2013 HEALTHY SPIRIT, MIND & BODY MAGAZINE

PITTSBURGH

Catholic

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HEALTHY SPIRIT, MIND & BODY MAGAZINE

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Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

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Inside this issue: 6 | High-tech nuisance:

14 | Retiring?

Is technology disrupting our private peace?

Why not improve your spiritual life.

8 | Learning how to cope:

15 | Alone with God:

Facing limitations and suffering.

The benefits of making a spiritual retreat.

10 | Mental first-aid:

16 | Who’s got game?

Chances are you know someone who has a mental illness.

12 | Franciscan volunteers:

Participants place communities first.

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

These hoopsters are all in their 70s.

18 | Following the Spirit:

The Holy Spirit continues to direct a local religious community.

Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine 3

28

22 | Survival guide:

Some tips for you and your family this summer.

24 | Health and spirituality: Support for those facing disease, disability and death.

27 | Under the influence: A woman confesses for 60 years.

28 | More than a job: The spirit of service is alive and well.

On the cover...

Each patient carries his own doctor inside him. They come to us now knowing this truth. We are at our best when they give the doctor who resides within each patient a chance to go to work.

— Albert Schweitzer Health of body and mind is a great blessing, if we can bear it.

— Cardinal John Henry Newman An imaginary ailment is worse than a disease.

— Yiddish Proverb Cover design by Debbie Skatell-Wehner

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Catholic MAGAZINE 135 First Ave. • Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 1-800-392-4670 www.pittsburghcatholic.org

Vol. 4, No. 13

Publisher | Bishop David A. Zubik General Manager | Robert P. Lockwood Editor | William Cone Operations Manager | Carmella Weismantle Healthy Spirit Mind and Body Project Editor John W. Franko Associate Editors Phil Taylor (Special Projects) Chuck Moody (News) Staff Writer | John W. Franko Graphic Designers David Pagesh | Karen Hanlin Director of Advertising | John Connolly Account Executives Michael A. Check | Paul Crowe Michael Wire Circulation Mgr./Parish News Coord.

Peggy Zezza Administrative Assistant | Amanda Wahlen Office Assistant | Karen Hanlin

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Pittsburgh Catholic Healthy Spirit Mind and Body Magazine is a complimentary publication available at all 203 Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Pittsburgh from the Pittsburgh Catholic Publishing Associates, Inc. Paid first-class delivered subscriptions are available.

Advertising: ads@pittsburghcatholic.org Editorial: editor@pittsburghcatholic.org Marketplace: www.pittsburghcatholic.org

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Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine 5

Finding

peace

with a little

less

technology Have smart phones and other technology made life more stressful?

Is technology disrupting our private moments?

By PEGGY ZEZZA You probably come in contact with them every day, walking beside you on the sidewalk, sitting at the table next to you during lunch, in the pew at church, somebody using their “smart phones.”

Smart because they allow you to do more than make phone calls. You can text friends, check your e-mail, listen to music, watch a movie and much more.

I call my cellular phone a “not-so-smart phone,” for it only allows me to make phone calls, send texts and take a photo. Don’t get me wrong, I have embraced social media like Facebook, Pininterest, Linkedin and Twitter. E-mail is a large part of my contact with people. But, I have yet to get a device that allows me access to all these 24/7, like a smart phone.

With so much technology that allows us to communicate at the touch of a button, we need to ask are e-mails, phones, texts, tweets and posts, overwhelming us every day? Have smart phones and other technology made life more stressful? Have

6 Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine

they infringed on our body’s need to relax? Has it caused us to lose a personal connection with people? After a recent pilgrimage to Italy, I have found that the answer to these questions for me was always “yes.”

I prepared for the pilgrimage for months and figured this was the time to upgrade to more modern technology so I could have access to social media and e-mails while in Italy. I purchased a smart phone to use for international calls, as well as post on Facebook, tweet, blog, e-mail photos and more.

However, as soon as I landed in Italy my smart phone was not so smart. For one second I panicked and then realized there was nothing I could do except enjoy the experience.

What occurred changed my life. Instead of blogging and e-mailing, I turned to handwritten notes to the editor and journaling. I did not have access to news and e-mails, so I was able to spend more time walking and engaged in conversation.

I found myself taking in all I was experiencing instead of posting and tweeting it. Most importantly, I made real connections with wonderful fellow pilgrims.

At home I was constantly checking my phone for missed calls and texts, in addition to making time to read Facebook posts and tweets. Without a smart phone in Italy, I had no e-mail to read, phone calls to take and no posts and tweets to view. I found I was free to spend more time to look at the beauty of Italy that surrounded me. I also believe it heightened my spiritual experience, for I was able to concentrate on the prayers and Mass every day without the distraction wondering what phone calls I missed.

Quickly I forgot about my plans for using

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

the new smart phone. I was able to enjoy the experience just as much and maybe even more. When I returned, I felt relaxed and calm, and did not experience jet lag at all. Part of the feeling was gained from the spiritual aspect of the trip. However, I know part of it was being away from the computer, from the phone, from the Internet.

In relating the story to my 19-year-old niece, she reminded me how far technology has come and how good it is. It lets you communicate with people around the world; it lets you research anything at the click of a button. She is right, technology and change is good for society, but we do need to gauge if it is affecting our health and relaxation time.

Technology makes us move faster. We are always multi-tasking and checking our phones while talking to a friend. How many dinner conversations and holidays are spent with some people missing the conversation because they are busy on cell phones.

The street I grew up on had four houses of the same family. Every night in the summer, all the kids and grandchildren from the families would gather at their grandparents’ back porch and talk. Does instant messaging

and texts give us the same emotions and memories as sitting in conversation?

I know that I don’t feel as close to people through Facebook as I do if we are sharing a

meal together.

In keeping the healthy spirit alive that I gained in Italy, I quit Twitter and Linkedin.

Except at work, I do not read my e-mail everyday. My work requires me to be on a computer, but I do take a half-hour to an hour most every night to get away from technology. I set aside days when I do not go on Facebook at all, and I try not to catch up with what I miss. Also, I am not so quick to charge my cell phone. I do feel less overwhelmed most days and find I am more relaxed and able to better deal with stress.

It is just my experiment. It may not work for everyone.

As for my not-so-smart phone, I have come to appreciate its simplicity. I have not missed much in life without it not being so smart. I am still able to hear music and books, I still know about current events and I actually keep up with family by sitting on my sister’s back porch. For me, I find my life a little healthier and peaceful with a little less technology.

