“The Call to Stewardship” is a periodic series profiling individuals and families throughout the Diocese of Camden who have shown an inspiring response to the call to Christian Stewardship highlighted in 1 Peter 4:10, “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
For nearly four decades, Scott and Kathy Woodside have quietly committed themselves to serving the Catholic Church. From preparing engaged couples for marriage and leading Bible studies to supporting grieving families, the couple’s faith and devotion have made them an integral part of their parish community.
“They are willing to do anything for anybody,” said Father Cadmus Mazzarella, pastor of the couple’s parish, Notre Dame de la Mer in Wildwood. “They’re just so involved and so giving, so generous with their time and talent.”
Father Mazzarella has known the Woodsides for about 40 years, dating back to his first assignment at Saint Bridget University Parish in Glassboro. The Woodsides were parishioners there at the time.
Over the years, the Woodsides immersed themselves in parish life. Kathy Woodside served as vice president of the PTA, coached cheerleaders at Saint Bridget Regional School and sang in the choir. The couple became Eucharistic ministers, lectors and leaders in marriage preparation, serving for more than 30 years.
Helping other couples prepare for marriage became especially meaningful for the Woodsides, who married 50 years ago (Kathy and Scott were 17 and 18, respectively).
Kathy Woodside said another couple initially encouraged them to join the marriage ministry. “Somebody approached us and said, ‘I think you’d really be good on the team.’ It actually enhanced our own marriage, being involved in Pre-Cana.”
The couple centered their marriage on faith from the beginning, which she credits for its longevity.
Although the Woodsides recently stepped back from full-time marriage preparation, they still occasionally work one-on-one with couples preparing for marriage or convalidation – the process of blessing a civil marriage within the Catholic Church.
In addition to marriage ministry, the couple continue to devote much of their time to parish life at Notre Dame de la Mer. Kathy Woodside leads “Walking With Purpose,” a Catholic women’s Bible study, while her husband participates in the men’s group and helps maintain church buildings.
The Woodsides also serve on the parish council, bring communion to the sick and homebound, and assist with parish events throughout the year.
Woodside said she and her husband will help out whenever they can – including her leading the rosary prayer in the morning – but that they prefer to remain behind the scenes.
One ministry especially close to Woodside’s heart is a yearly Mass of remembrance for parents who have lost children. “It provides a lot of healing,” she said. “You get all ages, from pre-born to middle age.”
She said her commitment to service comes from a philosophy she and her husband have shared throughout their lives.
“If you’re not doing something to make it better, you’re making it worse,” she said. “So it’s always better to be involved with the good things in life that matter.”
Faith also remains central to the couple’s daily routine. Woodside and her husband and mother begin each morning with prayer and the Divine Mercy Chaplet before attending Mass.
“It’s just how we choose to live,” she said.
That same faith recently carried her through the death of her father. She said the support she received from fellow parishioners reminded her of the importance of a parish community.
“The prayers, the phone calls, the Mass cards, the emails … it just lifted us up,” she said.
Father Mazzarella said the Woodsides’ greatest impact may be the example they set for others.
“The most impressive to me is their devotion to our Catholic faith and their kindness,” he said. “They’re just very easy to work with.”
For the Woodsides, Stewardship goes far beyond financial giving.
“You have to incorporate the other parts of it,” Kathy Woodside said. “The prayer life, the community aspect with your church, volunteering, being there if you’re needed for something. I think Stewardship is just living the way Jesus wants you to live.”
The mission of the Office of Stewardship is to help disciples of Christ who live in the Diocese of Camden to live out Christian charity in a sacrificial way. For more information, contact Stacy Napolitano, Office of Development, at 856-583-6126.
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