A Giving Heart

After making her commitment as an Associate in Mission in 2011, Florida Associate Peggy Brockman says she wanted to emulate Sister of Charity of Cincinnati Mary Loyola Mathia’s service to others and live the charism of Saint Elizabeth Seton. Peggy’s devotion and years of volunteerism at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry and Thrift Store in Spring Hill, Florida, are a strong indication she has taken her commitment to heart.

Eight years ago, a friend invited Peggy to accompany her to the St. Vincent de Paul Store and pantry (Hernando/ Citrus District Council) in Springhill. She was so taken by the friendly and dedicated volunteers who were serving the people there that she signed up instantly.

“I was put to work on the phone. Initially I worked in sorting clothing and pricing, then bagged food in the pantry, and for a few years now, I have been a cashier,” she says. “Cashiering has been a real eye-opening position. I get to meet and greet many people. I have seen homeless mothers with small children who would ask me for blankets, clothing and food for their children.

“Homelessness is a challenging situation for so many,” she continued. “This was an interesting story a volunteer told me: A gentleman saw a homeless man and tried to take him to a shelter and find a place of employment for him. The homeless man said, ‘Thanks but no thanks.’ He told the volunteer that he was content with his homelessness and did not want any home responsibilities or a taxing job. The man also stated many of his homeless friends felt the same. I was reading one of St. Elizabeth Seton’s writings and thought of this event: ‘Two great objects require all our attention in this world – the glory of God and the salvation of our souls. To these two ends all our views and plans and actions should tend – there are no actions so small which may not be made great and precious before God by an upright and pure intention.”

Service has always had a piece of Peggy’s heart. The mother of two and cosmetologist has been involved in church activities for as long as she can remember. A Eucharistic minister, Sacristan, and minister to the homebound and in hospitals and nursing homes, Peggy said she was blessed to be chosen as one of her parish’s (St. Francis Xavier Cabrini) first women altar servers.

A volunteer at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry and Thrift Store in Spring Hill, Florida, Associate Peggy Brockman (left) says she was inspired by S. Mary Loyola Mathia’s service to others.

It was while she was serving at St. Francis Cabrini that she first met S. Mary Loyola Mathia, who at the time was actively ministering at the parish as director of RCIA and annulments. S. Loyola introduced Peggy to the SC Associate program, and in 2011, she made her commitment to the Community. Since, she has become the group leader for 15 Associate members. “I am so proud to say I am also mentoring eight new candidates and hoping to have them ready for commitment in January 2021. During this pandemic we are studying through text messaging, various books, tapes and computer information. I have been a member of the Associate Advisory Board for several years, and I enjoy the meetings and visiting with the Sisters at the Motherhouse.”

Peggy has also recruited some of her friends, including fellow Associate Genny Sample, to volunteer at SVDP. “They have the heart of giving and sharing to others and that is the requisite necessary to serve all people in need,” she said.

Homelessness is a global issue, affecting people of all ages from all walks of life. And while the solution and its end seem to be years away, Peggy says, “Our love, prayers and compassion is the only way we can continue to help those who cannot help themselves.”

To learn more about the St. Vincent de Paul Society and Food Pantry in Spring Hill, visit http://svdphernando.org/ foodpantry.php.

Amazing Grace Amazing Graces

By S. Regina Kusnir By S. Regina Kusnir

They are amazing. They are resilient. They are wise in ways we never imagined. They have dreams and aspire to great things. They see hope in a future still clouded over. They face obstacles. They do not cower from challenge. They gain strength from a higher power. They are tough and determined. They are dissatisfied with our impertinence. They know that we are stronger when we stand together. They are our youth. They are our future. They are our students. They are life-giving.

understand the circumstances of their lives within a society often presenting challenges greater than any young person should bear. Financial insecurity often finds students and their families bordering on homelessness, a plight potentially hindering educational excellence.

The education of children brought the Sisters of Charity to Cincinnati in 1829. Today they sponsor three diverse educational opportunities in Cincinnati. Each is rich in “risking a caring response” to young people.

Seton High School, in the Price Hill area, has educated young women since 1854. Kathy Allen Ciarla ’87 is the president and knows that Seton lives by its Vision Statement to be: a learning environment in which students will grow and develop into young women who are influenced and guided by Catholic teaching and the mission of the Sisters of Charity. Seton students will be faithfilled women, critical thinkers, and servant leaders prepared to transform the world in which they are destined to live. Seton High School will create and maintain systems and processes to ensure sustainability, while engaging with local and global communities.

The all-female environment encourages leadership and self-confidence. Alumnae send their daughters to Seton as do families from the neighborhood. Seton is a tight-knit community with programs and support services leading young women to personal success. Mentoring, multiple scholarship options, diverse Seton’s Tri-Health Summer Employment Program is among the school’s many efforts to prepare students for success after-school activities and and address financial and environmental challenges. the Tri-Health Summer T hey come to us for an education, for knowledge, for the tools to pursue their dreams and meet their aspirations. When we earn their trust, we are permitted to enter into the magnificence of their lives. We may never know the burden they carry nor do we fully Employment Program are among efforts preparing these young women for success and helping to address financial and environmental challenges. Students, faculty, families and the greater community benefit from these well-rounded, well-educated women.

the universe for students. It is the stable place where they are treated well and encouraged to focus on who they are – the launching point for hope, dreaming, wondering and perseverance. He says, “In the grand scheme of things, our students are resilient, they are the unmined gems in society.” Students have diverse backgrounds, faiths, living situations and support systems. They all have financial challenges. But at DPCR they are a community of youth encouraged to be their best selves, to look challenges in the eye and realize they have people encouraging them to show what they can do.

