Know Your Fellow Parishioner (Page 5)

One morning last winter Patsy Burn’s alarm clock failed to ring, and she woke up late for the weekday mass.  “I was tempted not to go,” she admitted. “I came so close to staying in bed.”  But she quickly prepared and arrived at church just in time.  As she settled into a back pew, she suddenly felt the presence of another person sitting down next to her, despite many open places.  Puzzled and maybe even slightly annoyed, she stole a…

As music director of St. Damien Parish, Debbie Roland believes in good planning.  She will spend time reflecting on the upcoming mass readings, making sure to choose hymns that enhance the Liturgy of the Word.  But every once in a while, as the mass unfolds, Debbie will hear a little voice that says: Do this song instead.  “So we do it!” she exclaimed.  “That’s the Holy Spirit.”  And she is grateful for the input. Debbie sings and plays the organ…

In the horrific aftermath of the 9/11 attack in New York in 2001, Whitney Randles helped families of victims identify the remains of their loved ones and confront required paperwork.  “I would stay with a family for seven hours until they completed the process,” she recalled.  Whitney was employed at the time as an assistant coordinator of victim witness for the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office.  She had been trained in national crisis response, never imagining her skills would be called…

For Paul Stryker Jr., Pentecost had special meaning this year, especially its message of unity through a universal language of faith.  Paulie, as he is known, was three weeks into boot camp at the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, surrounded by recruits from all over the country.  “We all came from different traditions and ways of doing things,” he reflected, “but we were trying to unite in a common goal, so the powerful story of the Upper Room…

Itzel Rosario can remember a time when she thought going to Mass was simply a cultural tradition, a way to conform to the surrounding society. “You went to church,” she said, “but you didn’t necessarily know what you were doing there.”  However, ten years ago, led by her father, her family underwent a spiritual conversion that brought Itzel into a real relationship with God.  Now, she knows, “Worshipping God is one of the most beautiful things a person can do.”…

We have all heard the saying that when God closes one door, He opens another. For one-time soccer player Jackie Adams, the first door slammed hard.  A series of sports-related concussions while she was in high school ended her playing career and altered her career plans.  But as a second door has begun to open, Jackie is being able to pull others through with her. “Sports have been my whole life, but I can’t play anymore,” Jackie explained.  So instead,…