‘It made me happy, doing a lot of work that made people happy’
By John Shaughnessy
Jerry Ross became choked up with emotion as he walked up the center aisle of SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis.
The wave of emotion hit him unexpectedly as he headed for a moment that was a fitting cap to his 40 years of work and service to the archdiocese’s Catholic Youth Organization (CYO).
On his way up the aisle, the 64-year-old Ross passed the pew where his former CYO colleague Ed Tinder was seated—a moment when both men smiled and winked at each other, shared gestures that said so much about their longtime friendship.
Seconds later, Ross received a smile from Archbishop Charles C. Thompson, who placed the St. John Bosco Medal—the archdiocese’s CYO highest honor—around Ross’ neck.
“Walking up the stairs toward the archbishop, I really didn’t think I would have that emotion,” Ross recalls about that moment on May 14. “It was really an honor to receive that award.”
A well-deserved honor, and one that Ross regards as another gift from four decades of service to the CYO and the countless number of children and families who have benefitted from that organization.
Recalling those years, Ross says, “Every event that we conducted at CYO over the years holds a very special place in my heart—the sports, our one-act play festival, our science fair, our music contest, our camp and, back in the day, our baking contest. All the CYO dances I went to, the talent show we used to do at Garfield Park, our big wrestling tournament.”
He especially loves how the CYO connects the children of a parish in a distinct way.
“It’s very different from Little Leagues and community programs where kids are just placed on a team out of a hat. These are kids that are studying together, worshipping together, playing on the playground together. They grow up together and they play sports together. They do the science fair together. They do everything together in the Catholic school environment under the shadow of the Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. That’s what has always made CYO so special.”
At the same time, Ross laughs when he says that when he began working for the CYO, he initially viewed it as steppingstone to other jobs. But his years as administrator of volunteer services and then assistant director continued to make him feel that the CYO was the place he needed and wanted to be.
“When I first took the job, never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be with the CYO for the next 40 years,” says Ross, a member of St. Jude Parish in Indianapolis. “The reason I stayed was the pleasure I got out of all the programs, whether they be athletic, cultural or camping. I could see that everything we did day-to-day made a difference in the lives of the kids we were working with. It made a real impact on the lives of the kids and the families of the kids.”
That family connection extended to the people he served with, especially his friendships with Tinder and Bernadette “Bernie” Price—the combined service of the trio representing more than 100 years at one point.
“There was never a day in all those years when I went to work and didn’t have fun,” Ross says. “We organized and coordinated a lot of programs with a small staff, and we worked hard, but we had a lot of fun doing it. It’s one of the greatest groups of people I’ve ever been around.”
He has the same deep appreciation for his wife of 41 years, Julie, and their three now-grown daughters, Allie, Erin and Lauren.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Julie and my daughters for allowing me to do that for 40 years. They were part of the team just as much as I was.”
While he retired from the organization in 2021, Ross still serves the CYO as an official of basketball, football and kickball games. It’s a role he has embraced with joy for beyond 40 years, the same joy that marked his time at CYO.
“It was just a place I needed to be. It made me happy, doing a lot of work that made people happy. It was just that much fun.” †
See more Catholic Youth Organization award winners