Every once and a while, a family will have a “Saint Paul” moment, where they’re knocked from their proverbial horse and given a call from God to serve others. For the Snyders, who have been parishioners at Our Lady of the Lakes in Collings Lakes for five years, a family crisis — complete with happy ending — turned into an opportunity to create a new family tradition: serving the Lord through stewardship.
“We were in the parish for about a year when my husband had an aneurism,” explains Jerrie Snyder, matriarch of the family. “We kind of fell behind on our bills. We contacted the Saint Vincent de Paul Society at our parish. After they helped us out, I decided to become a member and give back to the community. We’ve been volunteering ever since.”
Jerrie now serves as president for her local Saint Vincent de Paul Society. She also joined the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. The organization donates to charities, administers scholarship programs and, according to the website, strives “to be helping hands where there is pain, poverty, sorrow or sickness.”
Although Jerrie’s husband, Rodney, recovered from the aneurism, he is unable to work due to his health condition. But his brush with death has given him an opportunity to give back to his church with his time and talents. “I have plenty time on my hands,” says Rodney, who serves as the chancellor for the parish’s Knights of Columbus council. “After we got involved with Our Lady of the Lakes Parish, we quickly realized that while we were in a small community, there are so many families here in need. We weren’t the only ones who needed help.”
And it’s not just Jerrie and Rodney who are fully engaged in stewardship. The whole family gets involved.
“We volunteer as a family,” explains Jerrie. “That’s our family thing to do.”
When Rodney’s brother struggled with the responsibilities of becoming a parent, the Snyders adopted their nephew, Kenny, and niece, Kortnie, when both were infants. “We went from aunt and uncle to mom and dad,” explains Rodney. The two siblings have heeded the call of stewardship. Both are altar servers, CCD aides and eager volunteers at parish events, whether it’s the annual BBQ dinner or fish fry. In addition, Kenny helps out with vacation Bible school, participates in community cleanups and helps his dad with Knights of Columbus business; and Kortnie is active in the parish’s children’s liturgy.
“My sister and I, we’re the future of the church,” says Kenny. “Even if the little bit that I can do won’t help everybody, knowing that it helps out somebody really makes me feel good.”
Kenny and Kortnie also take their stewardship on the road, as both participate in Summer in the City, a service project sponsored by the Office of Lifelong Faith Formation, Youth Ministries. The week-long community service projects provide high school students the opportunity to volunteer at various work sites including Catholic Charities, a nursing home, soup kitchens, assisted living facilities, urban farm, project Head Start and local parishes.
“I thought it was pretty cool,” says Kortnie of her Summer in the City experience. “Not only do you get to help people in need and see and experience new things, but you make friends with new people there.”
Father John Cavagnaro, pastor at Our Lady of the Lakes, appreciates the work of families like the Snyders, not just because of the assistance they provide, but also the inspiration they give to other parishioners.
“The Snyders are very involved in the parish,” says Father Cavagnaro. “They encourage more people to be a part of the church because their involvement is so strong.”
Father Cavagnaro went on to explain that Our Lady of the Lakes is one of the smallest parishes in the Diocese of Camden, with only some 425 families. And while several ministries are thriving, like their religious education program, where 85 to 90 percent of the children who participate attend Mass on a weekly basis, a higher level of stewardship from its parishioners — supporting both the church’s financial and ministerial needs — is needed in order for things to run smoothly.
“We do a lot of things in the parish. The involvement of our families is very important,” explains Father Cavagnaro. “We’re trying to get more people involved in the different ministries. Overall, the parishioners have good ownership of Our Lady of the Lakes.”
Father Cavagnaro went on to say that considerable effort is being made to get younger parishioners and their families involved in ministry and stewardship, a statement echoed by the Snyder family.
“We could use a few more volunteers,” adds Rodney. “There’s a whole lot that goes on around the church: the grounds upkeep, the maintenance on some of the equipment. Something’s always breaking. If they had an hour or two on Saturday, or an afternoon on a day off, that would make a difference. We don’t need people to work eight hours a day. Just an hour.”
“It’s very important to give back. You lead by example,” continues Jerrie. “If other families see our family getting involved, maybe they might say, ‘Hey, maybe volunteering is not so bad.’ It’s helping one another in our community.”
For more information on stewardship contact Deacon Russell Davis, Office of Stewardship, at 856-583-6102.