Faithinaction

BY MARY-JO MCLAUGHLIN

“I do it all for Him, whatever I do is for Him,” Janet Capello said joyfully in describing her devotion to Jesus Christ that has motivated her to minister to parishioners at St. Mary Church, Portland for more than seven decades. “He gives me the gifts and I am supposed to use them for his glory.”

For 77 years, Janet, 87, has dedicated her time and talents to ministering to and with the parishioners of her parish. Her first memory of St. Mary’s is when she was 5 years old and her family moved to Portland from Rhode Island. Her mom took her and her brother to the church to register her brother for kindergarten at St. Mary School. She recalls not wanting to leave after the registration was completed, as even then she knew St. Mary’s was a very special place. She went on to attend St. Mary School and received all her sacraments at the church as well. It was at St. Mary School that she met her husband, Frank. Their 63-year marriage saw the arrival of three children, a granddaughter and a great-grandson.

Reflecting on her ministry efforts with the parish, she said three ministries hold a special place in her heart and life: extraordinary minister of holy Communion, Bereavement Ministry and Our Lady of Lourdes Mothers Circle. “As a former extraordinary minister of holy Communion, I consider that to have been the biggest honor of my entire life,” she said. Bringing Christ to others in the holy Eucharist was an opportunity for her to deepen her own faith and come to know Christ on a deeper level.

Another ministry very dear to her is overseeing the parish’s Bereavement Ministry, which provides funeral receptions for bereaved families in the parish at no cost. When Janet took over the leadership of the ministry from its founder Estelle Arsenault, there were a dozen members. Today, due in part to her tireless dedication, there are 90 parishioners involved serving in a variety of capacities. It is a self-funded ministry receiving donations from grateful families and fundraisers. Janet finds this ministry most rewarding because it helps people at a time in their lives when they are vulnerable and need God’s love the most. “What the grieving families do not understand is what a privilege it is for us to be able to show them God’s love at such a difficult time,” she said. “People don’t realize how much they give us by letting us share in this moment of their lives.”

Janet is one of the original members of Our Lady of Lourdes Mothers Circle, a ministry created by moms with young children that meets monthly to support and offer one another encouragement. It is a safe place for mothers to share their hopes, dreams, and aspirations for their children and families. Many of the original members, like Janet, have been attending for more than 50 years and are now grandmothers and greatgrandmothers. The group also hosts activities and fundraisers that help support local agencies, including the Portland Food Bank, Birthright, Mercy High School, the Sisters of Mercy and their own parish faith formation programs.

The parish Ladies Guild is another ministry close to Janet’s heart. It collaborates with other parish organizations to fundraise and support parish needs. The guild recently hosted a fundraiser to defray costs for making the church’s front and back doors fully accessible. “This parish is the most welcoming and generous parish around, probably the best in the diocese,” said Janet. “Helping to make this improvement happen is our way of extending our parish to even more people.”

Through her leadership, these ministries have expanded and thrived. She attributes this to the desire to welcome everyone, encourage new ideas, try different projects and accept each person’s varied gifts and talents. Many times, Janet will personally invite parishioners to join a ministry who she thinks has the gifts and talents that can benefit a specific ministry. “Some days, my heart is so full of joy from my ministry work that I need to share it with others,” she noted. “God has given me courage to do things I never thought I could do to benefit His Church.”

She expressed gratitude to the eight pastors she has graciously served under, each one helping her develop spiritually into the person she is today. Those pastors include Father John Sullivan,

FatherCharles McGinley, FatherNorbert Belliveau, Father Joseph Ashe, Father Joseph Kugler, Father John Ashe, Father Paul Boudreau and, currently, Father John Antonelle.

Janet’s zeal for enjoying life comes through loud and clear through her words and actions. “Laughter is a part of who I am, and I like to enjoy life to the fullest — pray, eat and laugh — that’s what is important to me.” She channels her exuberance by planning and offering social events for the parish. Whether it is parties, bus trips or bringing Broadway productions to the parish, Janet is there to lead the charge and unite parishioners for some good oldfashioned fun. “When I experience something good, I want to share it with other people,” she said. It’s also why she plans many bus trips to

Boston, New York City, West Point Academy and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. “If you want to have a good time, I want you to join us and share in the fun.”

Amid the love and laughter she has experienced as part of the St. Mary faith community, Janet recalls some challenging times as a parishioner. The most tragic was the fire that destroyed the church after its renovations. Janet remembers seeing the smoke from her back yard and getting the fateful phone call that her beloved St. Mary Church was burning. She remembers her former pastor, Father Joseph Kugler, who in 1993 was fatally hit by a train while he was out walking. She credits her faith for strengthening her in these and other difficult moments of her life. “If you do what is right and pleasing to God, you will always end up in the right direction. He will never leave you to deal with anything alone.”

Despite the amount of time she devotes to her beloved ministries, Janet manages to balance her time between family and church responsibilities. She says sometimes her daughter teases her that she needs to make an appointment with Janet or go on one of her mother’s bus trips to spend time with her.

Janet takes this in stride. “I have lived my life like my mother did — giving and serving. She took care of the nuns all her life. I was blessed to be able to take care of Sister Laura Marie from our parish as she aged. I am truly humbled, grateful and blessed for all the good Lord has given me throughout my life.”

How blessed are we to have such an amazing example of faith in action right here in our own diocese.

Three students at St. Bernard School in Uncasville are on a mission to change the lives of new mothers and their babies.

Olivia Gionet, Anna Kate O’Donnell and Sarah O’Donnell collected supplies this summer to benefit the Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center in New London.

“We’ve all been to Catholic schools our whole lives and they’ve always taught us to live like Christ did. We thought, ‘What better way than to help mothers and babies and the entire community by giving back,’” Anna Kate said.

The girls recently were featured on WTNH News 8’s segment called “Wednesday Warriors.”

Following her passion to work in the medical field with women and children, Olivia spearheaded the community service project to collect supplies for pregnant women in need and their babies. She recruited friends Anna Kate, a freshman, and Sarah, a seventh grader, to help hand out flyers at Sts. Agnes and Mathias churches. They then collected supplies and monetary donations for the cause.

“I’ve always just really enjoyed helping others,” Olivia said. More than 40 boxes of diapers, 180 packs of wipes, 45 outfits, blankets and hundreds of personal care products were collected and placed into 50 care packs for moms and babies. The girls also received more than $1,500 in cash, which was used to buy 14 car seats and four pack-and-play cribs.

The girls delivered the supplies to Care Net, where the director was overwhelmed with emotion. She spoke of how this group of teenage girls took time over the summer to support those who are choosing life in these tough times.