Trish Villareal grew up as an Episcopalian, not a Catholic. When she married her husband Lou, who was raised Catholic, she knew the Catholic faith shared several similarities to high Episcopalian. She felt strongly that they should worship together, so Trish decided to take RCIA classes to become Catholic. That was one of the first steps in what has become a life of service.
Trish’s faith journey led her to want to be more involved: “To be more involved with my faith, I felt it was important to see where the opportunities were to volunteer and get to know other people of faith and learn from them. I have done that and find it rewarding.” “One of the best things I did,” Trish remembers, “was become a member of the inspiring Friday morning Bible Study at St Francis. I learned much about their faith from women raised as Catholics; it’s been very helpful to me.” These experiences led to a cavalcade of opportunities to volunteer and participate at St. Francis.
“Through those first experiences, I learned about other opportunities at Church. I began as a volunteer in the office as a receptionist because a neighbor suggested it. I loved doing reception because you learn about who helps at Church, can welcome volunteers, and do many wonderful things in the ministries.” Dina DeRa saw her potential and talked to her one day about volunteering, particularly for funerals. Trish says, “Even though it is a sad occasion, you get to know the family and their circumstances, and I feel it is a comforting time for them as they realize someone will be helping them and sharing in a day that could be difficult. For many, there is also a sense of peace.” Working on funerals led to her becoming involved in wedding planning. “It’s very much the same sort of thing but a happier time; you get to know the families and help them with an event they haven’t been through before.” For Trish, she thinks our church does a beautiful job with all those family events. “It is always done with a great deal of thought and a great deal of love. That’s just how we are at St. Francis,” she says, “Very welcoming and reaching out in love.”
When asked about her volunteering, Trish says, “I always feel I am the one who gets a lot out of it by giving myself to the Lord and opening myself up to say, ‘how I can serve you.’ I feel like I’m the lucky one.” If you want to get involved, Trish has advice: “I think there are several people in the office, Stacey Shine, Kathy Sales, Dina DaRe, and Shannon Hoffman, who are the worker bees behind the scenes and welcome anyone who is looking for information.” She suggests visiting the parish office and speaking with the receptionist or one of the ‘worker bees’ in person to learn more. “Email is fine, but in-person is more personal and better than an email or text,” she says, “Nothing’s better than in-person.” Come by today and see how you, too, can help!