Zezza is parish news coordinator and circulation manager for the Pittsburgh Catholic.

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Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine 7

Coping with physical and other changes

By Father Timothy Fitzgerald

betrayal, severe physical pain, sudden those who lose their faith or no longer death of a child, temptations against faith practice it. Suffering is real, whether it is or fidelity in marriage, a consequence of our own We know it had to happen someday. partial or total dependence behavior, or accidental, or Suddenly or gradually we no longer can on others, etc. genetic, or just getting old. e know our do what we seemed to be doing forever.

Now I find myself no All my life as a priest dignity and Limitations set in, muscles and bones ache, I’ve preached about facing longer able to do the serious health issues appear. The spirit is ordinary joys of my ministry: limitations and suffering. worth does not willing, but the flesh is weak. As we change offering Mass publicly Like a doctor who prescribes depend on what and lose control, we suffer. We do find (weak heart, weaker knees), the right medicine, but is not comfort in saying it could be worse. We we do, but on preaching, sharing spiritual sick himself, I blithely (yet could lose everything in a tornado, a fire, a direction. I’m not in great truly) counseled others to who we are. flood, an earthquake. We know people who see suffering not only as a physical pain yet, but I feel are in constant pain, who never stir from a burden to others, not mature human experience, bed, who depend on others for every need. contributing as I did before. People assure but most profoundly as a following of our We see what addictions do to individuals me that I’m not a burden, but that is how crucified Lord. I encountered so many and their loved ones. We anguish over I feel. So I must return to the advice I so kinds of suffering: loss of a lifelong job, freely gave to others and listen myself.

Here are some of the time-honored ideas of our faith, the accumulated wisdom from Christ which sustains me.

• We owe nothing to God but our thanks.

God is not the cause of our suffering, he is the reason we suffer patiently. Suffering is not the result of a capricious or unjust God, for God so loved the world that he sent his only Son to be our Savior (John 3:16). How ungrateful would we be, if for one moment we blame God or resent him. From God all is gift (cf. Romans 5:12-21).

• We are not excess baggage. As Christians we firmly believe we are God’s children. We know our dignity and worth does not depend on what we do, but on who we are. From the moment of our baptism when we put on Christ, in every Eucharist, in every reconciliation, in every prayer, in every act of charity in his name, we are God’s children. Not productivity, achievements, intelligence, age, health, social status, total dependency, loss of memory, even sinfulness changes that. We are God’s beloved in Christ (cf. Romans 8:31-39).

• Suffering in union with Christ brings growth. Each crucial moment of life is a death to a previous security. With Christ we ascend to light, not darkness. In Christian life the pattern of growth is in harmony with the death-life cycle of Jesus’ passion and resurrection. Jesus did not bring the cross. He found it already in our human limitations which he took on completely, only without sin (cf. Hebrews 800 Elsie Street, Turtle Creek, PA 15145 4:14-16; 15:1-4). Thus, Jesus’ mind and heart shapes our minds and hearts. We absorb this mind, this absolute trust of the www.lgar.org

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Father Timothy entered the Passionist community in 1948.

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is not confined to the strong and healthy.

After all, a tubercular St. ThÊrèse is as much a patron of the missions as the globetrotting St. Francis Xavier. Our faith is that breathtakingly wide that a handicapped person who never leaves home joins hands with a St. Patrick or a St. Francis of Assisi

to spread the kingdom of God. These are some of the ways our Catholic tradition strengthens countless people who suffer physically or are otherwise limited.

Love is ingenious and the Holy Spirit constantly conspires to educate us to new insights into our union with Christ, especially as our outer powers grow dim. People read the Passion, go to some favorite prayers, look at the crucifix, hold Mary’s beads as they slip through tired hands, gaze intently on a sacred picture, listen to EWTN or sacred music, ask a friend to read to them or pray with them, etc. This beautiful wisdom is hard to keep in mind when pain intervenes or memory fades.

We always turn to our crucified Lord who when he was so weak, helpless, seemingly forsaken was actually saving the world! May the Passion of Christ be always in our hearts!

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Father. We accept limitations and suffering not as an end in themselves (which would be insane), but as a way of following Christ for the good of the church and the world. Because of Christ we see the dignity and nobility of suffering out of love.

It becomes purposeful and redemptive (cf. Phil. 2:1-10; Col. 1:24, 2 Cor. 4:10-11). • We belong to a communion of saints. There’s a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on to follow our leader Jesus (cf.

Heb. 12:1-4). These were not confined, however, only to the canonized, or for those being purified after death, but also to the holy ones here on earth who surround us with compassion, patience, presence and prayers. In turn, though hampered, we now pray for those we know and love, for all who ask our prayers, for all in need, for our church and world. Our faith is strong enough to believe that effectiveness in prayer and mission

Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine 9

A group of AmeriCorps Pittsburgh volunteers recently completed Mental Health First Aid training with Pittsburgh Mercy Health System.

Photos by Sue Puhala

Health system takes Mental Health First Aid to the community

By CAROL L. FRAZER Most of us are taught from a very early age what to do if someone is having a heart attack, a stroke, is choking or has been in an accident — dial 9-1-1. Many are even trained to render assistance until professionally trained first responders arrive. But, would you know what to look for — or more importantly, what to do — if a neighbor, coworker or someone you love begins to show signs of mental health distress?

An estimated 57.7 million adults in the United States — that’s approximately one out of every four people age 18 or older — had a mental illness in the past year, according to several national resources. Additionally, half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by the age of 14; three-quarters begin by age 24. Medical experts rate mental disorders among the most disabling illnesses.

Chances are you know someone who has a mental illness. Maybe it’s a neighbor.

Maybe it’s your mother, your father, a sibling, or a child in your life. Maybe it’s you.

Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, one of southwestern Pennsylvania’s largest health and human service nonprofit organizations, and one of the largest providers of community-based health care services, would like to make Mental Health First Aid as universally known, widely accepted, and as available as CPR and first-aid.

PMHS is offering Mental Health First Aid to the community. This person-centered, recovery-oriented training improves mental health literacy and reduces the stigma of mental illness. The training includes an overview of the occurrence of mental illness in the United States; risk factors, signs, and symptoms of mental illness and common addiction disorders; and a The ALGE1E2 acronym is a key concept that is learned by participants during Mental Health First Aid training. A = Assess for risk of suicide and harm. L = Listen non-judgmentally. G = Give reassurance and information. E1 = Encourage appropriate professional help. E2 = Encourage selfhelp and other support strategies.

