Know Your Fellow Parishioner (Page 6)
Know Your Fellow Parishioner: Kierstyn Kuehnle
Kierstyn Kuehnle, who was born deaf in one ear and wears a hearing aid in the other, knows that “God does not make mistakes.” “Things happen for a reason,” she said. “He has laid out a life and a plan for each of us.” This sense of mission has allowed Kierstyn to accept the considerable challenges that come with her hearing loss. It also has made this sixteen-year-old a nationally-recognized advocate for the needs and rights of the deaf and…
Know Your Fellow Parishioner: Zack Fox
For Zack Fox, being in the right place at the right time usually means God has something in mind for you. One night, he stopped off at a local supermarket to buy groceries when he noticed an elderly woman who appeared to be a victim of a gift card scam. Zack stopped the woman from spending her money. Then he followed her home and spent two hours removing the scammer’s virus from her computer. “I guess she trusted me,” he…
Know Your Fellow Parishioner: Carmelo Cayentano
For Carmelo Cayetano, the greatest spiritual questions have to do with the mystery of the Cross. “Why did Jesus save us? Do we really know?” he asks. “How can we understand Christ’s suffering for us?” Carmelo has sought answers to these questions in many ways. Carmelo joined St. Damien Parish eight years ago. At first, he was satisfied to attend Mass along with everyone else. Then, he was asked to be a Eucharistic minister. “I did not feel ready for…
Know Your Fellow Parishioner: Bob & Barbara Lautenschlager
Every night, Bob and Barbara Lautenschlager say the Prayer of Spouses for Each Other. “We have our discussions like everybody else,” Barbara explained, but when they conclude the prayer by asking God to Let our love grow to perfection, it is clear that their 60-year-marriage is the fulcrum of their faith. The Lautenschlagers have attended Our Lady of Good Counsel Church since 1970, the year that they moved to Ocean City from Northern Virginia. Their service to the parish has…
Know Your Fellow Parishioner: Chris Devaney
Every Sunday morning, sacristan Chris Devaney enters a dark and quiet St. Augustine Church. He prays, then starts down the east side of the church, visiting the Stations of the Cross before opening the doors. “St. Thérèse is back there, so I spend some time with her,” he said. He is sometimes joined by an early arriver, who shares in what Chris calls the “blessed time” before the first Mass. The peace that Chris experiences now as a Catholic adult…
Know Your Fellow Parishioner: Carmela Rosch
The next time you pass through the parking lot of St. Frances Cabrini Church, imagine it as a schoolyard. It was the schoolyard for Carmela Rosch, a native of Ocean City who was born in 1929 and attended the original St. Augustine Catholic School in a building that once stood at Second St. and Atlantic Ave. “The school had four classrooms,” she explained. “Two grades to a classroom; one nun taught both grades.” Because the school doubled as a summertime…