Christen Cota - Pastoral Associate

Christen, her husband (Robert), and son (Gordon) moved to Liberty, MO when she became the Pastoral Associate at Holy Family in July of 2020.

Christen heard the call to work for the Church at a young age. After growing up in Oklahoma, she received a bachelor’s degree in theology from Benedictine College and a master’s degree in education administration from the University of Kansas. Christen thanks God everyday for calling her to a life of ministry and has been blessed to

experience some unique opportunities in her career. This includes supervising a parish team that won the national Loyola Press Opening Doors Award which recognized a leading parish demonstrating a spirit of belonging and engagement practices that

facilitate meaningful participation of people with disabilities in all areas of the parish. She also had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet with Pope Francis as one of 30 participants from the US at a conference sponsored by the Pontifical Council for

Promoting the New Evangelization in Rome, Italy. The conference, CATECHESIS FOR PERSONS WITH

DISABILITIES: A NECESSARY ENGAGEMENT IN THE DAILY PASTORAL LIFE OF THE CHURCH, brought together leaders from around the world to address the needs of

catechesis for persons with disabilities.

As Pastoral Associate at Holy Family, she facilitates adult education classes, including Becoming Catholic (OCIA), Adult Confirmation, and Bible Studies. She also organizes Holy Family’s pastoral care to the sick and home bound and helps families with funeral planning and bereavement ministry. Christen loves walking with people in their faith journey and helping them grow in their relationship with Christ.