Sala per le questioni sociali | St. Thérèse, Cresskill

Gina L: It’s never really work to me. It’s so much joy.

Gina L: So I’m Gina Marie Loiacono. If you want to say it the real Sicilian way, if you want to say it the American way, it’s Loiacono. I’ve been in ministry, oh gosh, over 30 years now. Started out as a catechist, studied youth in young adult ministry, was a youth minister for a long time. And then I kind of knew God was really calling me to do this really as a vocation. I do look at it almost as a vocation. It’s never really worked to me. It can be very stressful and exhausting, but it’s so much joy. It’s so joyful that it gives me the motivation that I need if I’m feeling tired. I slipped from youth minister into becoming the pastoral associate. And that’s probably 12 years now, I guess, 13 years. I’m here at St. Theresa, almost 15 years. I oversee our faith formation program, religious ed. So any kind of religious ed that’s happening here at the parish, be it the young ones or adult faith, something a little bit more new to us is family faith formation, where the parents are there with the young people while they’re being taught by catechists, and then we’re able to give them the subject of whatever the young people are learning that week or that month and give it to them in ways that they can understand or grasp. Service and social concerns has always been a huge part even when I was a youth minister. Always going on mission trips, service trips with the young people. We used to do them close by and also far away where we would call those more of a mission trip. Different things from gospel roads we used to do, which was a Salesian Run event, to Catholic Heart War Camp. If you’re familiar with that, it’s another summer experience for young people to really dig deep into service. And then creating service events here at the parish, both for the adults and the young people. And then a huge service component within all of the youth events. And then a big service component in the parish itself in general, where we could have a service day or we’re always doing collections and outreaches once a month. I try to theme it so it’s kind of simple and also try to mix it up so it keeps people interested. And if we’re doing a lot of collections, maybe we try to do something a little bit different the next month. We don’t always wanna be asking people to constantly bring stuff in. Although I have to say the people here at St. Therese are amazing, amazing. Our parishioners are so, so generous. If ever were in need…

Ken P: In Father Sam’s interview, he said, “You ask for cereal and a semi-truck backs up full of cereal.”

Gina L: Very true.

(Both Laughing)

Gina L: That’s a wonderful way to put it. That’s so true. It’s so, so true. They just go above and beyond. And anytime you need anything, if something comes up, some sort of, whether it’s a disaster happening or whatever it might be, there’s a call, there’s a family in need. I can just make a few calls and not even think twice about it. So we’re really blessed in that way. We’re blessed in that way.

Ken P: Excellent. Yeah.

I wanna get more into the generals of the social concerns ministry later, but initially, can you tell us what the story was behind how the new service room came about and where did that idea, the specific idea come from?

Gina L: I think that was just always, it came from conversations that Father Sam and I had. Also a dream inside my head, as they say, right? I always thought, wouldn’t it be fabulous if we had a space where we could do more? Cause there’s only so much you can do when you don’t have the space, right? And he, obviously he as well loves service and is all about that. And I have to say, just to say about Father Sam really quickly, he’s always involved as much as he can be with our service projects, whether it’s physically cooking something for us together cooking something at home and bringing it or serving them on the streets when, back in the day when we were doing that and able to do that with the homeless right on the street, he was there with us as well as some other Carmelite priests. So that’s really a blessing. But yeah, it was a kind of a dream inside the head. And then, unfortunately, our school closed, which wasn’t a happy thing, but then we came out with, we came out of that with a little more space. And then we have like what I call the annex of the school, which has Father Arman Hall. It’s a big, beautiful room. And then there were two classrooms on the side that I guess I had just said once, wouldn’t this be great if we could use this as a service room, especially the way it’s situated, there’s a door on the inside of the annex, but then there’s also a door on the outside that if people have to drop stuff off or people are picking things up, it would be so convenient. So Father Sam, as he always is with sometimes crazy, sometimes good ideas that he has, he was very supportive of it. And we moved forward with it. And then did a collection and raised a lot of money. And then a parishioner came forward and donated some money for the ovens because the ovens were expensive, but we knew we needed ovens in order to bake and cook. And they’re like a convention, I guess they call them convection ovens. And therefore, of those ovens that you would see, industrial, I guess you would call it, right? That you would see in kitchens, big kitchens and restaurants or what have you. So they’re a blessing. So yeah, that’s how that came about. And then little by little, we just made it work, little things that we needed here and there.

