organizations Committee, is a member of the Professional Advisory Committee of the Marin Community Foundation and has served on the Board of Directors for several nonprofits, including the San Francisco Circus Center, California Poets in the Schools, and the Curry Senior Center. A convert to Catholicism, Courtney was actively involved in missions-related activities as a Protestant, and is eager to support the call to lay missionary service among Catholics!
Mark Huang - board director
Based in Hong Kong, Mark Huang brings a balanced insight into the life of the Church, as well as the culture and pulse of Hong Kong society, especially among the youth. He works in corporate procurement for an American MNC, and also enjoys facilitating workshops, and conducting student and executive coaching programs. He loves local Hong Kong history and culture. A cradle Catholic and active member of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong, Mark leads an English-language music and youth ministry at church, introducing many contemporary North American hymns to the English liturgy in Hong Kong. He also supports a Catholic Charismatic movement in Hong Kong together with his devout wife and teenage son. Mark is a joyful spirit, loves outdoor sports, and just roaming and learning more about his beloved home city of Hong Kong.
Fr. Stan Plawecki, SCJ
Fr. Stan serves as a missionary priest with the Congregation of priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, ordained in 1999. After 3 years of pastoral service in his native Poland, he served the Church in Cameroon for 8 years. Following his missionary years in Africa, he spent a year experiencing monastic life with two communities in Poland and France. After finishing his time in the monastery, he served the Church in Poland for another 3 years. In 2017 he continued his missionary sojourn to Asia, where he has been serving in Hong Kong since 2022. Fr. Stan brings to our mission a rich spirituality and deep prayer life, as well as the invaluable experience of serving as a missionary for many years on three continents. We are also blessed to have him actively serve with our mission in the field in Asia, especially with young adult events.
Fr. Gregory Liu, OP - Cultural Liaison & Program Assistant
Fr. Gregory Liu was born and grew up in Taipei, Taiwan. After moving to Toronto, Canada, he studied chemistry at University of Toronto. Subsequently, he continued his studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and specialized in synthetic organic chemistry. After three years of post-doctoral research experience in the field organic chemistry at University of California, Berkeley, he joined the Dominican Order in 2012. He was ordained as a priest in 2020, and is currently serving as the parochial vicar of St. Dominic's Catholic Church in Benicia, CA. One of his major interests, among others, is to engage Chinese philosophy with the thoughts of St. Thomas Aquinas.
Molly Stewart - Content Writer and Administrative Assistant
Molly hails from Cardiff, Wales, Great Britain. She gained her degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from the Open University in 2022 and has since been assisting in her parish bookshop. Molly is responsible for the St. Francis Xavier Lay Missionary Society’s social media, monthly mission newsletter and other writing projects. A cradle Catholic, she is interested in using language and storytelling to explore varying facets of her faith. She is grateful for the chance to use her writing skills to help bring the greatest story of all to other young adults. In her free time, Molly enjoys spending time in nature and reading. She especially loves The Lord of the Rings and all the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. She has also written several short stories and is working on a novel.
Brent Beabout - board Treasurer
With a passion for implementing new ideas and an even greater passion for evangelizing the faith, Brent Beabout brings a spirited enthusiasm to our board. His experience in developing and implementing new business ideas has served him well in corporate life, but it’s especially his dedication, good nature, and loyalty to causes he believes in as well as a deep desire to share the gift of his Catholic faith to the world that so blesses our board. Brent proudly served as a as a US Naval officer on nuclear submarines before making a career of moving boxes. His expertise as a supply chain executive has led him to serve as a chief supply chain officer at several notable companies such as Amazon, Walmart, DHL, and Nordstrom before founding his own company with innovative methods to run supply chains more efficiently. He and his wife care deeply about their faith and serving others, and are active members at their home parish in Seattle.
Damian Rhodes - Board Director
Damian Rhodes brings his vibrant personality to our mission with whit and wisdom. Passionate about his faith and family, Damian is a consummate evangelist, always eager to help others encounter Jesus Christ and the truth and beauty of the Catholic Christian Church. His innovative mind is quick to develop and implement creative initiatives to bring people together in faith and fellowship, often to simply participate in our shared humanity. A great connector of people from different backgrounds, and having lived in Hong Kong for over 12 years, he is a great asset to our mission. Professionally, Damian brings with him over 20 years senior finance recruitment within Asia and the UK, as well as a background in entrepreneurship, management consulting, and executive coaching.