Holy Rosary School Catholic Identity Reflection June 7, Barbara, Brady and Chandler Johnston (HRS alumni), chihuahuas are Lucy and Stella

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1 Sterling and Barbara Daniels, Bob, Brady & Ben In the photo: Katherine Cory (fiancé of Bob), Bob, Sterling, Ben, Taylor (Brady's gf), Barbara, Brady and Chandler Johnston (HRS alumni), chihuahuas are Lucy and Stella What person, past or present inspires you? How do they live out their faith? For me, I am always inspired by Gloria Augustino and Barbara Karabinos. Two women from Holy Rosary Parish with the same practices. They are faithful and prayerful. They are not consumed by the latest technology, fashion, or trends. They have a daily routine that always includes their faith and helping others. They listen to people and are not eager to speak. They always see people as Jesus sees them. Both women have attended fundraisers and other events at the parish to help one cause or another, but after purchasing their own ticket for the event, they anonymously purchase another ticket for someone who couldn t afford to attend. These women have donated money and/or goods for families in need but refuse to leave their names as contributors. They never ask for credit or acknowledgement. They sincerely want to help, unconditionally, without being recognized. They have gone out of their way to help others and then disappeared into the crowd. This is the kind of outreach and fellowship the Lord intended for us. Helping others without receiving something in return.

2 What role has faith played in your marriage? How do you support one another in going deeper into your relationship with Christ? For us, our marriage began when we developed a deeper level of faith in God. Almost 30 years ago our marriage vows included prayer, but at that time, we didn t understand the significance of God s presence in a couple s union. Years later, we incorporated more prayer in our lives. We both began to read more, listen more, talk more about our faith. All of our actions and decisions are now influenced by God s presence in our lives. Everything changes in every part of your life when your faith is strong. Your marriage changes when your faith in God, together, is strong. Your marriage is much stronger. When we speak to young couples planning their nuptials, we ask them to focus on the marriage, not the wedding, and step one is to place God in the center. Describe an experience when you came to a fuller understanding of what faith means to you. About five years ago I decided I wanted more from my spiritual life. I wanted to know why some people possessed a certain kind of energy when it came to their faith in God and why I didn t have that energy. After talking with Fr. Roberto and receiving spiritual guidance, I began to incorporate the following: contemplative prayer, reconciliation, surrendering to God. After months, I was awakened in the

3 middle of the night by an undeniable presence of God and a renewed energy in my life. I told my husband about this and he shared that he, too, had been praying for change and experienced the same euphoric presence of God one day. Since then, our lives have been different. Better. Amazing. We now feel that the Holy Spirit can, in fact, enter your life and change it. It is a gift from God and all you need to do is ask for it. And wait. That gift is meant to share with others in the process of evangelization. God asks us to be and make disciples. You cannot do this if you don t feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. It s more than text book teaching. It is something within your heart and soul that was delivered by the Lord. Describe the challenges and the rewards of raising children in the faith. Raising children in the Catholic faith has truly made a difference for our family. Our children attended Holy Rosary School and, even though we were not able to keep them there after the economic crisis years ago, the foundation they received from their time there has made them loving, compassionate, and charitable young adults. The challenge is only that of keeping them in the church as they branch out as independent adults. When they work in retail and have Sunday schedules they are no longer attending mass. When they have friends who do not practice their faith, regardless of their religion, we are afraid that their beliefs are pushed aside. We are always reminded, however, one way or another by their actions or words that

4 they were raised in the church. And then we re relieved. Raising your children in the church, for however long you are able to do so, is so incredibly beneficial. Where is your faith journey taking you in the short term and in the long term? My faith journey is now taking me to a place of learning to put everything in God s hands and trusting in Him. With changes coming in our parish and fear of the unknown occupying everyone s thoughts I am now putting a stronger trust in God s decisions and direction for each of us, as painful as that may be. Our long term faith journey is to move into a time of our lives where we can concentrate more on contemplative prayer, or listening to God s voice, and doing more for others. When we are younger we tend to speak to God and ask for help and guidance. Now, it s time to listen and ask how we can help him. Something we should be doing all our lives but don t necessarily realize until we are older. Why is it important to be a role model for faith in a family? Matthew Kelly, Catholic inspirational speaker, says that, as we are growing up, each of us have that person in our lives who reminds us daily about what God has to offer. Those reminders come in the form of constant or subliminal messages. For me, it was my Italian grandmother, who constantly shared her love for God with us. We listened to her speak about God and watched her attend mass every Sunday. We knew this was good and right. It made us children who we are today and inspired us to continue the tradition of Catholic faith within our own families. By celebrating our faith at home, attending mass and parish events, and praying together, we hope (hope) that our children will continue in life with their Catholic faith. Having faith in your life effects everything you do on a daily basis. Actions and reactions. How do you integrate faith into your daily life with your children?

5 Our children are grown but in our home we constantly talk about our parish, its people and the events. We ask them to focus on what is good and right when making decisions. We ALWAYS pray before each meal. You are a part of Holy Rosary School and Church. What can you share about your experience with the school and parish? When our boys were attending Holy Rosary School we felt like part of a larger family. The faculty and staff were amazingly supportive and kind. Our children were comfortable and enjoyed their time there. The Dominican priests have always been a strong presence at the school and parish and this made a difference. The kids were comfortable talking with our priests and, if they ever had a problem or concern, never had difficulty asking for advice. The parish events created a sense of community that brought everyone together. Holy Rosary parish was, is and continues to be a strong, positive, and safe place in which to raise a family. Are there any stories or moments or people who have made an impact? I was at work and unable to leave when the planes hit the World Trade Centers and created a state of panic within our nation. Our children were at Holy Rosary School. I was heartbroken that I could not be with them. I wanted to get in my car, pick them up, and go home. I called Holy Rosary School to ask about the children and was prepared to leave work to pick them up. Whoever answered the phone that day said this, The students are all in the church with Fr. Vicente. He is telling them a story about when he was a boy and his country was at war. He is

6 sharing with them about how sometimes bad things happen but the country survives and rebuilds. Then they are going to pray for the victims and for those who were involved in planning the attacks. They are in good hands. That phone call gave me the sense of peace I needed to get through the day until school was dismissed. I knew that the school and Fr. Vicente would take care of the children. All of them.