The people responsible for establishing the Kolbe Mission have the expertise and passion to make it a reality. The Kolbe Mission is the vision of many people who share the calling to serve those who suffer from addictions. This page includes biographies of some of them.
Kevin Starrs
Vice President
Kevin has been dedicated to serving at risk youth and young adults for the past 40 years. He has worked for the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, Office of Prison Ministry, for 27 years (1994 to present), and is currently the Director. Prior to that, he worked as Outreach Coordinator for the City of Chandler and Chandler School District (1991 to 1993), and Director of the Chandler Branch of the East Valley Boys & Girls Club (1981 to 1991). Kevin has been married to Silvia for 25 years. They have 5 children and 7 grandchildren. Kevin and Silvia have mentored many youth and young adults throughout their marriage. He has been an active and devoted Catholic since his adult conversion and recovery from a 10 year daily drug habit. He credits his relationship with Our Lord Jesus and His Church for his healing and recovery from marijuana use and family trauma. Kevin knows firsthand the healing power of Our Lord, Christian community, and the sacraments.
Jason Kelly
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Jason Kelly is a 5th Generation Arizonan and a parishioner at St. Francis Xavier, with active and deep roots in the Arizona Catholic community. He is an accomplished trial attorney and martial artist. Jason volunteers his time and talents with many non-profit organizations, starting with suicide prevention and healing organizations in the late 1990s. While working for a family on a lawsuit involving a prisoner suicide, he felt called to begin working in prison ministry. He quickly saw the links between mental health, prison, and drugs. Seeing no programs offering a “whole person” approach to healing including an active spirituality, he began working with Kevin Starrs to bring the Kolbe Mission to Arizona and our Diocese.
Father Christopher J. Fraser
Spiritual Advisor for The Kolbe Mission
Fr. Christopher J. Fraser, JCL, is the Judicial Vicar in the Office of Canonical Services and the Tribunal for the Diocese of Phoenix.
Fr. Fraser was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Phoenix in June of 2001. Before entering St. Meinrad Seminary in southern Indiana, he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from Arizona State University in 1994. Upon graduation, he was employed at the School of Law at Arizona State University until 1996 when he entered the seminary to begin preparations and discernment of the priesthood. He received a Master of Divinity from St. Meinrad School of Theology in 2001 and was ordained to the ministerial priesthood on June 2, 2001.
Fr. Fraser’s parish assignments were Parochial Vicar of Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix and St. Andrew the Apostle in Chandler. In 2004, Fr. Fraser was sent to the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., to study canon law, where he earned a licentiate in Canon Law in 2006. Upon graduation, he returned to Phoenix to work full time in the Office of Canonical Services and the Tribunal, where he has served as the Judicial Vicar since December of 2007.
Mauricio R. Delgado
Board of Directors
Mauricio was born and raised in south central Phoenix. He’s a single father of three children. As a young person Mauricio was influenced by local gangs, and got into trouble with the law. He spent seven years in prison. After leaving prison, Mauricio struggled with alcohol abuse, and spent time in a rehabilitation facility. Mauricio knows firsthand the need for an addiction recovery home that’s based on Catholic spirituality. He has successfully turned his life around. He is a volunteer for the Diocese Prison Ministry, and runs the drop-in center at St. Pius X Parish, for men who have been released from prison. He has been a financial advisor for the last seven years. He frequently attends daily Mass at St. Francis Xavier Parish. Mauricio is passionate about helping those who have experienced struggles similar to his own.
Margaro Lira
Board of Directors
Margaro comes from a background shared by many of those who the Kolbe Mission will serve. He was raised in south central Phoenix, where he got involved with gangs and drugs. This lifestyle led to a seven year prison sentence. After leaving prison he continued to struggle. He was inspired to change his life by crying out to the Blessed Mother, who in turn led him to a strong relationship with Jesus. Margaro was the Outreach Director for the Diocese of Phoenix Ministry for one year, until the Diocese had to reduce staff due to the pandemic. Currently he is a volunteer with the Prison Ministry. Margaro runs his own drywall business. He is a single father of six children. Margaro knows firsthand the devastation of drug and alcohol abuse, and has a strong desire to help others achieve freedom from addiction.
Joe Lester
Board of Directors
Joe has been active in Catholic ministry in Arizona for 35 years. For the last 8 years, as a volunteer for the Diocese of Phoenix Prison Ministry, he has served men in jail by doing Catholic services, one-on-one visits, and coordinating volunteers at a county jail. He is an electrical engineer, and worked in the Communications field for 35 years for Motorola and Nokia before retiring. Joe and his wife, Mary Ann, have three grown boys. Mary Ann was a volunteer and staff member during the beginning days of Andre House, which serves the poor and homeless in Phoenix, and she continues to volunteer there. Joe and Mary Ann have personally experienced the tragedy of drug addiction of a family member, and have seen the need for a treatment center in the Phoenix diocese that takes advantage of the unique gift of the Catholic sacraments and teachings.