Ken P: And what would you say if you had to describe some of the different types of ministry work that happened in the service room, the service room enables you to do, what would you say are some of the key aspects of what that room is able to provide?

Gina L; Right, well, I would say the main thing that it’s able to provide is for us to have a space in order to collect food when we do, when we feed the homeless, usually we try to do this once a month. What happens is we decide on a meal and then whatever that meal is, the parishioners would cook that meal, parts of the meal, they would sign up, I would have a sign-up genius, they would sign up for the parts of the meal and then they would drop it off. Prior to the service room, they were doing that in the church downstairs, but it was very inconvenient. A lot of our parishioners are elderly too, so they would have to climb down the stairs. A lot of times we would try to have people out there, but sometimes it just didn’t happen. So they have to climb downstairs. And then once we received all the food, we counted it, we knew everything was there, then we had to come back out with that food. So it was really, it was difficult. And then the food has to be warm when it’s delivered. That caused another problem. We only had one oven downstairs.

So to try to, you know, you’re feeding 200 people, to try to warm all that food up, all in the amount of time that it had to then go out to Hackensack was a little difficult. And again, Father Sam opened his heart many times and allowed us to even go upstairs, use the residence, oven, because it was just overwhelming. So that’s the main thing that it has helped. And then also now we’re able to cook and not necessarily reach out to the parishioners to bring anything, but that if they wanna come and cook, they can come and cook, which is great. I mean, that- So they can provide more ingredients so that you can then prepare whatever the meal for that month or something. Right, and then the committee can actually come and prepare the meal. So then that brings a different element into it now. Now it’s just not, I’m dropping food off for the committee to bring, but now I’m engaged in the cooking. I’m engaged in the wrapping of the food. And that’s been really joyful. You know, again, when you do service, yes, of course we’re doing it for others, but so many people gain so much from it themselves, right? That feel good.

Ken P: That engagement and feeling that they kinda, I don’t wanna use the word ownership, but they have some responsibility, some active role in it. As a community, coming together as a community, the Carmelite part’s gonna roll into here. Instead of everybody at home cooking separately, they’re coming together as a community and providing for the community.

Gina L: And we’re learning together too. Like for example, I mean, I’m overseeing everything. So I’m coming up with the thoughts and the ideas. Like for example, meatloaf. Okay, let’s get a basic recipe and let’s go from there. But then it was a learning experience of, okay, this is not gonna, we need to add more of this or take more of that. And then now we have like certain recipes that we know are gonna work or what have it, chicken or whatever it is that we’re making. Last summer we did, this was fun, and Father Sam was involved. We did a barbecue, like a picnic. So we were really hot dogs. Like 300 and something hot dogs because everybody got two hot dogs. But again, really fun. The guys were out there and then Father Sam came over and he grilled hot dogs. So, and then being able to package it all. But again, that’s fun when you’re able to do that together.

Ken P: Right. And I guess that’s another aspect, cooking on that scale. It’s something that a lot of people don’t, like you said, everybody used to go home and cook. I’ll cook this dish, I’ll cook this dish, I’ll cook this dish. And now making meatloaf for a hundred people as opposed to making meatloaf for a table of six.

Gina L: Exactly, and it’s 200 people. So yes, and I pride myself as well as Father Sam as being a pretty good cook. And I’ve cooked for a lot of people, but I can’t say 200. So yes, what was great is we were just learning together. We were all learning together on how to do it.

Ken P: Right.