10 Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

five-step action plan to offer assistance to a person who is experiencing symptoms of distress.

MHFA is not intended to be therapy. It does not attempt to diagnose a person experiencing a mental health crisis. Rather, it facilitates the individual’s access to the most appropriate level of care and provides education and ongoing support to individuals, families and communities.

This highly informative and interactive 12-hour, two-day MHFA training also offers a safe environment for participants to ask questions and discuss concerns that,

PMHS’ Mental Health First Aid training and become certified MHFA providers.

Participants have included health care, social service, faith community health professionals, and volunteers. However, anyone who feels called to assist others — spiritually, professionally, or personally — is invited to take the course. Upon completion of the training, participants receive a Mental Health First Aid certificate from the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare.

Participant response to PMHS’ MHFA trainings has been positive. “The training is comprehensive and well organized,” stated one participant. “Even as a health care professional, I learned new things,” remarked another. Still another said, “This is a wonderful, much-needed training for all populations and groups, including law enforcement, first responders, health care

professionals, and educators.”

Community members and groups who are interested in receiving MFHA training are encouraged to contact Pittsburgh Mercy Health System at 412-488-4919 or CFrazer@pmhs.org or Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc. at 412-325-1100. A list of upcoming community trainings is listed at http://www.ahci.org/html/mhfa/. Select “Find a Course: Local MHFA Courses and Instructors” on the left side of the page.

Members of the deaf and hearingimpaired community who are interested in receiving MHFA training are encouraged to contact Patrick Henry, specialized service coordinator, Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, via e-mail at PHenry@pmhs.org.

Frazer, a licensed professional counselor, is director of care management at Pittsburgh Mercy Health System.

She is a certified Mental Health First Aid trainer.

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for too long, have been taboo for public conversation. Additionally, the course gives participants a glimpse of what it may be like for individuals who are experiencing distress.

MHFA training is currently available in many countries around the world.

Locally, PMHS, a member of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Mental Health First Aid Collaborative, has offered MHFA training to the community since December 2012. Trainings are made possible in part by a generous $23,770 grant from McAuley Ministries. The Allegheny County Department of Human Services also subsidizes some of the expense when trainings in the county are offered to participants at no cost.

Currently, seven PMHS employees are certified to provide the adult version of the training; three of the seven are also certified to provide the youth module.

Additionally, one of PMHS’ certified MHFA training instructors is one of only two people in the United States qualified to teach the course in American Sign Language.

To date, more than 165 individuals from the community have completed

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Two participants share their stories

By KRYSTLE MORRISON For me, Change A Heart Franciscan Volunteer Program was a spiritual whirlwind. To be plucked from your old country life and transplanted into a brand new city where nothing is familiar is, oddly enough, a sure way to draw someone closer to God. The what-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life moment of graduation time was especially difficult for me. I was graduating with what felt like a useless degree (English literature) and no job opportunities at home. When I finally gave up and asked God to show me his intensions for my life, he led me to the Change A Heart

program in Pittsburgh.

I was hesitant. I didn’t like not knowing what would happen next. But, as I’ve learned, when you put yourself in a situation where your full reliance is on God, he comes through in unimaginable ways. The vulnerability I felt at different stages of the program, the gates unlocked and walls torn down, all served a purpose, to draw me one step closer to God

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ZINE

each time I took one step out of my comfort zone.

I’m sure my housemates were frustrated by my independence. I wanted to pray behind closed doors, not out in the open with my community. I couldn’t even say a prayer over our meals. The community aspect of the program was an important part of my spiritual growth, simply because it was the part I struggled with the most.

I can’t count how many times I asked God just to help me speak into my community — words of encouragement, wisdom, personal feelings or thoughts, etc. “God, anything will do,” I would plead, “even if I only say one more word than yesterday.”

I was afraid of letting go of the places and circumstances where I felt “safe.” I hated feeling vulnerable. I hated being dislocated.

But God was gracious and surrounded me with support.

At my service placement, my co-workers amazed me with their professional and spiritual wisdom. They gave me tasks that took me step-by-step out of my comfort zone, always checking with me to be sure I was ready to take on the next challenge. If it weren’t for their guidance and patience, I don’t know how I would’ve made it through my service year.

Each aspect of my Change A Heart experience gave me opportunities to see that “safe” was a matter of perception. I believed the only comfortable place to pray was wherever I could be completely alone, but I soon learned that my whole life is a prayer and I began to live that truth. I began to be more aware of God’s presence. I understood that I could be in constant communication with him through this awareness, and I tuned in to the Godly hearts within everyone around me.

When Paul said, “Pray without ceasing,” he didn’t intend for us to stay on our knees all day, but to rise up and go where God calls us, to do what he desires, even if it seems too ordinary or unnecessary. I will never forget the moment in my program year when I first realized I was in the right place and the right time, and a great peace nestled into my spirit.

A similar moment happened several times later, but somehow riding in the passenger seat through Downtown Pittsburgh at twilight, craning my neck to catch all the sights, was so powerful then. I saw the extraordinary in the ordinary, in the pedestrians’ faces, the traffic lights and the fading sunlight.

The song on the radio was Switchfoot’s “Where I Belong,” and my fearful, frantic heart was suddenly at rest in my father’s arms.

Pittsburgh felt like home.

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

By MEGHAN MONAHAN

I applied to Change A Heart Franciscan Volunteer program in the midst of my senior year at Boston College. By that point, I had developed a steady, peaceful relationship with God, attending Mass every Sunday night, singing in the church choir, studying Scripture, and praying daily. A year ago, I would have told you that my faith was strong and my spiritual life was healthy, but God was not calling me to a life of complacency.

This year, Change A Heart has introduced me to the life of St. Francis and the way that he reached out to the margins of society.

Abandoning a life of comfort and luxury, Francis’ concerns moved to the poor and the sick. He gave away his belongings, despite mockery from his well-to-do friends, and ministered to lepers, despite the threat of disease.

Francis took risks. He humbled himself and opened his heart to vulnerability. Serving with Change A Heart, for me, has also meant taking lots of risks. Spiritually, I have been ejected from my comfort zone, but have found that at the margins, I can get even closer to God. Beginning my volunteer work in the dental clinic at East Liberty Family Health Care Center was like being thrown out of the nest. Not only was it a brand new job, but the atmosphere was nothing I had ever been exposed to before.

