From altar societies to parish office volunteers, seniors keep parishes going

Walled Lake —When someone is needed to count the weekly collection, they’re there. When new flowers need to be planted along the walkway, they’re there.

When catered meals need to be cooked for grieving family members at funerals, they’re there. If something needs to be done, and nobody else is around to do it, they’re there.

Across the Archdiocese of Detroit, senior parishioners are the unsung heroes, accomplishing varied and numerous miscellaneous tasks for their pastors.

“We have several areas where it’s seniors who are getting things done for the parish,” said Deb Diviny, business manager at St. William Parish in Walled Lake. “We have a very active rosary society, seniors who provide support on Sunday collection counting teams, volunteer in the office, mailing, phones. Anytime we need help, we’re staffed by seniors.”

The small things seniors do for their parishes add up, and their pastors notice. At St. William, the parish hosts an annual card party, where senior volunteers can purchase tickets for a cash raffle, with the proceeds going to the rosary and altar societies.



The parish also hosts a “breakfast in the park” — weather permitting — where volunteers gather around a campfire and celebrate all they do for the parish.

“We depend on our seniors to do a lot of ministries that they’re free to do in the day,” said Fr. Michael Savickas, pastor of St. William Parish. “They bring Communion to people’s homes, being able to minister to the sick. When I visit the hospital, I’m usually in and out, but they can stay longer.”

Seniors make up most of the St. William prayer quilt ministry and the funeral luncheon ministry, things Fr. Savickas said might not exist if it wasn’t for senior volunteers.

“There would be a lot of ministries and things we couldn’t do as a parish if it weren’t for seniors,” Fr. Savickas said. “That’s why we do things like the card party and Breakfast in the Park, to show how much we need them.”

Seniors often take the time to volunteer at their parishes because over the years it has become a second home for them, according to members of the altar society at St. Christopher-St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Detroit.

Frances DeLuca, Kay Shaw, Irene Peczynski and Jan Armstrong make up the altar society at St. Christopher-St. Thomas Aquinas, where the four clean up St. Christopher Church after the Wednesday Mass and prepare the catered meal for the Senior Club meetings after Mass.

“We do dusting, cleaning out old papers, set up for funerals,” DeLuca said. “Others won’t do it, so we step up. This is our home, our second home, we do this because have the time, and we’re needed. Others might be busy, but we have the time.”

Like St. William, the seniors at St. Christopher-St. Thomas Aquinas are the backbone of the volunteer force for the parish, helping out pastor Fr. Jaime Hinojos whenever they can.

“When this generation was young, they didn’t have a church,” said Dottie Leszczynski, St. Christopher-St. Thomas Aquinas business manager. “When St. Christopher started, they had to rent out a theater. They’re the ones who built the church, and now they don’t want to leave it. This is their home, where they spend most of their life.

“This is why you see them volunteering everywhere; they established the roots to help the parish grow. They want to be buried here. They have the experience and the backup knowledge to let people know what to do, what committees to be on and how to share their lifelong experiences.”