By Alice Huth-Derrah
Upon entering the parish office, the very person I’ve come to interview is politely assisting two women. A few moments later, a third person comes in just to meet the newest staff member at St. Elizabeth Seton. The friendly new face in the office is that of Scott Fitzgerald, the new Parish Manager. After serving as the business manager for St. James Catholic Church of Glendale for 2 ½ years, Scott made the move to St. Elizabeth Seton at the end of December. Relaxed and accommodating, Scott seems to be everywhere all at once.
Born in Portage, Wisconsin, a town about 40 miles from Madison, Scott is the youngest of three siblings born into a Catholic family. The Fitzgerald’s moved frequently due to his father’s work for the Department of Agriculture, prompting Scott to jokingly say he was raised “all over”, including Michigan, Illinois, and upstate New York, just to name a few places. Through all the relocations, Scott’s parents kept their faith at the forefront of the family. Scott credits his father for being his greatest inspiration and describes him as “coming from humble roots…farmers.” Scott explains, “My father was the first person in his family who went to college. He managed his life well…he was a good father, husband, man.” After finishing high school, Scott went on to attend the University of Illinois in Champaign, receiving a degree in Industrial Design. After graduation, Scott went to work for a large construction company as a field engineer, and eventually moved into supervisory positions that involved accounting. Scott discovered he “enjoyed the work and I was also good at it” and he began taking accounting classes to learn as much as he could about finance. Involved in this type of work ever since, Scott has done his share of making job-related moves, even doing a short stint in Canada. Blessed with five children, two boys and three girls ranging in age from 32 to 22 and all living in Kansas City, Kansas, Scott made the decision to relocate to Arizona in 2020. He moved in with his mom to “help out after my dad passed away in 2018.” His parents moved to the state in 1988 and were active parishioners at St. Elizabeth Seton for many years.
The duties and responsibilities of the Parish Manager are multi-faceted, involving every aspect of ensuring the smooth operation of the parish. Scott manages the staff, acts as the “point person” between employees and the Diocese of Phoenix, supports the various church groups, ensures all parish facilities are functioning correctly by working closely with the maintenance team, coordinates the payroll, and performs all accounting duties. Scott sees his most important job as assisting Father Williams with “anything he asks to have done for the good of the parish and the faithful,” and says with a smile that he and the staff are here to “support the souls of the parishioners.” The best part of his job is “seeing the outcome of everyone’s hard work at the parish”, pointing to the “beauty and cohesiveness of the Masses” enjoyed during the Christmas season as an example.
Scott uses any free time he has to play golf (though “it’s rare” for him to make it out on the links). He also builds plastic scale models of cars and enjoys going out in nature to hike and fish. An avid reader, Scott likes anything about U.S. history and the Bible, especially the New Testament. Saint Francis of Assisi is one of the saints Scott admires because he was “humble yet extremely actionable,” much like Scott’s father, with the same trait Scott displays in his interactions with others.