The office is located in a notoriously dangerous part of town, most of our clientele is AfricanAmerican, and the large majority of patients receive medical assistance.

Seeing people’s teeth as they come through the door is unsettling. Decay and gum disease are rampant. Patients have a tendency to curse and be demanding. Many abuse

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

person standing before me. I am called to put my faith into action and to take the risk of looking for God in places that seem hopeless.

At the margins, emotions are very raw and need is very basic, but God is very vivid.

I’ve also found this year that we have margins within ourselves, places where we’d rather not go. For me this was silence. Francis showed great discipline to solitude, but I could never seem to quiet my anxious thoughts for long enough to focus on a prayer.

In March, our silent retreat fully immersed me in that dreaded stillness. Totally overwhelmed, I finally surrendered my selfconsciousness and my emptiness was filled with indescribable grace and peace.

Change A Heart has allowed me to realize that if I can go to the margins and cast aside my fears and anxieties and attachments to complacency, I can find a new intimacy with God.

drugs and blatantly disregard their health.

Admittedly, when I get frustrated, I want to send these people out the door, giving our appointment slots to the respectful ones who appreciate our care.

But then I remember the Lord’s mercy and his call to care for the least of his people. I know that the ones who are the hardest to love need my love the most. God hasn’t called me to the comforts of a high-end office where patients cooperate and leave with pearlywhite smiles. Rather, he challenges me daily with arguments, infection and pain. But those struggles let me see just how desperately we need God in the world, not just in the safe confines of a familiar chapel.

Prayer is not formulaic for me anymore; it comes from the depths of my heart, crying out to the Lord for help through very real suffering. My spirituality has expanded from knowing God in a book to seeing God in a

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Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine 13

Retiring: Consider improving your spiritual life

By FRANK BALESTRIERI On May 31, after 35 years as a caseworker for the Department of Public Welfare, I was able to retire. Having worked since the age of 12, I plan on first taking a rest.

Many people would ask me “What are you going to do with your time?” Over the years, I have considered myself an active Catholic. I now feel that I can try and improve my spiritual life.

Because of my work schedule, I only made daily Mass when I had a holiday or was on vacation. I love the atmosphere of daily Mass.

Unlike a weekend liturgy, no one is there out of obligation.

Although the parish, St. Athanasius, is not my home parish, I already feel at home at their 8 a.m. daily Mass.

My current parish, Most Holy Name of Jesus, is in the Troy Hill section of Pittsburgh. Attached to the parish is St. Anthony’s Chapel. My wife, Suanne, and I already attend Tuesday evening’s novena for St. Anthony.

The chapel is open during the day for tours.

Because of all the relics at the chapel, there is always someone in the chapel when it is open.

My immediate plan is to become a “chapel sitter.” Eventually I would like to learn to give tours.

St. Paul of the Cross Retreat Center on the South Side Slopes of Pittsburgh has always been an important and special place for me. I am currently on the promotion committee, and also I am a Friday night registration volunteer.

However, as an act of providence, I received an e-mail from Father Mike that I have been invited to join the Passionists Associates. I will be attending an informational meeting in July. I have heard of this group and have prayed for a chance to become a member.

As Father Pat, from the retreat center often states, I am more a member of the Diocese of Pittsburgh then just one parish. I show up at different churches for Mass and feel welcomed at all of them. I am always looking for different religious workshops to attend. I have noticed that many parishes have day workshops.

Whether it is Bible study, or courses on the

Mass or the faith, now that I am retired, I will be able to join in. So I will be reviewing the bulletins of some of the parishes in the North Hills in the coming months to see what interests me.

The Catholic Men’s Fellowship is also something I have been involved with. I have attended all eight conferences at Duquesne University. I have also been a member of the Most Holy Name Men’s Fellowship for many years. I hope to get more involved with the program. I have actually been invited to get involved with the Pittsburgh Catholic Fellowship.

This is something I will be looking into further.

Over the years, I have been able to befriend a number of permanent deacons of the diocese.

I believe that this is a very important group in our parishes. A few of my deacon friends have mentioned that I should pursue the program.

Although I have never felt the “call” I will pray over this and see if I feel differently in the future.

So, as I am in the beginning of this exciting part of my life, I do not believe I will be bored.

And, who knows, you may even see me pen some more articles for this magazine.

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Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

A special time for you alone with God

By CARMELLA WEISMANTLE Looking for peace, solitude … time for you?

Ah, that’s right, sit down, relax, enjoy what you’re reading. But how long will it take before you have to stop? Mom, what’s for dinner?

Honey, where are the car keys? Dad, I can’t find my shoes. Mom, the dog did something on the floor. The list goes on and on.

How long did it take before the first interruption? For me, it was five seconds. Now, instead of ahhh, it’s AH!!!

The point is, you need and have earned a break. As Catholics, we are blessed with so many places to take that break and retreat centers offer just what we need. Come, join me, as I take you on a “mind” retreat that hopefully will encourage you to pick up the phone and make your reservation.

Through my baptism into the church, my parents gave me the best gift that anyone could ever give someone, the gift of the Catholic faith. Because of that, I willingly joined the Catholic Daughters and accompanied them for the first time on retreat when I was 12 years old. I have been on retreat several times since then, and, although each one was wonderful, one particular retreat stands out in my mind because I really needed to be there.

When you go on retreat, there is plenty of time to be alone, and — although I urge you to C embrace that time — you should ask the Lord, God Almighty to join you. That’s what I did as I M ventured into the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at St. Emma’s in Greensburg. As always, it Y was a sight to behold, the monstrance hanging from the ceiling in the shape of a gold dove,CM placing one in awe.

MY I sat before the Blessed Sacrament, the warm sun streaming through the stained- CY glass windows, with rays flowing to the middle, CMY left and right of the gold dove, creating a warm glow around it. Suddenly, I was no longer K in the chapel, the aura transported me to another place, a peaceful, happy place.

As I sat there and prayed, an indescribable peace enveloped me, and, when it was time to go, I felt joyful, something that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I picked up a music book and quickly ran to the St. Walburga Chapel on the grounds and sang praises to God like I never did before.

After a long time, I walked to where the cows were roaming, and I sang praises to God with them. Then, I prayed the outdoor stations, touching each one as I finished, stopping at the top of the hill to sit down and pray in the small cemetery where the sisters are placed to rest.

