2008 Youth Supplement

Women of all ages live their faith through different roles

Abigail Lilly, a 2008 graduate of Our Lady of Providence Jr./Sr. High School in Clarksville, carries the Lectionary to begin the processional for her senior class baccalaureate ceremony, which was held in May at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in New Albany. (Submitted photo)

By Amanda Federspiel and Courtney Seiwert
(Special to The Criterion)

She could be a daughter trying to make the most of her life and her faith as a teenager.

She could be a mother, devoting her life to her children and helping them live the faith she loves.

She could also be a grandmother, who is always there for her children and grandchildren, who is still living her life fully with love and faith in God.

The gifts that women bring to the Church are numerous and diverse. So are the callings they receive from Christ.

Yet all are blessed by the example of the Blessed Mother Mary.

At 16, Linnea Miller is a member of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Terre Haute. She views her role in the Church as a way to help other youths grow in their faith. She helps train altar servers, and she serves as a lector and cantor at Mass. She lives her role by attending Mass weekly and balancing her busy schedule with a focus on her faith.

“It is a big juggling act,” says Linnea, a student at South Vigo High School in Terre Haute. “It is difficult, but I fulfill the role by praying to God for balance.”

Deborah Seiwert also knows the challenge of juggling different roles and responsibilities as a woman. A 40-year-old wife and mother, she teaches her three children at home. As a member of St. Bartholomew Parish in Columbus, she also guides them in their faith lives, giving them the example of attending Mass regularly and participating in the sacraments.

At 79, Elizabeth Frankewich is a mother and grandmother. She is a member of Queen of Angels Parish in Fort Wayne, Ind., in the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese. She views her role in the Church as being a mother to everyone she meets, someone who gives to others without expecting anything in return. She also believes her role is to educate her children and grandchildren about the possibilities that God gives to all of us if we accept them.

The lives of these three women show us the callings that God has for each of us at different points in our lives.

As teenagers, we have many opportunities to serve Christ and others by living our everyday lives with a generous heart.

Those who are called to motherhood have a special tie with God and the Blessed Mother.

Grandmothers represent the teenagers and mothers who have grown up and created a strong bond with the Blessed Mother.

We are all called by God to different vocations, and we all share the oneness in following God’s will.

(Amanda Federspiel is a member of St. Christopher Parish in Indianapolis. Courtney Seiwert is a member of St. Bartholomew Parish in Columbus.) †