Gina L: Well, your question to me was about what do we utilize the room for? And it’s not just that, that’s the main thing, but also we utilize it for sorting and packaging things. So for example, we have a sister parish in Jersey City that we take care of, right? And so at Christmas time, we do gifts. Come August, we do a collection for school items. So again, because our parishioners are so amazing, all these items come to the church and then everything has to be carried over and that’s done. And then it has to be sorted through. So all of the pencils and the crayons and the books and all of that. So now we have a room in which to do that. That’s not stepping on anyone else’s toes, like the rooms for the meetings or anything. We don’t have to worry that, oh, now we’re bothering, maybe the nights are meeting or maybe the choir has to meet in the room where there’s a lady’s Bible event happening. And then now they’ve got all this stuff all around. We don’t have to worry about that so much. And then we can just have meetings when we need to and get together and do sorting when we need to. And there’s a lot of that. There’s a lot of sorting that happens with all the different collections. We just did a brand new collection for the first time, which was a teddy bear collection. Cuddles of love, I don’t know if you saw that. Not sure, again, just one of my brainstorm ideas. And I was like, I don’t know how it’s gonna go. Well, you should have seen the amount of teddy bears. And it was so wonderful to be like, working amongst all these teddy bears, it was so joyful. So, oh my gosh, and we gave to so many different organizations and we still have a little pile left that we will share with our moms to be at our baby shower next month. And then Miss L also has a little collection in her office that when maybe we hear about a parishioner of ours that’s sick or not well, that I’ll bring to the nursing home or bring to the hospital. In fact, I just did that recently. And again, not sure how that would be. Giving a teddy bear to an adult. And it was wonderful. She was so thrilled with that teddy bear.

Ken P: Yeah.

Gina L: So that was wonderful.

Ken P: Well, it sounds like the room has just given you kind of a general community service area, not only to serve the community, but to be a community serving the community.

Gina L: Absolutely, well put. And just a space to do that to come together, which is wonderful. That’s, like I said, everybody kind of pitching in.

Ken P: I feel like I remember helping grandma bring over, “Okay, we made this dish, we made this coleslaw. We’re gonna drop this off.” It’s like, “Okay, well, yeah, we did that as a family,” but being part of that larger Carmelite family and parish family.

Gina L: Yeah, and doing it in our little way, as we say. And that’s what we’ve named the room. It’s in our little way. We call it the service room just because it’s a little quicker to say, but it is formally in our little way. After Saint Therese. Saint Therese.

And I remembered my little question, so I’m gonna throw this in, but then I wanna get back to that. So you have these, you figured out these recipes that work well and that everybody enjoys. So are we looking forward to a cookbook of these recipes?

Gina L: Oh, I didn’t think of that. The parish, I don’t think we have enough yet under our belt for that, but that might be a good thing to do in quantity wise, right, with the amount that we do, and maybe would be helpful to other parishes that are trying to do that. I didn’t think of that. The parish itself did do a cookbook about, oh gosh, I wanna say about 14 years ago with family favorite recipes that went into the boat, and then the book was sold. But that’s different. I think on our scale, what you’re saying is pulling those, yeah, maybe someday. Maybe something, once we get enough recipes under our belt.

Ken P: And just to also help parishioners and other parishes, if they’re gonna do it to say, okay, cooking on this scale, here’s the ingredients we need to make this happen.

Gina L: Right, because there was no source for me to go to. It’s funny, because I even called them and they were like, they couldn’t even help me really. So like I said, we sort of learned on our own and we had fun doing it. It was fun. It was fun. I’m sure I’ve got some photos of, you know, you know, everyone’s hands in trying to make them eat loaf and you know, glove top of course, we were very safe about that. But yeah, yeah.

Ken P: So jumping to St. Therese more generally and social concerns ministry more generally, what is the overall mission of the Social Concerns Ministry at St. Therese?

Gina L: I could read it for you verbatim if you’d like.

Ken P: Well, I can put that up on the screen, but if you kind of had to just describe to someone why this happened.

Gina L: Yes, I think it’s, well, for the obvious reasons, right? To serve in the little way. I mean, even though it might seem big, you know, I get a lot of people say, oh, you guys do so, you know, it’s so wonderful what you do what we do. And you know, I always kind of just choke it up to, well, if we didn’t have this in our heart, which is coming from our Lord, right? If we had this heart of service, then this wouldn’t happen. And we do it, it may seem like big ways to other people, but it’s in whatever little ways that we can do it. Because obviously the problem of poverty, of loneliness, hunger, you know, and on and on, it’s so widespread that when you really think of it like that, it really is just our little way of helping. I mean, it’s a drop, you know, because it could get very heavy, this ministry, sometimes depending on the parts of it, you know, when you’re there in the room and you’re doing that, it’s fun, you’re joyful. But you know, there were times, Ken, I remember when I was a youth minister and particularly the first or second time that we went on the street to feed the homeless and you were right there feeding them, that I had a step away.