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

Finally, I ended this short spiritual journey with a confession like no other, as tears of joy streamed down my face, while every piece of baggage that I carried in was lifted from my shoulders. The priest was amazing. It was as though he was waiting for me to come. He seemed to say all the right words, and he knew just what to do with a crying sinner sitting before him.

After receiving my penance, I walked out of that confessional with a renewed sense of hope, filled with love and forgiveness. Now, it’s with God. You can find it all there, on retreat. your turn. Peace be with you!

Are you there yet?

Call a retreat center now before the next De Nova quarter 1 3/11/11 4:47 PM interruption:DNO-092 “Mom, I need …! Dad, I wantpage …. !” ad.pdf Weismantle is operations manager of the Pittsburgh Peace, silence, solitude, time for you alone Catholic.

Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine 15

Granny’s Got Game

By ANGELA GORSICA ALFORD I’m 6 feet, 6 inches tall. Everywhere I go, people ask me two questions: “How tall are you?” and “Do you play basketball?”

Being a basketball player will forever be a part of my identity.

I started playing at 10 and went on to play at Vanderbilt University and for USA Basketball in the mid-1990s. Playing has given me self-confidence and pride in my own body, which is so important for girls. It’s taught me how to really push myself to my physical and mental limits.

It’s introduced me to people from a wide variety of backgrounds who I might not have otherwise met. I’ve got to travel the

16 Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine

country to play, even play abroad.

The lessons I’ve learned on the court have carried over into my careers, first as an engineer and now as a filmmaker.

Lessons like how to get along with different people to achieve a common goal, perseverance and dedication.

I’m forever grateful to my coaches and teammates for teaching me these things.

However, as my birthdays accumulated and middle age approached, my knees got creakier and I thought it might be time for me to hangup my high tops and stop playing. Basketball was surely a game for the young. That notion was shattered when I met a team of amazing women at my local YMCA in Raleigh, N.C. These seven women are all in their 70s, and they’ve been playing basketball together for the last 19 years. They’ve named their team “The Fabulous 70s,” which alone

tells you what they think about aging.

The team competes in Senior Games tournaments around the country and have been quite successful, winning medals too numerous to count, including a national championship.

These women didn’t have the same opportunities in their youth that I was given. They each got to play in high school, but girls weren’t allowed to play by the same rules as the boys back then. It was six-on-six with three on offense and three on defense. They weren’t even allowed to cross half-court. After high school, there were no college scholarships or teams, no chance to keep playing. This doesn’t mean that they love basketball any less. They are fiercely competitive. After so many years together, their team has become a family and a support system as they deal with the problems that come with aging.

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

We don’t stop playing because we grow old.

We grow old because we stop playing.

Sarah, 74, only played defense in high school, but is now a scoring machine. She admits that she doesn’t always feel like playing some days, but she knows there’s a tournament coming up and the team needs her, so she comes to practice anyway.

She says, “Once you’re on the court, you forget about the aches and pains.” And afterward she’s glad she came and feels better.

Judy, 77, is the team’s 3-point shooter. When she was battling breast cancer, she scheduled her chemotherapy so she would be at her best for the state tournament. That was her primary concern.

Shirley, 76, has a congenital heart problem that flares up sometimes, but it doesn’t stop her. She stubbornly stays in

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

the game, making perfect passes, until she starts to see stars. When Shirley lost her husband, nothing was the same — except that she came to practice every week and she still had her teammates.

Wanda, 77, wears a compression

sleeve on her left arm to fight lymphedema, a result of breast cancer surgery. When she joined the team a few years ago, she couldn’t even get the ball up to the basket.

Now she shoots lay-ups with perfect form. Never too late. Never too old.

In my recently released documentary film titled “Granny’s Got Game,” I’ve captured the inspiring stories of all of the Fabulous 70s. The film follows the team over a 12-month season, culminating in a nearly disastrous trip to the National Senior Games Championship in Houston. In the end, the team must decide what is more important: winning or friendship.

To read more about the film and find out how you can see it, visit our website www. grannysgotgame.com.

Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine 17

Holy Spirit continues to direct religious community

By FATHER TOM BYRNE Pittsburgh Catholic readers would know the Spiritans, aka Holy Ghost Fathers, from our presence in Duquesne University, the many parishes they ministered in Pittsburgh — Sacred Heart (Emsworth), Immaculate Heart of Mary (Polish Hill) and St. Mary’s (Sharpsburg) — to name a few, and from certain friendships developed with individuals.

To the point of our spirituality, in common we derive attitudes toward mission largely from two unique founders whose legacy shapes our understanding of the Holy Spirit present to and operating within us. Each founder had laid aside a life context that would have

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developed them differently in the culture and environment of their days. Claude des Place (d.1706) rejected a vocation in law and noble standing to pursue the priesthood. Francis Libermann (d.1852) left rabbinical ambitions and subsequent agnosticism for his discovery of Jesus.

I

n this “world” freedom and equality become God’s will and their destiny.

These personal experiences in life effected a radical change (in “body, mind and spirit”), attending to a world of three perspectives of grace: the “world” of one’s self, the “world” of other people, and the “world” beyond (cfr.

Padraig Leonard,CSSp.) For them the whole relationship with God happens within these “worlds.” Inheriting this perspective, Spiritans use these areas to enter into contact with God and our mission.

In the “world” of one’s self we are inspired and nourished to discern the hand of God in both the happy and sad events encountered. We need only to be faithful in doing what we can, cooperating in a practical union with divine providence in the circumstances in which we find ourselves. We need not get too “upset” about the salvation of souls.

We know our God is a God of surprises — that is, the experiences we have in him are pure gifts and not the result of our own effort.

Claude des Place became radically poor among the poor of Paris, founded a seminary for poor seminarians, and died at the age of 30 from a plague. Like him, Francis Libermann showed no trauma as a marginalized Jew raised in a European ghetto. In his writings there is no hint of self-pity, no resentment for debilitating epilepsy, no recrimination so common in someone who suffers the neurosis of being a victim.

He writes: “we should not disturb, See Holy Spirit, Page 21

18 Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

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Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine 19

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Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

HOLY SPIRIT

Continued from Page 18 torment nor despise ourselves (a major obstacle to perfection). The Holy Spirit dwells in us in a living and life-giving way.

It is up to us to let ourselves be moved and influenced by him.”

In his agnostic period he read Rousseau to discover that the individual is not just the object of a destiny pre-established by a culture, but free to become the subject of his own destiny, using his liberty to make his own decisions. It was in his later readings of the Gospels that he came to accept this liberty as a gift given in order to love responsibly. His conversion to the Catholic Church was his first “cry of liberty” to freely follow the free man, Jesus.

