Let me introduce you to the church staff:

Father Niby Kannai, St Edward pastor: 

Rev. Fr. Niby Kannai is originally from Mothirakkanny, Kerala, India. He was ordained on December 29th, 2005. He served in the Jerusalem retreat center, India as Assistant director. He later served as Parochial Vicar in St. Henry’s parish and at Mary Queen of Heaven parish in Erlanger, Kentucky. He also served as chaplain to St Henry’s High School.

He is passionate about preaching, teaching, writing, and healing ministry. His publications include five books. Two of them are on Eucharistic adoration. Holding a doctorate degree in Mental Health Counseling allowed him to serve the community and families more effectively with compassion and love. He also taught at the University of Cincinnati. Fr. Niby volunteered one year in Tender Mercies, a homeless shelter in Cincinnati.

Being a frequent traveler, he visited 24 countries either for giving retreats, including regular Belize youth conventions, or for leading pilgrimages, including Holy land pilgrimages. For fun, he does water skiing, jet skiing & snow skiing, along with biking and badminton.

Dr. Beth Laytart, Music Director:
I am a native of Harrison County and I have worked at St. Edward's since 2009.  My educational degrees include a Bachelor of Arts from Transylvania University in Lexington, a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Kentucky in Lexington.  I am a private piano teacher and I have maintained a studio in Cynthiana since 1997.

Adriana Haas, Religious Director:
Adriana was hired August 2021 as the St. Edward Parish Director of Religious Education and as the Religion teacher for the school. Although new to the parish, Adriana had been a catechist for over eight years at St. Teresa Parish (Titusville, Florida). She also served as an assistant first grade teacher and an after-school tutor. Adriana and her husband, Rick, moved to Kentucky after his retirement to enjoy the seasons. They have been involved in church ministries for over twenty years.

Resa Hersel, Website Manager:
Hello! I am a retired teacher from HCMS and taught computers, careers, and language arts there during my 14 years. I have a Bachelors in Business Administration and a Masters Degree in Teaching with an emphasis in Computer Information Systems, both degrees earned from EKU, but I originally started my bachelors degree at Texas A&M. I am a Texas native. I have been the St Edward school tech coordinator since last Aug. 2021. I manage the school website, the school Facebook page, the church Facebook page, and the church website. I also take care of computer, projector, or other tech issues at the school during the school year. Kentucky has been my home since 1987. I have 4 adult children and 9 grandchildren. I visit my children and grandchildren frequently, from Texas to Indiana and in Kentucky.  In my spare time I enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and kayaking. I also love to travel and have visited every state except for Alaska. I also love to read and my favorite genres are science fiction, fantasy and historical fiction. And I love to create pictures for my family using the diamond dotz art kits. Here is a picture of me with our Bishop and (from Christmas 2021) with my 4 children: from left are Andrew, Kristy, Keith and Michael. And also a picture taken at Christmas 2021 with my 9 grandchildren: twins Lexie and Alyssa, Wesley, Lorelei, Dylan, Sophia, Jonah, Noah and Scarlett. We are blessed to all get together at least twice a year. Family means everything to me. :o)