Photo by James A. McBride
At left, Father Dennis Bajkowski, pastor of Queen of the Apostles Parish, Pennsville, stands with Peggy Kirby, who is involved in several ministries.
PENNSVILLE — Peggy Kirby, who came here from Korea when she was 13, is passionate about her religion and takes her stewardship at Queen of the Apostles Church almost as a divine calling.
“I started about 15 years ago with Pre-Cana at Queen of the Apostles,” Peggy noted, “and I’ve been a member of the Legion of Mary for many, many years.”
Peggy said she got started on her spiritually-guided road to stewardship when she and her husband Lee were asked by the pastor at the time, Msgr. Thomas Morgan, to join Pre-Cana.
“I’ve always had a feeling for people so I knew I’d be good at Pre-Cana,” she explained. “And my heart has always gone out to the underprivileged, the less fortunate, and the sick. That’s why 18 years ago I joined the Legion of Mary.”
Father Dennis Bajkowski, pastor of Queen of the Apostles, said Peggy Kirby is “a remarkable woman” and she visits health care facilities, at least once a week, with the Legion of Mary or by herself and, for those who desire, prays the rosary with them.
The Legion of Mary also helps out in the Queen of the Apostles gift shop that Peggy operates. The shop is in the vestibule of the church and opens after every Mass.
What really sparked her love for stewardship and compassion for the church was her daughter, Bernadette, now 18. She has severe brain damage, Peggy said, and has about 30 percent brain function.
“She is truly a miracle child,” she said. “She should never have survived outside my womb. But somehow, she went full-term. It wasn’t until six months after her birth that we noticed she had some problems. But God is good and Bernadette has survived.”
The Kirbys brought their daughter to various doctors, all of whom said she probably wouldn’t live to her second birthday.
“But she’s now 18,” Peggy rejoiced. “That is a miracle.”
The child was baptized by Msgr. Morgan on Aug. 15, 1992.
A year later the Kirbys took their daughter to Lourdes (“That’s why we named her Bernadette,” said Peggy) and thanked the Lord for her survival.
“She had developed a fever at that time and almost died,” said Peggy. She said she met a doctor at Lourdes who gave her a religious medal, and said her survival “was truly a miracle.”
Peggy said she is constantly thanking the Lady for looking after her daughter. “Our Bernadette is so healthy, so happy,” she said. “She is my teacher. When I look at her, God tells us be happy, be joyful. This is what I tell people when I see them: God says be joyful.”
Peggy believes that Bernadette is doing well because “Our Lady of Lourdes continues to carry Bernadette in her arms. And she is giving us a message to go back to Lourdes.”
And that’s what Peggy hopes to do, to return to Lourdes in the fall, around Thanksgiving.
“I already have about 30 people who want to join us at Lourdes to give thanks for their blessings,” Peggy said. “I’m hoping to have as many as 50 to come with me. This is not for me. This is part of my stewardship, using my time, talents and treasures to tell people it is sometimes very hard to be thankful to God when you have problems.”
Peggy made it plain she was not asking for funds or donations to go to Lourdes. “We’re simply asking the Holy Mother to have 50 people go on the pilgrimage,” she explained.
Peggy said that when people are thanking God for allowing them to pay their bills they should also, at the same time, thank God for saving their souls.
Peggy, Bernadette, and Lee will be going to Lourdes. It’s not known if their other children will be along. The Kirbys have another daughter, Peggy Lee, 30, who’s a TV reporter in Scranton; a son, John, 28, who’s going back to college; and another son, Brian, 24, who works in Edison in Central Jersey. Peggy noted that just about everybody in the family has gone to Rutgers, including Mom and Dad. John expects to be transferring to Rutgers this year.
Another of Peggy’s duties as a steward is Eucharistic minister. She visits nursing homes, and she dispensed ashes this past Ash Wednesday at the homes, the way she does every Ash Wednesday. And since she attends daily Mass she sometimes subs as a lector.
Peggy is also right there in times of need, such as funerals, when she helps to prepare funeral lunches.
“The families pay for the rolls and the dishes,” she said. “and we provide everything else, such as the side dishes and desserts. But one of the most important things we do is talk to the families. We get to know them over these lunches, which are very important to them. Later on, I and others make phone calls to family members to see how they’re holding up, and to see if there’s anything we can do for them.”
Oh, and yes, one of the dishes she provides is a Korean specialty called pickled cabbage. It’s hot and robust. “It’s almost like sauerkraut,” she said with a laugh, “but with a little spice.”
Since 2000 Peggy has been part of a prayer group, which meets weekly, called Intercessor of the Lamb where participants pray to Jesus to ask the Father “what he wants us to pray for,” said Peggy. “We become a bridge between heaven and earth. And, most importantly, we pray for our priests.”
Peggy said she recently opened her home to the group. “We are very committed,” she continued. “I also minister to the Korean people in the area. We meet once a month and go over the teachings of the Catholic Church.”
Summing up her stewardship, Peggy said, “When you thank God for all the good things in life, you feel like the kingdom of heaven is here on earth. I can understand why we want to go to heaven.”
For more information on stewardship contact Russell Davis, Office of Stewardship, at 856-583-6102.
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