In the “world of other people” our founders offer a second focus for us Spiritans. In the chimney sweeps of Paris, Claude saw the marginalized in society then judged to be without value. Libermann recognized in the recently liberated slaves of the black race God presenting a call for liberty.

Both have taught Spiritans to find their mission among the most abandoned, the colonized cultures where exploitation and oppression continues. In the United States, Spiritans make their home among the American Southland, and the immigrant people of the northern ghettos, as Duquesne’s history testifies.

In this “world” freedom and equality

ANSWERS TO WORD SEARCH PUZZLE PAGE 30

become God’s will and their destiny. Add to this a long-time presence abroad in Africa and the “developing” world where we Spiritans continue to have crystallized our identity, and in and through these opportunities, our spirituality.

Finally, the “world” beyond still unknown yet trusted, is the next radical change. At home the development by local churches of formerly Spiritan trusts calls us to abandon these beloved places to the direction of local care in the faith that such happenings are of divine foresight.

The fact that currently 52 percent of Spiritans are of African origin, and dwindling vocations from America and Europe raise the question: why is this so? The Spiritan spirituality calls us in all three “worlds” — self, others, and beyond — to see all successes and “failures” not of our own plans but to a radical abdication of control over my life and that of others. Our founders underline that the details of mission will need to be modified with constant reference to different times and circumstances.

In discernment the beyond is already known and provident.

Father Tom is archivist in residence at the Spiritan Center in Bethel Park.

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Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine 21

Summertime Survival Guide — and a sneak peek at fall Ahh, finally summertime! The season for lounging at the pool, pulling up a seat at a baseball game, puttering in the garden. And, for forward-thinking adults, it’s time for making the final decision on whether to head back to school this year.

Duquesne University professors offer some hints to help you and your ball players survive the summer season in fine fashion.

The recipe to outwit the sun, our oldest frenemy Excessive sun exposure over a long period of time can lead to premature aging and skin cancer. Of course, the more immediate effect of overexposure is sunburn.

The best way to prevent sunburn and long-term effects is by using sunscreens; sunscreens can be used on patients as young as 6 months. Sunscreens should not be used on patients younger than 6 months due to the risk of systemic absorption.

There are two categories of sunscreens: chemical sunscreens and physical sunscreens. Chemical sunscreens absorb ultraviolet radiation while physical sunscreens reflect UV radiation. It is best to use a product that protects against both UVA and UVB radiation. This information can be found on the product label. Common ingredients found in sunscreens include aminobenzoic acid, dioxybenzone, avobenzone and zinc oxide The SPF (sun protection factor) is very important to consider when selecting a sunscreen. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a SPF of 15 or higher. People with lighter skin or those who rarely tan should use a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.

Some medications, including antibiotics, can also increase the risk of sunburn, so patients should check with their pharmacists or physicians regarding the risk with any of their medications.

Patients should apply enough sunscreen to prevent sunburn. The average adult requires 4 1/2 teaspoons of sunscreen to cover the body.

• 1/2 teaspoon: face and neck • 1/2 teaspoon: arms and shoulders (each side of body) • 1/2 teaspoon: torso (front and back) • 1 teaspoon: legs and top of feet (each side of body) Sunscreen should be reapplied every 2 hours.

Dr. Marsha McFalls, assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Duquesne University’s Mylan School of Pharmacy.

22 Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine

Heat wave can knock out your medications A heat wave could affect your health — in a way you don’t suspect.

When temperatures skyrocket, mail-order medications could be compromised.

Intense heat — such as the heat that can build up inside mailboxes — could impact mail-order medications that many people receive.

Studies have shown that pharmaceuticals such as capsules of the asthma medication Foradil, when exposed to extreme temperatures, can become distorted and/or clump, resulting in decreased effectiveness of the medication. Other medications can be affected, as well, especially gelatin capsule preparations or suppositories.

Mail-order pharmacies are required to use safe packaging for medications and inform the carrier not to leave the package in an area where a temperature extreme may occur. In most cases, pharmacies are quick to offer replacements if they receive word that medicines have been damaged.

With that in mind, inspect your mail-order medications before using them. Most gel caps, capsules and liquids will show visible signs if they are damaged. Check for any changes in color or odor.

And remember, insulin, vaccines and some other medications must be refrigerated. These are often packaged with an indicator that will record a temperature excess. Do not use these medications if an out of range temperature is shown.

Dr. Suzanne Higginbotham, director of the Academic Research Center for Pharmacy Care at Duquesne University.

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

Play ball, kids — but watch that arm!

The baseball season goes on forever, giving parents and kids lots of time together at the ball field. The kids want to play forever, but giving young arms — especially young pitching arms — rest is key to having a lifelong season without injury.

One of the simplest and most effective ways to avoid injury is to count pitches.

Here are some suggestions:

Pitch count guidelines

Pitch count and innings worked per game for ages 9-16 must be instituted to save young arms. A rest period between outings also must be used.

Players should be monitored for pitching on numerous teams (inhouse, travel, AAU, Sunday Ball, Tournament Ball) throughout a season.

• Ages 9-10: Limit pitching to no more than two innings a game and no more than 45 pitches a game.

They need a two-day rest between outings.

• Ages 11-12: Limit to 50-60 pitches over three innings a game and limit pitchers to 3 innings a game. They need a two-day rest between pitching outings.

• Ages 13-14: Limit to 70-80 pitches over 4 innings a game. They need a two-day rest between pitching outings.

• Ages 15-16: Limit to 80-90 pitches over a course of a seven-inning game. They need at least three days of rest between pitching outings.

These guidelines, adopted by the Shaler Area Baseball Association, were developed through a case study of shoulder and elbow overuse injuries that occurred during the 2007 baseball season, when no pitch count was instituted. Players were in two different leagues, pitching at least two full innings a game for two different teams — four to five times a week.

Reducing potential risk for arm injuries • Monitor pitch counts. Coaches, parents and

player need to continue to monitor pitch counts to protect the young and still-developing anatomic structures of these ball players’ arms. The steps that organizations like Little League of America have taken to protect these young athletes are critical to preventing and reducing injury in sport.

• Use proper techniques.As with any

sport, the use of proper throwing mechanics should be emphasized. Instructing young athletes in proper throwing mechanics may help to reduce the development of potentially bad habits, which could place unnecessary stress on structures of the shoulder and elbow.