And even thinking about it brings up those feelings back to me again a little bit, you know, it was just because the gratitude from them was just overwhelming. They were so grateful. And I’m like, they’re so grateful for this cup of coffee, for this little cup of soup and a little sandwich that we’re giving them. And just, you know, just to be able to shake their hand, to chat with them for a little bit, you know, 15 minutes in, I was like, I had to excuse myself and go to the, you know, to the side of the truck because I was overcome with emotion of how, you know.

Ken P: Well, you say that little cup of coffee or just shaking the hand and acknowledging their humanity. Acknowledging that. What a little thing that is for you. But for them, it’s huge.

Gina L: It’s huge. And I remember teaching the kids, this is something that’s very important for me, you know, of course teaching the young people, but as well as the adults, at times I’ve had to say this, you know, that we have to be very careful about the dignity of others. It’s so important. Like anything that comes through that service room, I, my eyes are on it. And there’s times when we could have, for example, a peanut butter and jelly collection, right? And I may get socks or I may get something else. Like sometimes people just give what they want to give, right? But everything is gone through. And if something is dirty or ripped or not right, and again, it’s for the goodness of those people’s hearts that are donating. But I have to think about, you know, what’s the dignity that I, we cannot think that we’re gonna give something like that to someone, you know, and people have said, well, it doesn’t matter, they’re hungry anyway. It doesn’t matter that it’s expired. It doesn’t matter that it’s a little ripped or dirt. I’m like, no, it does matter because their dignity matters. And that’s, and we have to remember that. You know, also when we used on the street, sometimes give clothing out, not necessarily that we would bring, but that the organization would have as well for us to give out, you know, kids would say, you know, they would, they would see like designer brands and they would say, “look at this…” It’s, you know, this brand, that brand. I’m like, “Ah.” And then I would go back and when we would process our experience, I would say, “See, this is why you can’t judge people because you really don’t know.” If you’re standing in line and someone’s using food stamps, and I don’t think that they’re stamps anymore, right? But if you’re aware of that, and then you’re seeing them in designer things and you’re quick to judge, you don’t really know where that came from. It could have been from a community that was a little more wealthy and they were giving of their goods. And that’s what those people received as a gift. So we have to be careful not to judge in that way too, you know? And the kids, I don’t think they think of that. They don’t necessarily think of that, but they wouldn’t think that. So you wanna make sure you kind of put that in their minds, you know?

Ken P: Well, that’s the, you know, don’t judge the book by its cover. Go in any bookstore and the simplest, most boring cover in the entire place is the Holy Bible. It’s got two words on it and a cross.

Gina L: That’s it. That is so true. Nobody put millions and millions of hours into designing this fancy cover that’s gonna draw you in.

Ken P: But then open the book.

Gina L: Open the book and it’s from, I mean, you know, chock full of everything. Chock full of everything. Wow, yeah, that’s a really wonderful analogy of that, yeah.

Ken P: When you, and you talked a little bit about, you know, you need food and somebody will bring it, oh, I had this and I had this and I had this. And a lot of people always wonder, well, how can I help? And this goes back to the little way, I can’t donate, you know, hundreds of hours of time or thousands of dollars of food or clothing or anything. So what do you say to people when they say, look, I can only do this. This is the resource I have in time of resources. What do you say to them?