The Corporate Work Study Program is a door opener. It pairs students with local businesses and DePaul Cristo Rey High School’s Corporate Work Study Program pairs students with local businesses and organizations where they work one organizations where they work one day a week and hold real jobs. day a week and hold real jobs. The sum DPCR is paid for their services

In the tradition of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and through is applied to their tuition. It finds the mission of the Sisters of Charity, Seton develops a students amazed at the work they can do, the skills they diverse population of young women for a life of faith, service didn’t know they had, the thinking capacity they develop and leadership, and engages them in achieving academic and the relationships built with CEOs and other community excellence in a college preparatory environment. Leadership leaders. The experience is invaluable on resumes and college opportunities abound at Seton. Kathy says that witnessing the applications. All 2020 graduates have been accepted by growth in the students is “simply incredible”: colleges of choice.

“I see young women enter our doors as shy freshmen There is a sense of gratitude built into daily routines. and watch them become empowered leaders. We encourage Paul and other faculty find that the students are their teachers. students to use the gifts God gave them to make a difference They are changed by students as they get to know them and in our school, community and world. Our student leaders empathically listen to their hearts and aspirations. They offer in various clubs, athletic teams and religious retreats work the psychological space of genuine concern and care. They to create meaningful experiences for classmates and learn garner the wisdom of students. And when students seek help, valuable life lessons along the way. Their creativity and energy they know that a caring response will be given. As stated in help ignite school spirit and promote the Seton Sisterhood, DPCR Belief: Faith is integral to each person’s life. By modeling which stays with you for life. integrity, faith, tenacity and purpose, we can support our students

“In addition, students are challenged in the classroom to in achieving their life goals. The students and adults of the become critical thinkers and to really learn the material, not DPCR community “dare to risk a caring response” as modeled just study to pass a test. Our exceptional faculty go above and by St. Vincent de Paul, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and the Sisters beyond to use all the resources available to prepare students of Charity of Cincinnati. for college and career.” Distance learning has been challenging for students since DePaul Cristo Rey High School opened its doors in the community is so important. In light of the racial tensions, DPCR held a virtual listening session. There is much to 2011. Paul Ebert has been with DPCR from the beginning, learn about the diversity among students, about how they first as an English teacher and since October 2018 as do business at school, and above all how to help students to principal. He sees DPCR as the vehicle that is expanding become change agents in the community.

Paul dreams: “In 10 years I hope the world will see our kids as people first. That it would love them as much as we do for who and what they are as people, that all other demographic qualifiers would be secondary and irrelevant. Our Bruins are young men and women of purpose with beautiful gifts to share with the world if it will let them.”

Mount St. Joseph University was established in 1920 and is celebrating its centennial year. Associate Patsy Schwaiger Willig ’73 is director of the Wellness Center and supervises Student Health Services and Student Counseling Services. A Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, she has worked as a mental health counselor in the center for 25 years. Currently, she splits her time between counseling students and administrative work.

Getting a college degree is an expensive undertaking for any student, but particularly for those with limited resources. At MSJU, faculty advisors and administrative staff who provide support services to students will sometimes encounter students who are struggling financially. In 2018, the University conducted an American College Health Survey to which 263 full-time undergraduate and graduate students responded. Forty-six percent of those students reported concern over finances impacting their academics (48 percent female and 34 percent male).

MSJU has many resources available on campus to meet student needs. These include:

• A Student Resource Center coordinated by a

MSJU alum and an Americorp volunteer provides unemployment and benefits assistance, housing, utilities assistance and help with referrals for other services students need on and off campus. • The Student Care Team holds bi-weekly meetings to address needs of students and provide an opportunity to collaborate with one another to provide appropriate assistance and support to students facing challenges. • The Dean ofStudents Office partners with Be

Concerned Food Pantry whose director is a Mount alum. Monthly, a mobile food pantry van travels to

MSJU so students can access food from fresh vegetables to staples. • The Emergency Fund is administered by the Dean of Students and offers financial assistance for rent, utilities, book vouchers, bus passes, food plans, etc. • Collaboration between the Wellness Center, the

Dean of Students Office and the Office of Mission

Integration provides referrals to one another for student support.

Mount St. Joseph University alumni Andy Brunsman ’10, executive director of Be Concerned, loads a mobile food pantry van for delivery to MSJU.

Patsy states, “The students often bear total financial responsibility for their families. Some are single parents. Some are adult children of parents who may be experiencing unemployment and feel responsible for helping with finances at home in addition to paying for their education. Some students report having to make choices between feeding themselves and/or their families and paying the rent or utilities. Some students, who may live in unsafe environments, may find themselves seeking temporary housing, juggling jobs and academics while doing so.

“MSJU’s motto is from St. Elizabeth Seton: ‘Dare to risk a caring response.’ Everything that we do at the Mount is driven by our mission and our Catholic identity seen through the lens of the charism of our founders, the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. Students choose the Mount because we are a community that cares about the whole student. We are a family.”

“Risking a caring response” is a hallmark of the Sisters of Charity and shared in their ministries. The complexity of financial stressors in our society easily leads to youth homelessness and is more predominant in our cities. These sponsored ministries are remarkable. They are amazing graces to students, from students and with students.