THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 41, NO. 41 | JUNE 19, 2020
PEN PALS PUT SMILES ON THE FACES OF THOSE STAYING AT HOME St. Joseph schoolchildren keep
senior parishioners feeling connected
Mason Rieke, a soon-to-be second-grader at St. Joseph School in Shawnee, writes a letter to his pen pal. Mason is one of several students at the school reaching out to older parishioners by mail during the coronavirus pandemic.
LEAVEN PHOTO BY LORI WOOD HABIGER
Betty Calcara happily retrieves a letter from her pen pal Roman Derington. Calcara has felt isolated from the world since the “stay at home” order went into effect in Kansas. Participating in the parish’s pen pal initiative has given her hope during a difficult time. By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org
S
HAWNEE — Living through a pandemic hasn’t been easy for Betty Calcara, who has lived alone since her husband Mike passed away in 2014. After the “stay at
home” order went into effect in Kansas, Calcara said her days have sometimes been “long and a little depressing.” “When the virus quarantine hit us, my days being confined to home became more tiresome and lonely,” she said, “and errand running was limited to drive-thru activities with brief, masked, face-to-face conversations.” But one day, Calcara received an
unexpected letter in the mail, and it brought a real joy to her life. The letter was from a boy named Roman Derington, who attends St. Joseph School in Shawnee. Calcara initially “thought he was writing because he was told by a parishioner friend that I was alone and would like to hear from someone to cheer me up.”
“I remember smiling and thinking about how sweet it was for him to express his thoughts of me being confined to home,” she added. But Roman’s letter wasn’t random. He is among several St. Joseph students who are participating in a new pen pal initiative, created to connect >> See “PARTICIPANTS” on page 12