• Maintain overall good health and fitness. In addition to monitoring both the volume

of throwing and throwing mechanics, maintaining overall good health and fitness are essential to injury prevention at any level. Developing cardiovascular fitness, strength and flexibility are all cornerstones in injury prevention.

Walking, jogging and riding a bicycle are great ways to improve cardiovascular fitness. Moving your arm across your body or reaching overhead, like you are trying to pick an apple, are great ways to stretch the shoulder muscles.

• Use general calisthenics. At a young age, engaging in general callisthenic exercises are a great way to strengthen the muscles around the shoulder and upper extremities. These exercises also provide opportunities to strengthen muscles throughout the rest of the body, all of which will be active while playing baseball. Pull-ups, chin-ups and push-ups are great exercises to use to build strength in the shoulder muscles.

Dr. Jason Scibek, chair and associate professor in Duquesne’s athletic training department and a certified athletic trainer, focuses his research on the shoulder and the impact of rehabilitation efforts on scapular mechanics.

Dr. Keith Gorse, clinical coordinator and assistant professor in Duquesne’s athletic training department and a baseball/softball dad involved as a coach and association board member. He conducted the case study on young arms and injuries.

See Survival, Page 25

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine 23

Spirituality in health care

By Dr. GERARD MAGILL Our patients can become overburdened by their suffering, unfortunately more than we might expect. And in the face of overwhelming suffering we can find ourselves at a frustrating loss in health care — our reliance on sophisticated technology and interventions can appear to be so ineffective. Yet, these circumstances can remind us of the spiritual dimension of patient care. Increasingly, the significance of spirituality in health care is being recognized by patients, families and health professionals alike.

So many stories of patient suffering call for renewed attention to the spiritual realm in health care delivery. Suffering is not always accompanied by pain. The 95-year-old lonely patient in a long-term care facility explains how he deeply misses his wife who died recently and is really disappointed that his daughter has not visited for so long, yet adds that he hopes his daughter (who turns out to be 75 years of age) does not get worse from her Alzheimer’s disease.

The terminal cancer patient’s excruciating pain increasingly seems impervious to palliative medicine. There is the teenager whose life-sustaining treatment after the motorcycle accident now appears futile and clinicians need to explain to her parents that nothing more can be done. And the single parent is hoping against high odds that his newborn baby survives in neonatal intensive care after his wife died in childbirth. In such sad stories that

24 Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine

surface in the daily practice of health care, we can seek solace through myriad forms of spirituality that flourish within our diverse cultures.

In addition to these personal and wrenching patient tragedies, there are so many routine experiences in which spirituality can enrich and nourish the field of health care — inspiring clinicians, encouraging administrators, uplifting support staff and enriching the health care organization.

What is this thing called spirituality that can have such a meaningful role in health care today? Without doubt, spirituality can readily be associated with religious faith in caring for souls — the spiritual belief that accompanies many throughout life providing an oasis of hope in the midst of tragedy or a shelter of quietness from the clamor and pressure of daily routine. And in this realm, chaplains provide much appreciated support for those facing disease, debility and death.

However, spirituality can be deeper and broader than the reach of particular religious faith denominations and traditions. After all, many skeptical of religious commitment have spirits still yearning for support and solace, whether to deal with life-challenging suffering or to navigate the isolation or mindnumbing routine of daily life.

For so many in health care, spirituality can provide a call to deep personal meaning where emptiness prevails,

an invitation to love and wholeness when lives are shattered, a commitment to justice and respect for the disenfranchised, or a resolve for peacefulness in response to violence and abuse — and so many other counter-balancing insights to address the daunting challenges that diminish humanity in today’s global environment of health.

The contribution of spirituality in health care is to remind us of an unseen but very real component of our lives: the spirit in each of us that inspires love, the spirit in our communities that fosters justice, the spirit in our nations and cultures that seeks peace.

And when that love, justice or peace envelops the dying patient or suffering family or exasperated professional, the inner spirit helps us to better accept who we are and what we can be — perhaps frail, yet wonderfully holy and beautifully holistic human beings.

Magill teaches in the Duquesne University Center for Healthcare Ethics, which offers a certificate program for those who serve on health care ethics committees as well as graduate-level interdisciplinary programs combining courses in law, theology, philosophy and other liberal arts disciplines with clinical experiences supervised by a medical ethicist. For more information, visit www.duq.edu/chce.

This article originally appeared in Western Pennsylvania Health Care News.

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

SURVIVAL

â&#x20AC;˘ Are the faculty members teaching the courses attuned to the unique needs of the adult student? Are there nontraditional course options such as weekend, online and evening? â&#x20AC;˘ What kind of support services are in place to help me be successful in college? Look at tutoring, writing skills center, advising, career development, etc. â&#x20AC;˘ Will I be in classes with people like me â&#x20AC;&#x201D; adults taking care of a family and/or working?

Continued from Page 23

Prepping mom and dad for their own back-toschool days Over glasses of ice tea and other summer beverages, mom and dad might be contemplating whether to return to school to help stabilize or further their careers.

Balancing work, family responsibilities and school can be a tremendous challenge.

Ways to balance family and school

â&#x20AC;˘ Set aside specific times for study without interruptions. Some students have found that doing their school work while their children are doing their homework is a great way to schedule study time. â&#x20AC;˘ Family support is very important and will make the transition back to college much easier.

Some things to consider:

How to adjust to the academic world again

â&#x20AC;˘ Can I devote a specific time each day to devote to course work and projects?

Do I have a quiet place to study without distractions or interruptions? â&#x20AC;˘ Do I have back-up for child care, if needed, so that I can attend classes? â&#x20AC;˘ Can I realistically continue to be involved in all of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;otherâ&#x20AC;? things that I do if I return to school, i.e. PTA, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extracurricular activities, etc.? If I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, will I feel guilty? â&#x20AC;˘ How flexible is the degree program?

Can I â&#x20AC;&#x153;stop outâ&#x20AC;? for a semester or two if needed?

â&#x20AC;˘ Start slowly, perhaps just taking one course â&#x20AC;&#x201D; especially if it has been awhile since you have been in school. â&#x20AC;˘ Take advantage of resources that are available to help you be successful. These include advisors, tutoring services, writing support and more. â&#x20AC;˘ Set realistic goals, keeping in mind that responsibilities such as job and family will not go away once you begin school.

