Ellen and Rich Janevicius is this year’s Lay Witness Testimony in our annual Stewardship Campaign. Below is the transcript of their speech:
Ellen: Aloha! My name is Ellen Janevicius and this is my husband, Rich. We stand here today filled with overwhelming gratitude and are humbled and blessed to share our stewardship story with you. We joined the St. Michael’s parish ‘ohana shortly after retiring here to Kailua Kona in 2021 from the Chicago area. We were blessed to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary here at St. Michael’s earlier this year. Although sitting on the beach enjoying retirement with an umbrella drink in hand is attractive, we realized there is a responsibility of sharing our time and God-given talents within our new community.
Rich: Ellen and I were born and raised Catholic and went to Mass on a regular basis. We both attended Catholic schools; Ellen for elementary and me for high school. Early in our married life, we moved from our small hometown to a larger city in Illinois that was rapidly growing. Due to the large Catholic population in our new hometown, we were “assigned” to a parish by the diocese. It was a huge Parish, with nearly 5000 members. We felt very lost there. While this Parish did have a handful of ministries, there was not much opportunity for new parishioners to participate. Unfortunately, we eventually stopped attending Mass each week, as we never really felt embraced by the community.
Ellen: Upon arriving in Kailua Kona, we felt a calling to return to our Catholic faith. My late Mother’s name was Monica and St. Monica is the patron saint for the return of children to the Church, so I believe she had a hand in this.
We began attending Mass at St. Michael’s soon after our arrival in town and received a warm welcome from Father Lio and our fellow parishioners. Shirley David, who leads the Return ministry, provided us with a few books and other articles about those who have returned to their Catholic faith.
We felt the need to do more than just attend Mass. We soon learned about the stewardship spirituality which is the way of life here at St. Michael’s–the sharing of our time, talents and treasure. We scanned through the many choices of ministries available in the Stewardship Renewal booklet, and quickly found several ministries where we felt we could best serve.
Rich: Fast forward to today… Many of you may recognize both of us serving Coffee and Donuts after 7 & 9am Masses on Sundays. Being a part of this ministry is the highlight of our week, giving us the opportunity to meet our parish ‘ohana and visitors here at church. We also enjoy talking story during prep time in the kitchen with our “fearless leader”, Willie! We’ve shared many laughs, and even a few tears with each other and value the friendship that has grown from knowing Willie and his wife, Sharmayne.
I am also involved in the Food Bank ministry every other week at Immaculate Conception Church in Holualoa where we assemble and distribute food for those less fortunate. The leaders of this ministry, Bill and Cindy, create a fun and rewarding experience. Bill and Cindy are fellow Midwesterners, and we often reminisce about some of the things we miss – BTW, SNOW IS NOT ONE OF THOSE THINGS!
Additionally, I volunteer with the Parish Building Repair and Maintenance ministry where I help Stan with projects around the Parish, such as the recently installed fence and gate at the front of the church property as well as other various projects.
I am also a member of the Knights of Columbus and help with some of our events, like the Hot Dog stand during parades and the dances we’ve held in the Grace Parish Center. One of the most rewarding friendships I gained through the Knights was with Robert Leopoldino who is now with our Heavenly Father and who I dearly miss every day.
I was invited to join the Church Finance Council, which I gladly accepted. We meet quarterly to help Fr. Lio manage the finances here at St. Michael’s and to assist with budgeting.
I attend the weekly Men’s Group ministry on Wednesday evenings, following adoration, led by Deacon Craig and John Czajkowski. We discuss the previous Sunday’s readings and Homily to see how it applies to our daily lives. This ministry is helping me to enrich my faith. Every week is a new experience that I always look forward to.
Ellen: We’ve also participated together in the Charity Walk and Return Ministries and are members of the annual St. Michael’s Golf Tournament Committee. And, finally, I am honored to be a part of the Hula Ministry where our very talented leader, Anita, guides us in the practice of hula pule where the group dances hula as a form of prayer on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and other special occasions.
Rich: Being involved in these ministries makes us feel that we are a valued part of the St. Michael’s ‘ohana, and it has also allowed us to share some of our talents and sweat equity to help improve this parish and our community.
When we joined these ministries, we expected nothing in return, however, we have been blessed with not only the renewal of our Catholic faith, but also have gained many new friendships here at St. Michael’s. For that, we are filled with much gratitude, and we thank you all for welcoming us so wholeheartedly into this community.
Ellen: Thank you for listening to our story. We hope this encourages you to review your stewardship packet. Pray about it. If there is a God-given talent you possess and wish to share, there are countless ways to serve here at St. Michael’s. And, as we learned, you are always welcome here.
Mahalo and Aloha!
