Shannon Cerneka was raised in Belleville, IL. Through friends, family, the Church, and amazing institutions like TEC, CYO, the Boy Scouts, and the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, Shannon began discovering his gifts of music, performance and humor. These communities also formed the foundation of his strong Catholic faith.
Through many opportunities that mostly originated in the youth ministry world, Shannon began playing guitar, writing songs, and sharing his developing skills through prayer, liturgy, and performance.
In 1997, Shannon felt the call to ministry and enrolled in the Youth Ministry Certificate program offered by the Center for Ministry Development. Upon completion of the program in 1999, the Lord called Shannon to move to Jefferson City, Mo. where he served as the Director of Youth Ministry at St. Peter Parish. In 2011, he began work at St. Peter Parish in Fulton MO. Shannon’s responsibilities at St. Peter in Fulton have included coordinating youth ministry, religious education, campus ministry, and liturgical logistics. Many of Shannon’s liturgical compositions have been published through GIA/WLP and OCP. Shannon and friend Orin Johnson co-wrote a book of prayer services back in 2018, called “Let Us Go Forth” which was published through Twenty-Third Publications.
Shannon met Erin Ramsay in July of 2000 and were married in May of 2003, in Erin’s hometown of Fulton, Mo. They have since moved to Fulton where they celebrated the birth of daughter Madeleine in 2004, son Noah in 2006, so Aiden in 2009, and son Liam in 2012. Together, they continue to live their faith and share their gifts with the people of their community.
Orin Johnson grew up in Tyler Minnesota, in the Southwestern part of the state. Tyler is in Lincoln County, one of the only counties in all of Minnesota without a stoplight. Yes, no stoplight. Unless you count the one at the Gas Station Car Wash; most people don’t.
His folks started him on organ and piano lessons when he was 6, with the probable intent of his playing in his hometown parish, St. Dionysius in Tyler, Minnesota. He started playing there, for Stations of the Cross, when he was 11, and started playing for Masses shortly after that. He also played the trombone and sang through high school.
In college, Harvard University, he was active in the men’s chorus, the Catholic Student Association Choir and several other shows and other musical tidbits. He began seriously writing music about this time, after taking a few classes and realizing he had at least some little ability in the area.
After four years at Harvard (AB in Music and Folklore and Mythology) and two at Radford (MA in Choral Conducting), Orin arrived at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, in Belleville, IL, near St. Louis, MO, where he was coordinator of music and liturgy from 1998-2012. From 2012-2022 he was director of music ministries at Sts. Joachim and Ann Parish in St. Charles, MO. Beginning in 2022, he became director of music and liturgy at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in the Shaw Neighborhood of St. Louis.
In December of 2000, he met Erin Hammond. To make a long story ridiculously short, they are now married! The big day was November 27, 2004. They reside together in St. Louis.
Beyond Erin and J&A, he also enjoys singing with the St. Louis Chamber Chorus and serving as their Assistant Conductor. He holds an MA in Theology from Aquinas Institute of Theology, and accompanies services at Shaare Emeth Temple in St. Louis. He has been Assistant Director for the St. Louis Archdiocesan Chorus; he’s also sung with and rehearsed with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus. He is music minister at Chaminade College Prep, and does worship aid design for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. And many other things, as time permits.