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.

Mary grew up in Arlington and currently resides in Sudbury. She spent the first 25 years of her professional life in advertising and marketing before feeling called to work in ministry. While that may seem like a bold change of course, she believes Jesus’s disciples were the original – and most successful – word-of-mouth marketers and loves to apply those principles in how we encounter others who may not know Christ. Since 2019, she has received a master’s degree in pastoral ministry from St. Joseph’s College, a certification in grief education, and is currently pursuing a certification in chaplaincy. She is particularly passionate about those who are experiencing mental health struggles or loneliness. She feels blessed to be a part of the Saint Cecilia community where her responsibilities include accompanying OCIA candidates, supporting parish ministries, and leading the CARES ministry. In her leisure time, she loves cheering for and yelling at the Patriots, game nights with her four children, and working to change the stigma of Pit bulls, the most loyal and playful of dogs. 

A native of Dublin, Ireland, Carly-Anne has a bachelors degree in Religions and Theology and a masters degree in ecumenics, both from Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin. She earned a masters of education from the University of Notre Dame with the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE). She taught middle school religion and high school theology in Corpus Christi, Texas before moving to full-time ministry in higher education as the Catholic chaplain at Stony Brook University. She also earned a masters of arts (religious education) at Fordham University while serving as Director of Religious Education at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, NYC. Carly-Anne is currently pursuing doctoral studies in Theology and Education at Boston College. In her free time, she loves to run, visit art galleries, try new cuisine, and spend time with her niece and nephew.

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!