The Loyet Family
Little Eyes are Watching By: Mark Loyet, Director of Pastoral Ministry AS WE APPROACH the American institution and holiday of Thanksgiving, we are always called to reflect upon what we are thankful for. In many families, it is a time honored tradition that, just before sitting down or diving into the Thanksgiving meal, each individual will share something for which they are thankful. Then a prayer follows formally thanking God for the blessing named and acknowledging that every blessing comes from Him. Some families even make this a regular part of their prayer tradition. I often reflect upon silently, and sometimes include in my prayers with others, the many gifts God has given me. One thing I am sure of is I am no where near as grateful as I ought to be for how good God has been to me. I have always loved Him and tried to do His will, but He outdoes me in generosity every time and by more than I can measure. I will never be able to thank Him enough. Today, I want to share with you all one particular blessing which has been one of the most impactful in my life - my mother’s faith. Now of course we all have mothers, and 28 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION
likely everyone reading this article is as thankful for theirs as I am. But I want to focus on my mother’s faith because it is something that is unique and could very easily not have been a part of her or my life. I was born and raised Catholic in St. Louis, MO (a.k.a “the Rome of the West.”) My childhood was fairly normal. We were middle class, I attended public school, and my parents separated when I was 4 years old and later divorced. Sadly, this last fact is/was fairly normal for youth. Fortunately, what was certainly not good in itself, i.e. the divorce, God used for our good. Immediately following the separation, my mother realized that one of the major problems contributing to the breaking of their marriage was their lack of faith and relationship with God. This led her to make an about face and return to the faith of her upbringing. Since I can remember, my mother has attended daily Mass, prayed the rosary daily, volunteered at her parish and in other ministries, and is one of the most genuinely devout people I have ever known. I’ll be honest, I didn’t always appreciate all of those facts
