Meet St. Paul’s Parishioner Karen Vonwahlde: Giving Back For All God’s Blessings

St. Paul’s parishioner Karen VonWahlde believes everything in her life is a gift from God. So, what better way to thank Him for those gifts than to be involved in the Church?

For Karen, being involved means using her gifts to assist with ministries at St. Paul’s. She serves as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, a Gardening and Landscape Ministry volunteer, a money counter, and a committed adorer. In addition, she creates the schedule for Gift Bearers, and she has also been attending the new Searching Souls Ministry.

“I look at the stewardship catalog and I just ask myself, ‘What else can I do to serve?’” Karen says.

Karen’s involvement started many years ago when Fr. Todd Schneider sent her a letter asking her if she wanted to serve as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. She accepted the invite, feeling very honored to do so. She also spent many years coordinating the Mass Server schedule when her children, Briana and Brandon, were in elementary and high school. She also taught Religious Education classes when her children were younger.

Karen and her husband, Brian, usually attend the Sunday 8 a.m. Mass, where Brian and Brandon serve as Ushers.

Recently, Karen asked Fr. Greg Paffel if she could start a Gift Bearer Ministry. He agreed, so she now creates the schedule for the ministry.

“I just love seeing a family carry up the gifts, instead of the ushers,” Karen says. “Fr. Greg said it would be the perfect ministry to start.” Raised in the Catholic faith at Immaculate Conception in Osakis, Karen even taught Religious Education when she was still living in Osakis.

“I just love being involved in church,” she says. “I do fill a lot of my time with church activities. I wish I could do more, but time doesn’t allow it right now.”

Karen VonWahlde with her husband, Brian, and children, Brandon and Briana

In some ways, the Catholic Church is all Karen has ever known — but that doesn’t mean she isn’t constantly looking for ways to learn more and grow. She loves attending Searching Souls, where she has continued to learn about so many facets of the Catholic Church. She has also been a committed adorer since the opening of the St. Faustina Adoration Chapel — she is there every Sunday at 7 p.m.

“If I don’t go to adoration or Searching Souls one week, I feel like something is missing,” she says.

Karen asks all parishioners to consider how their gifts can be used to glorify our Lord. She enjoys gardening, and even uses that in service to St. Paul’s. If you enter St. Paul’s through the back parking lot door, you can see Karen’s gardening work.

“It’s really rewarding when you see the flowers blooming,” she says.

Karen describes herself as a people person and anyone who knows her would agree — this is another reason she loves being involved. She just enjoys getting to know the folks at all our parishes.

“God gives me so much,” Karen says. “I want to pay it back to Him.”

In her free time, Karen enjoys walking, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.