“God’s work is only able to be realized because of
the many people who have volunteered over the years.”
Dedicated volunteers prepare one of many mailings for St. Francis Center for Renewal in Bethlehem, Pa. Such efforts are only possible with their help.
The Debts We Can Never Repay
indispensable Volunteers bless our lives & work with love & light
Volunteering to Spread the Word
In the early 1970s, I was helping to teach religious education in Texas. There were many high school girls in charge of the classes who had no training. Before I knew it, I began teaching them some techniques. This was the beginning of my new career as a catechist trainer.
I went on to Pittsburgh and then Erie in Pennsylvania. I eventually started to teach the directors of religious education in all 13 counties of the Diocese of Erie. I’ve never counted, but I’ll bet I’ve taught more than a thousand catechists to spread the gospel to others. I am happy to say that many of those catechists went on to become directors and are still serving in church ministry. Our own Sister Hilda Marotta is one of them! There were others who are now priests, deacons or religious men and women.
I know that Jesus is now known and loved in so many hearts today because of all the catechists in the world who volunteer week after week and year after year. May God bless and keep them for their dedication.
— Sister Roselyn Kuzma
Shown here taking part in a prayer service, Tom Hempel is among a small team of volunteers who help with administrative functions at our Provincial Office in Pittsburgh.
Our volunteers are so dedicated that they have been known to travel from out of state to help us. That includes Bob Stemnock and his niece, Kelly, who drove to Pittsburgh from the Cleveland area for many years to help at our annual Spring Festivals.
By Sister M. Virginelle Makos
I have been so fortunate in my ministries. Folks would often speak about the spirit at St. John Nepomucene School in North Bergen, N.J., where I was principal from 1984 to 1998. Our retreatants at St. Francis Center for Renewal (SFCR) in Bethlehem, Pa., always feel such peace and love having the Sisters present to them. However, God’s work is only able to be realized because of the many people who have volunteered over the years.
During my time as principal at St. John Nepomucene, we needed some painting to be done. Two of my dads were on a scaffold painting the ceiling. A song they knew came on, and they jumped down and jitterbugged together. Another dad painted a small closet on a hot humid day. I could still see his soaked shirt, but the smile on his face was wonderful.
The students enjoyed international week because their parents made costumes and helped with decorating and providing food. Our students had sports because we had parents who volunteered. Those were special years, but we couldn’t have done it without the help we received.
Sister Frances Marie Duncan (top) and M. Virginelle Makos (left) gratefully accept the help of Team Silk volunteer Carole Chuk in transforming gymnasium bleachers into an elegant backdrop for a gala fundraiser at St. Francis Center for Renewal.
Enriching Our Ministries
When you come to SFCR, there is a sense of peace as soon as you drive up the lane. Our retreatants come for a renewed spirit of mind and body. When they leave, they feel like family. There is warmth emanating from them, and we build relationships because they often return. This aura and connection are possible because we have had so many volunteers.
Dishes, dishes and more dishes. Phone calls and schedules to be made. Tables to be cleaned. These volunteers have their own life with struggles, busyness and pain. Yet they come to share in the love of our Center. The hymns and prayers that fill our halls and rooms are possible because men and women came forth to assist us. There is no way we, as a staff, could do these chores alone. We also could not afford to hire someone to do them.
Our primary fundraiser for SFCR is the Star Struck Gala. You can never imagine the hours and dedication of a special group of volunteers known as Team Silk. Frequently, bulk mailings are sent out. So many come to help, including our retired Sisters. They enjoy one another’s company while papers are folded, placed into envelopes, labeled and, finally, sent off.
St. Francis Academy alum Nancy Hutt (right) helps Sister Marguerite Stewart to dress chairs in Mullen Hall for St. Francis Center for Renewal’s Star Struck Gala.
Enriching Our Lives
One of our lay Associates loved being with the Sisters. She especially delighted in going to nearby Holy Family Manor to visit our Sisters there. Even during the pandemic, she called because visits were not possible.
When I worked in Villa Clare tending to the care of our elder Sisters, I was overjoyed to have volunteers reach out. Can you imagine how refreshing it was when a volunteer would take a Sister outside on a wheelchair? A special person who had a doctorate in gerontology helped me when we struggled with someone who had dementia. Some would come just to talk to the Sisters. A family came to help the Sisters to plant flowers, while a mother got her daughters and other members of their dance team to perform an Irish jig around St. Patty’s Day. Each of these occasions brought light and life to the Sisters.
Yes, our community has gifted many people, but we, too, have been recipients of their gifts.
Sisters gather to bless the Christmas tree, this one in 2017, that is lovingly selected and erected at Monocacy Manor each year by volunteers.
A True Christmas Blessing
By Sister Marguerite Stewart
Christmas is truly a wonderful season that we all look forward to at our Monocacy Manor. This is due, in part, to the beautiful Christmas tree that fills the reception room in the White House. This tree has a history that began more than 40 years ago. Back in the 1970s, a group of fathers from St. Francis Academy decided they would provide us with our tree every year. This began a special tradition that continues to the present day.
The men would arrive at the White House at around 8 a.m. on a pre-chosen day in early December.
The Sisters would be waiting for them with coffee and donuts. Then, using our truck, off to the tree farm they went. They picked out the biggest and most beautiful tree they could find and cut it down. Back to Monocacy they came and, together, the men put up and secured the tree in its special place — perfect!
By that time, a special lunch had been prepared and all enjoyed comradery and sharing with their daughters’ teachers.
When this great tradition began more than 40 years ago, these special men were fathers of girls who attended our academy. Today they are grandfathers and now sometimes bring their grandsons along to help. They have not missed a single Christmas.
We are truly grateful to these very special men, not only for their gift of a beautiful tree each year, but most especially for their faithful and generous spirits. We are grateful to them for not forgetting us, even as they — and we — age. We, too, shall never forget them.
The Many Rewards
of Volunteering
For some young folks, Graduation Day is not a memory. When asked what school they graduated from, the reply “I didn't finish high school" still sends pangs of regret through their hearts.
My greatest challenge and reward has been working with folks who need a GED (high school equivalency diploma). Getting through Algebra and Geometry is like climbing Mt. Vesuvius — for both teacher and student. Somehow, we do it, and the glow of accomplishment on the students’ faces is a picture you never forget.
I do the whole thing — caps and gowns, Pomp and Circumstance, diplomas, party and photos. It's hard to tell who is happier, teacher or student.
— Sister Barbara Ann Webster
Volunteers Carole Chuk and Mary LaBianco help out at a function in Bethlehem, Pa.
Alums and volunteers Mary Ann and Bernie Kovach baked for days to deliver homemade nut rolls that sold like hotcakes at our annual Spring Festivals in Pittsburgh.