Gina L: Yeah, I say this is everything. You know, it’s sort of the widow’s mite, right? You know, she gave the little that she had and yet that was so grand in God’s eyes because of the fact that she had nothing. So I do say that and I would also say, let’s find what’s your gift. I’m all about this. It’s even on our form. Like what’s your gift that I don’t know about that could be a gift to someone else? So it’s not only just about you, you know, making food or giving food. In fact, even that, I’ll have people say, well, I don’t cook. And I’m like, well, it’s okay. You don’t have to cook. You can buy the meatballs or if it’s meatballs that we’re collecting and bring them in. So then they’re like, oh, okay. Well, I can do that, right? But then it’s beyond if you don’t have the means to buy or you don’t have the means to cook. Can you come? Can you sit with us? Can you sort things? Can you, maybe there’s something you can teach. Maybe you have a skill that you can teach some young people. There’s also organizations where they like for groups to come and do a little birthday party, maybe for children that are, you know, without parents or that are just in need and can’t have a birthday party. So it’s that. It’s, you know, we get ladies maybe to crochet things. There’s so many different ways that you can help. What are those gifts? Maybe you’re a gardener. Maybe you’re really good at gardening. Well, let’s, you know, beautify the church a bit. Sometimes we do that even we help the church. You know, I’ve always said to Father Sam when we’ve had service days, you know, look around, see those little projects that maybe, you know, you think you need, but are small enough that, you know, we can grasp and we can do together as community. And then they feel, wow, I gave to the church in a different way. I didn’t, it wasn’t about putting money in the basket, but it was about, right. I see this roll of flowers or what have you, you know, whatever that might be.

Ken P: Right. Excellent, excellent. Have you noticed, you know, it’s June of 2026 and of course needs come in waves and shift with the times. Currently, what are the greatest needs you’re seeing? Have you seen any needs that have increased significantly this year per se?

Gina L: I would say definitely over the course of the last two years, that number that I told you 200 that were feeding in Hackensack has definitely increased because it wasn’t always 200. Okay. It was more like 150.

Now that’s a day they’re feeding, a day. So, you know, that definitely has increased. And I would think that probably even at times seeing that even come up a little bit.

COVID was a big issue because they couldn’t feed anybody there at the shelter. So they had to go out and go to hotels and feed them. So that was like another whole thing that happened. And then after COVID, thd economy changed all of that. And we’re definitely seeing it in the last two years that there’s more need. And even with our sister parish, they’ve now combined with another parish. So their needs are more also. Come Thanksgiving time, come Christmas, you know, we’ve seen those numbers of children come up. And Ken, that’s another thing that just gets us in the heart is, you know, when we work with Our Lady of Sorrows, we ask them for a list of what the children want. So they go to their families and we say, please tell the children whatever it is that they want to put on this list and we will fulfill it for them. So it’s about a hundred kids, I would say, give or take. We get socks, pajamas, chocolate, candy. And my parishioners are like, what? Like we wanna buy bikes. We wanna buy big things for them. And I say, I know, but every year I tell them and every year they’re so humble, so humble that they want chocolate or candy or, you know, and so 85% of the time, whatever the parishioner whatever tag they take that it says, whatever it is, they always give extra. That they always give extra. So the kid always has something else, you know, or even though they didn’t ask for this, we’re gonna give this anyway. I think last year we did see a little bit up in that cause I really was pushing and I was like, please just tell them whatever it is that they want to please put on the list. And we saw more bikes come in. We saw more, you know, bigger items come in. So we were thrilled for that. But you know, even though there’s a need, they’re still so humble, you know?

Ken P: Yes. Well, to say it’s, you know, amazing to stop and think how blessed we all are that our needs and our wants are so drastically different where for these kids, their wants are neat. We would call them needs. They need socks, they need pajamas. But to them, that’s a want. That’s a want. Where we’re, you know, our want is so much bigger beyond that cause we have those basics. So we don’t stop and think about, yeah, that’s it. To them, that’s a route. I really, that’s my biggest dream this Christmas is that I’m gonna have this thing that we take for granted.

Gina L: Right. Another thing, another small, a small change, that I made was, you know, again, looking at wants and needs of our Thanksgiving collection for our brothers and sisters in Jersey City. Now for years and years and years, when the sisters were there, we did a huge turkey collection and all the trimmings and all that. And then as time went on, I started really thinking and talking to people and, you know, getting a little better insight. And the most of that community is Hispanic. They don’t eat turkey. They don’t eat for the most part or care for cranberry sauce or all of this thing. It’s kind of foreign to them. So I had a conversation with them, the ladies who were wonderful, that are working there, volunteers. And I said, “What do you think about that? Should we not be giving you turkeys?” I’m like, I mean, if they’re not gonna enjoy that, if that’s not their want, let’s give them what they want. Right. They were very happy about that. And they said, “No, you’re absolutely right.” So now we’re doing lots of rice and lots of beans and the things that they want, right? The things that they want because we’re really trying to pinpoint and care more about, I wouldn’t say that that’s dignity, but care more about their heart. Where are they? And what is it that they really want and need? Besides need, what is it that they want? They shouldn’t just get, you know, I don’t know, grape soda if they don’t want grape soda and they want Coca-Cola. It’s really weird. Really weird. They need a meal.

