Meet Parishioner Joanna Gould: Sharing Her Talents to Serve God

For parishioner Joanna Gould, getting involved in parish life at St. Philip Neri was like second nature.

“My grandfather was the organist in his church,” Joanna says. “When I was young, he would let my sisters and I sit up in the balcony with him during Mass and let us ring the bells, which we felt was very special. My own father played the organ for his church, and my mother was a Eucharistic Minister as well. It’s a special feeling when you attend Mass and the music is from your father’s hand, and the host is received from your mother’s.”

When she moved here to Fort Mill in 2018 with her husband, Bill, and their children, Olivia and Joseph, and began attending St. Philip Neri, Joanna immediately began following in the footsteps of her parents and grandparents by living a life of active stewardship.

Having such wonderful examples of stewardship in her life, Joanna knew she wanted to get involved at St. Philip Neri when they moved. Her son was enrolled in the SPN Preschool at the time, so she volunteered there, assisting with classroom needs. She also joined the Christmas choir one year and served as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

“I volunteered as a Eucharistic Minister and was able to participate in serving with many Masses — the most memorable one being my oldest daughter’s First Holy Communion,” she says.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Joanna needed to take a step back from some of her involvement in the parish. Her family was uncomfortable attending Mass in person, so she was unable to serve as a Eucharistic Minister.

“We all know how long and difficult the pandemic has been,” Joanna says. “It occurred to me that I wasn’t comfortable not doing anything and realized that I needed to find my own way of serving.”

By discerning the gifts and talents God has given her, Joanna decided to reach out and volunteer her graphic design skills to the parish. Graphic design is one of those God-given talents and one she could share from home. Shortly after reaching out, Joanna started on her first project — designing a logo for our Capital Campaign.

“Living a life of stewardship is important to me because it makes me feel like I am not only serving my community, but most importantly, I am serving God,” Joanna says. “We all have different gifts to share, and this is how I choose to put my stewardship into action.”

Joanna believes that getting involved in parish life is a great way to serve God.

“God calls us to serve Him, and offering whatever talents you have is fulfilling His wishes,” she says.

Joanna Gould

The Gould family