Faith, Family, Generations

Jean A. Machemer Fielding P’24, P’27

When my son began his high school career at Delone Catholic High School in the Fall of 2020, I half-jokingly told him he was related to more people in the school than he could imagine. Having been born and raised in Gettysburg, I was quite familiar with the churches that make up the Adams Deanery. I was baptized at St. Ignatius of Loyola in Buchanan Valley and received all of my other sacraments at St. Francis Xavier in Gettysburg. Our oldest daughter attended Kindergarten at Sacred Heart, Conewago, and since inquiring deeper into my family ancestry, she may have walked the same ground as her great-great-great-great-great grandparents.

You see, my grandmother, Mary Annabelle Redding McCleaf was one of sixteen children. Her mother was Marguerite Storm and her father was Leo Redding. Her grandfather was Lewis Aloysius Storm and her grandmother was Anna Virginia Hemler. Her grandmother, Anna Virginia Hemler was one of eleven children to Philip Hemler and Catherine Mary Else. Her great-grandparents were Christian Hemler and Catherine Fleishman all with roots in Adams County. Her great-great grandfather, Joseph J. Hemler was also one of eleven children born to her great-great-great grandfather Christian Hemler who was married to Anna Elizabeth Baker. Christian and Anna Elizabeth were born in the 1730!

Now, I’m sure some of these names might be leaving you wondering who your relatives are, but my point is that we are all related through the Body of Christ and our shared tradition bound through sacramental marriages and life in the one, true church. We can reflect on this shared identity in Christ and choose to live our lives sacramentally with grace together with family who have gone before us. Let’s not forget our goal, to be with them altogether in the heavenly Jerusalem. May our family’s saints intercede on our behalf and inspire us to yearn for the eternal Kingdom of God!