Dr. Dorothy Bassett is dean of Duquesne Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School of Leadership and Professional Advancement, which serves roughly 1,000 adult students in a variety of degree and noncredit programs.

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Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

Sev en Gif ts o the f Ho Spi ly rit: pie ty for titu co de uns kno el wle fea dge ro wis f the do Lor m d an d und ers tan din g

My life under the influence...

By SISTER ELEANOR GIULIANI … Not of drugs or alcohol, but the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Many years ago when I was young, I never realized that the influence of the Holy Spirit would lead me to become a Sister of the Holy Spirit, which I have been for the past 60 years in Pittsburgh.

The Spirit’s influence supported me in my teaching ministry for 40 years. He was also present in my new assignment to our nursing home in Green Tree: as a medical supplies manager and aroma/essential oils therapy instructor. After this ministry, I worked in pet therapy for our residents of Marian Manor whom I visited with the manor’s pet Labrador, Star.

Still under the “influence,” I am now adjusting to a semi-retirement mode of life by visiting our infirmed sisters and residents. As the Spirit nurtures and sustains me, I hope a spiritual bond continues to develop with the people our sisters and I serve.

Life has its smiles and tears. As I look back on my life, I recall my life’s experiences. I have found that we can handle our losses, hardships, disappointments as well as our happy days and joy-filled moments with the help of the Holy Spirit.

As our sisters continue to minister to the children, the lonely, the poor, and the infirmed in the name of the Spirit, his influence will become more present to all.

The name referred to the Holy Spirit reveals his position under various familiar titles: paraclete, animator, counselor and so on. How appropriate it would be then to add another title — influencer.

I often call on the Spirit to help me recall the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Scholar or theologian, I am not. From time to time it is refreshing to review the Gifts of the Holy Spirit: piety, fortitude, counsel, knowledge, fear of the Lord, wisdom and understanding.

As we become mature and more experienced in our lives, whether it be our spiritual or the ordinary, we can reflect on the progress we have made with our lives, more or so, if we absorb and appreciate the influence of the Holy Spirit.

When we are faced with the good and

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

the bad, the joy and the sorrow in our lives, we can depend on the Spirit to sustains us.

Our awareness of his presence and power encourages us. We will progress in our spiritual endeavors and experience the Spirit with others.

Let go, relax and let the Spirit lead us.

As we are gifted and free people, we cooperate with the Holy Spirit and open ourselves to his guidance. We are free to cooperate with the Spirit and his gifts.

However, our cooperation is fundamental to the outcome of our actions and choices.

Life presents a series of changes in our lifetime from the day we are born to the day we are called by our heavenly father. However, as we progress in age, our relationship with the Lord increases.

May we all be open to the “Influence of the Holy Spirit.”

The Sisters of the Holy Spirit are celebrating over 95 years in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

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Serving South Hills & Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine 27

Spirit of service leads to more than just a job

By ALEX BRECHT I entered the summer of 2010 with many mixed emotions.

Graduating from Clarion University was both really exciting and difficult for me. I was happy to move on to the next step of my life, yet I had no idea what that step was. I was sad to be leaving my friends and the place I called home for the past four years.

But I carried on. I spent all of June “adventeering” (adventure volunteering) with the Pittsburgh-based non-profit The Call to SeRVe. The short service trip throughout the Southeast of the United States was just what I needed — a pick me up. It inspired me to do something more than finding a typical job. I wanted — and needed — something more than just a job. I needed to be part of a community committed to making a difference. This led me to apply to Notre Dame Mission Volunteers-AmeriCorps.

I almost feel like it was fate because since August 2010 when I took a position with Notre Dame Mission Volunteers-AmeriCorps in Baltimore, I have felt incredibly lucky.

I was hired as a program coordinator with the Julie Community Center in East Baltimore. I spent two years serving with the Julie Community Center at Tench Tilghman Elementary Middle School.

My supervisor at the center, Sister Barbara English, was able to bring out the best in me. Sister Bobbie is a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur, the community of sisters who founded Notre Dame Mission Volunteers. Her dedication to the community was inspiring. It gave me the energy to push on, work harder in my community, and be invested in the lives

28 Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine

I wanted — and needed — something more than just a job. I needed to be part of a community committed to making a difference

of the kids with whom I served.

In June 2012, I took four of the boys I mentored at Tench Tighlman camping in my parents’ back yard in Jeannette, Pa. I wanted to repay them. They had filled my spirit with such joy in the past year. Those four days were so enjoyable. I had grown up in this house, spent every summer swimming in our pool, playing baseball in the field next to our house, catching crayfish in our stream, and swinging on our tire swing. To do this all again, with four boys who never had this feeling of freedom, brought me back to my childhood.

Sitting around a fire that first night, teaching these almost high schoolers how to make s’mores was amazing and humbling.

I was overcome with joy at that moment.

Every day I was witness to their struggle, whether it was being two grade levels behind in math or being a caretaker to their younger siblings while mom worked two jobs. While melting marshmallows and creating delicious s’mores, I finally got to see them as children and the only care in the world was wondering who the captains would be for a game of capture-the-flag.

Volunteering with Notre Dame Mission Volunteer-AmeriCorps wasn’t enough for me.

When my second year as a volunteer was

coming to an end, I felt that my time with this national program was not finished.

With the help of Sister Bobbie and others I was hired by the NDMVA executive director, Sissy Corr. I was dispatched to be the Washington, D.C. and Rochester (N.Y.) site director. With this position, I am able to continue to carry the spirit of service that our program instills with each and every volunteer since day one — “Our goal is to promote and encourage education, community empowerment, leadership development and multicultural harmony.”

Notre Dame Mission VolunteersAmeriCorps helps give lost and confused souls a sense of purpose. I was once a lost and confused soul. Having no idea what the correct profession for me would be, I was able to find my path.

Three years ago a quote from Archbishop Oscar Romero was shared with me, “Aspire not to have more, but to be more.” Three years have gone by, and although I may be the same Alex, my spirit and soul have grown ten-fold since being a part of Notre Dame Mission Volunteers-AmeriCorps.

Brecht, 25, currently resides in Baltimore. He is youngest of four, and his parents Timothy and Mary Jo, still reside in his hometown of Jeannette. He has a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology.

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

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Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

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• It’s a month’s worth of gas & electricity payments for a family trying to make ends meet.

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul provides assistance to over 100,000 local people annually throughout the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Your tax deductible car donation enables us to serve our brothers and sisters in need.

Healthy Spirit, Mind & Body 2013

It’s easy!

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