Ken P: What would they want in their meal? If they could have anything, what would they want to eat that day?

Gina L: Exactly. I just don’t wanna fill their bellies. We wanna fill their hearts and we also wanna give them some happiness.

Ken P: Yes.

Gina L: Give them some happiness. And talking about filling their hearts, any package that we send out, like we also do, we have a lot of collections here when we do personal care items or something that we can put into like bags or a little, we call them blessing bags. And again, that kind of started with young people. They would write the notes and put them in the lunches when we would go on the street. But we continue that with putting little notes in and even into the, you know, the personal care items, bags that they get, you know, to fill their hearts. Okay, yes, they need the toothbrush. Unless they need the toothpaste, they need all that. But maybe they also need to hear, you know, somebody loves you. It’s gonna get better tomorrow. Keep smiling, whatever it is, you know, we really let the kids write what’s in their hearts and they’ll amaze you with the stuff that they come up with, really. That’s why we really keep it to the kids to do that, you know, whether you’re the adults or packaging or not.

Ken P: Well, that’s an engaging the youth too, getting them to understand once it needs and the difference between the life they’re living and the life others might be living.

Gina L: Yeah, and you know, I incorporated the last couple of years into the new Family Faith Formation Program, an element of service where they would, and again, not just teaching them about service, but getting the parents up out of their seats, into the service room, walking around, picking up the soap, picking up everything, making a little bag, making a note. And I have to tell you, my catechist came back saying, they loved it, they loved it. And then parents responding, and now they want more of that, they want more of that. So that was a good thing, you know, that that happens. And so we try to, we’ll try to keep incorporating that as much as we can with the parents.

Ken P: We touched a little on, and I meant to mention, I think that’s the question I was kind of thinking of earlier. When you’re talking about the food, I know that, you know, trying to get particularly fresh vegetables and fresh fruits and because not only does somebody have to be willing to donate them to you, but when they come in, they kind of have to get used and go out. Otherwise they’re not fresh vegetables. So do you have any relationships with local businesses, grocers, you know, farmers, that kind of thing?

Gina L: In order to get that kind of stuff in?

Ken P: Yeah, timely.

Gina L: I haven’t really touched base on anything fresh for us yet only because I don’t think we have enough, I don’t have enough refrigeration. Storage, yeah. Yes, so that would be the only thing that might be a bit of an issue, but we could look into doing like a day thing.

Ken P: I was gonna say, if you had a particular, if you knew an event was coming up, and on that day, two days prior to it, you’d need lettuce and tomatoes and whatever.

Gina L: It’s just coming to me now, I’m gonna need a Post-it. That’s the other point of Post-its too. It’s just coming to me that, you know, almost like a reverse farmer’s market. How fun would that be? So like invite people to the farmer’s market, but they’re giving and not taking. Then I would set up with local, other local food banks or food pantries that do accept that and have them just come to a pickup.

Ken P: Yeah, bakeries always have the day-old bread.

Gina L: The overstock of stuff as well, yes.

Ken P: Yeah, the overstock of stuff. Where farmers go to the farmer’s market and this is all the lettuce that didn’t sell today. Can you guys make something with it?

Gina L: Yeah, right, so that’s a fun thing. That’s a good thing, yeah. I like that.

Ken P: So if anybody’s out there in the area and they have a farm or a grocery store or anything like that.

Gina L: That’s right. We have a parishioner or two who have grocery stores. That would be a good thing for me to talk to them about. Not sure if anyone has a bakery, but yeah, there’s always something, absolutely, yes. So yeah, reverse farmer’s market, here we go.

