How can we use our strengths to help us, and others, face the COVID-19 Pandemic?

I wrote the following bulletin article for the Catholic parish where I serve as the Parish Administrator. Although I reference Saint Olaf, it could be any workplace where we are challenged to find ways to channel our strengths to be the person each of us is called to be, finding that hope – and then sharing that message of hope with others we encounter.

Stay well, Strengths and Engagement Enthusiasts!

Mary Kennedy, Parish Administrator- Saint Olaf Catholic Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota

FINDING HOPE IN THE KINDNESS OF OTHERS

Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence…

1 Peter 3:15-16

I am a glass half-full kind of person. It is one of my strengths and one that I have called upon a lot lately to get me through the morass of dark stories, which have filled the media and my senses since March. What started out as an unbelievable story of a “new” illness, occurring in a city on the other side of the world, has morphed into an epic, life-changing pandemic. We are in unchartered waters, trying to keep steady and safe. We are battered daily with news of more loss - lives, freedoms, and more. How do we find the hope, the positivity? Perhaps the answer is right in front of us. To be more exact, the answer lies inside each of us, living in our core of faith and in our hearts, from the lessons of love shared by our family.

We hear in the readings this weekend of the need to keep Christ in our hearts, but also to be ready to share the message of hopefulness we receive from our faith. Yes, we as Christians are expected to share the message: to evangelize. Banish the thought of knocking on doors and shouting out Bible verses, that may be one form of evangelizing; one that certainly is not practical in the world today. In reality, the concept of evangelizing boils down to sharing the Good News. That sounds much simpler. In looking for examples of finding hope in the kindness shared by others, it did not take me very long to come up with several instances where words or deeds of others helped me find peace and comfort. I know you, the reader, will also find a reason to smile and be proud of Saint Olaf and our community of faith.

The email from a parishioner who wrote: This evening I got a phone call from a neighbor who said she called me because she wanted to tell me how much she enjoys watching the Mass from Saint Olaf on TV. She said she has watched the Mass on EWTN but prefers watching ours...

The parishioner who stopped by and donated fabric masks and the daughter of mine who sewed another dozen masks, to cover our staff’s faces so we can protect ourselves as we serve the people in the heart of the city.

The check that arrived from Hastings where the donor had discovered and “Loved the TV Mass” and decided that even though she has a limited income, she could get by without her “Stimulus Check.” So she split it up and sent the money to different organizations and even though she had never been to Saint Olaf, we were one of those recipients.

The many notes, emails, and phone calls that inspire our priests to keep up the good work.

Four giant boxes of socks, the package of men’s pants, and more, that appeared unsolicited to give when we re-open our Samaritan ministry again. (We are not ready to receive any more clothing/supplies quite yet, but very soon we will!)

We may not be able to gather, celebrate the Eucharist, or enjoy the company of our friends and family, but we must remember that someday we will do all of these things and more – we need to embrace hope, find hope in the kindness of other’s actions, and share that hope.

We each are called to share the Good News in the way we speak, live, work, and share. Each of us has different gifts to share, and each gift makes a difference. Who can you call? Who can you write? Who can you pray for? What can you do? How can you share the Good News of the Risen Christ in your world today?

Mary Kennedy, Parish Administrator- Saint Olaf Catholic Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota