Don't Volunteer - Serve!

 I’m the second oldest of ten children: 5 brothers and 5 sisters. My mom wanted a dozen of us, but my parents married a bit later in life (child #10 was born when mom was 45). My dad was a company worker at Schlitz Brewery until he was forced into early retirement (with children still living at home and attending school). My mom was a stay at home mother/homemaker until we were all in school. Then she went back to school, got a degree and worked for doctors until she retired in her 70’s.

By society’s standards we were considered somewhat poor, but we didn’t know that because we were rich in so many important ways! We had love, support, a deep Catholic faith, and a strong sense that the only way our family would thrive would be because all ten of us children had responsibilities we undertook for the good of the entire family. Mom taught us we always had a choice: you could either wash the dishes OR fold baskets of laundry – our choice in how we wanted to serve our family.

We played together (and remain good friends to this day) and we prayed together daily in our family home and every week at Mass in our parish church. Our parents, who were always active in both parish school and church, instilled in us the expectation that, just as we had the responsibility to help our home family, we also had responsibility to help our parish family by serving in whatever way we were able. I can still hear my mom telling us that we do NOT volunteer – rather, we SERVE our family, our parish.

Next weekend, September 12/13, EVERYONE IS INVITED to our MINISTRY FAIR to celebrate the countless ways St. Matthew’s parishioners make a difference in the lives of each other and of people outside our parish. Enjoy refreshments and visit with one another; then walk amid the displays and talk to the people there. You will marvel at the wide variety of opportunities you have to serve your parish family who, in turn, serves the community.
Ask Andrea Schulner who wrote last week’s great article about going on the youth Mission trip and she will tell you what so many people who step up to serve others will tell you: you get back so much more than you give!!! At the end of Mass each week, every one of us is sent forth to “Go, make a difference!” Perhaps God gave you a gift to use in serving in an area of Christian Formation, or in the School, in Social Ministries or in Administration and Community Building – as a leader, a worker bee, an innovator. And in my area of Prayer and Worship – where we all meet week after week – you could bring the gift of hospitality, of creating a beautiful and sacred environment, of music, of prayer, of proclaiming God’s Word, of serving at the table of the Lord, or bringing the Body and Blood of Christ to fellow parishioners at Mass or to the homebound.

God has given every man, woman, youth, and child a gift (or gifts) you can use in service of others. Come to the 2009 Ministry Fair in our cafeteria on September 12/13 for refreshments, good conversations, and to celebrate the many, many ways WE ARE A FAMILY OF FAITH!
Judy Wargin, Director of Liturgy and Music