Also we talked about in the past, I don’t remember what we did. I think I did something for the Breast Cancer Awareness organization and we collected like items, like household items. And it was sort of, you know, and I think if I remember Father Sam had written a homily or written a letter, something about getting rid of the junk in our lives, right? I mean, I’m paraphrasing, please Father Sam, I’m quoting you. But you know, something’s along those lines and we sort of said, well, this is important too for all of us to do. So look around and how much stuff do I have that again, I don’t need, but somebody else, or I don’t want and somebody else really needs. And so we did that and that was good and they came and then just took the stuff. You know, it wasn’t like we kept it and they took it. And we’ve talked about, you know, maybe doing like a garage sale or something along those lines. So the same idea and then whatever money is raised to give it where it’s needed. And then whatever’s left over, maybe to donate to Goodwill or donate to some organization that’s going to be able to help others with what they need.

Ken P: Right. So I’m gonna put you on the spot a little bit.

Gina L: Okay.

Ken P: So if St. Therese walked into the service room and saw everything that happens in there.

Gina L: Right now, if she literally walked in this minute, she would see a whole collection of baby items and baby clothes hanging in one section. And I would think she would say, oh, you know, her heart would be touched to see baby things. And even one section where I have handmade crocheted blankets that parishioners made, as well as the things that were purchased and those teddy bears in the middle. Wow, you’re reaching out to moms who’ve chosen life, because the organization that we give to is for girls that have chosen life and are struggling and are there at that organization for them to help. And then in turn, we’re helping them. And then we give them the baby shower, which they may not necessarily get a baby shower. So St. Therese actually gives them a baby shower. So I would hope that she would say, wow. And then she would move and see that right now that we’ll have some items that are personal care items that are gonna help adults, whether they’re on the street or whether they just need a little bit more help with, you don’t have the extra money to maybe buy shampoo or deodorant. Again, it’s not on the important, on the scale.

Ken P: It’s that little important thing.

Gina L: Yeah. And then I would hope that, I’m just thinking of the room right now, that she would then see on one of the final shelves at the end is where we have stacked up lots of pasta and breadcrumbs.

And that is for when we gather as community together and cook, we’re making the pasta right there together as community and cooking for others. So I would hope that she would say, wow, community, this is beautiful. What a Carmelite spirituality. That’s what I would hope. Really, I try to bring more of that Carmelite spirituality into what we do. Because again, I don’t know that everybody knows that. They come to church, but they may not necessarily all understand that. And that’s the reason why we know we named the room in our little way. Because it’s our little way of hopefully reflecting Therese in terms of reflecting the Lord. So I would hope she would see that diversity in what we, and who we are trying to serve and then the final thing on her way out, she’ll see bags and chips and all kinds of paper goods ready for our good servant, Father Sam, to have his final barbecue on the way. So we do that too in the service room.

Ken P: Yes.

Gina L: That’s there too.

Ken P: So that’s gonna have to be a bit of a switch over there. He’s been there for so long. Such a huge part of the community.

Gina L: He’s a brother to me. He is my brother. And everyone’s father, really. I mean, an amazing shepherd and friend to so many.

Ken P: So, well, thank you for taking the time to do this today.

Gina L: Oh, it was my pleasure. I’m so happy to do so. And so grateful and thrilled that we were able to get this room. And it just enables us to just do so much more and more and more. And I pray that the committee continues to build so that we can spread that word out and more parishioners get involved and that we can help more people and come up with even more ingenious ideas of how to help whatever concern it is. There’s so many concerns. It’s not just poverty or hunger, which is, I think, what everybody focuses in on, but there’s so much. Even a mental health aspect is, I recently took classes on that and the archdiocese is concerned about that as well and starting to think about that more. And that’s a concern of our society. So even somehow thinking about ways that we can help those that are suffering in that way as well. So, so many things.

Ken P: I think you’re doing wonderful work.

Gina L: Thank you.

Ken P: The parish is blessed to have you and everybody out there doing all that.

Gina L: Oh, but it comes, it’s not me. It’s through. It’s straight through. And hopefully through the spirit of St. Therese as well, that she’s watching over us. That’s, so I really hope that question was so great about what would she say? I love that. So I have to constantly think about that now. I’m gonna be on my toes. I’m gonna be on my toes with that. That was a great question, Ken.

Ken P: And if you do your reverse farmer’s market, you have to let me know how that goes.

Gina L: I will, I will. Cause that, you know how, see how things just come from conversation and yeah, and, and, and, you know, brother and sister, so to speak, right? Carmelite’s talking. That’s great. That’s great.

Ken P: That’s yeah. So much goes to waste at the businesses. You can find a way to, to use it before it goes. That would be awesome.

Gina L: Yeah. Yeah. And, and, and, you know, I think one last thing, which has been on my list for so long, it doesn’t specifically have to do with the room, but just the ministry and of itself is really, I would love to love to see where we could maybe get some mission trips in to serve those in need in our Carmelite parishes across the country and even across the world, you know, within our province and really get out there to do work, to do service, you know, to, to paint, to, to cook, to, you know, spend time with kids, whatever their needs might be in that community. That’s been a dream to do and make a trip out of it, you know, with adults and, and maybe possibly even with it, with a team, you know, a team group as well with those adults. I think that would be great, but also a way to help the Carmelites get to know each other, you know, so that kids know, oh, we’re, we’re, we’re a little different here. We’re a Carmelite parish. We have a Carmelite spirituality. What does that mean? I want to meet another parish that has that, you know, not necessarily around the corner that, although that’s good too, but that, you know, further away that they have that camaraderie and, and that it’s really a mission for them, that they’re not just going around the corner, that they’re, it’s like a mini mission trip, you know?

Ken P: Well, and to, and as you say that, I, I, I have to think about, you know, so many organizations that I’ve been members of, you know, United Way and Rotary and all that. And, and when you go visit another state or community or even country, you’re encouraged to visit the local chapter of that group because you’re one of them where, to get the kids and all the parishioners to recognize that you’re part of the Carmelite family. If you go to another state and there’s a Carmelite parish and R. Lady Mount Carmel, you’re a part of that family. Yes. Right. Go there, visit, support, be a part of that. And to recognize that it’s not just where you are, it’s that, that worldwide Carmelite family and you are a member of that family.

Gina L: Yes, that piece is so important to me that I really want to get that, you know, somehow going at some point in life, you know? But yeah, because we could go to the Catholic artwork camps, we could go to any of the other organizations and that’s fine, that’s great. But to have that spiritual, that little piece that’s missed, you know, there would be that piece missing, that spirituality. I remember going to El Salvador when I went to El Salvador and visited the Carmelite parishes and was there and Father Carl was there, you know, our provincial and being so just in love with seeing the community there and the, most specifically the kids, the youth, how involved they were with the liturgy and involved, again, not even so much the liturgy, but their Carmelite spirituality. I think they were Carmelitas, right? Little Carmelites, right? Oh my gosh, I remember saying Father, they had such a spirit about them. They were all dressed in brown and, you know, together, you know, like all that, it was just such a wonderful little community and their music and, but it was just wonderful to see. And I said, wow, wouldn’t this be great if we were able to have that same spirit by us? But, you know, maybe it means bringing young people or bringing adults there and seeing that, bringing them back, bringing, you know, continuing that spirituality and maybe they come here and see something of us that’s, you know, that’s unique to them, who knows? I mean, maybe my dreams are too big, but…

Ken P: No, no, no, the dreams are never too big.

Gina L: And I think that this room was a good step towards that. Like we’ve talked about, you know, that everybody can actually come together and do this as a community, that they’re serving as, instead of separately, and then just coming to drop off to come together and actually perform the service as a community.

I think that’s- And now, you know, this big change with Father Sam leaving and, you know, God has his plan for him and then, you know, our new pastor coming in, Father Herman, I mean, it’ll be a change for him. And, you know, maybe hopefully this service committee and this service ministry will be a joy to his heart too, when he comes in and he sees what, you know, what the community of St. Therese is doing here. I pray that, you know, his heart will be filled with, you know, with that and feel the joy that, you know, that we feel it in doing it.

Ken P: Excellent, excellent. All right, well, thank you for taking the time. Thank you for every – Thank you for all that you do.

Gina L: Thank you for all that you do, for all the Carmelites. God bless you.

Ken P: Happy to do it.

Gina L: God bless you.

Ken P: Happy to spread the word. I get to do the easy part. I just get to spread the word.