“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.” 1 Corinthians 7:17
Have you ever considered what God is calling you to do? I remember sitting in church as a young child listening to our priest talk endlessly about listening to what God’s is calling you to do in your life. But in those days, our parish priest usually framed it as a way to speak about being called to the priesthood or to be a nun. At age 10 or 11, I had little interest in really thinking about God’s calling in my life as I was pretty sure a life in the clergy was not in my future.
However, as I grew older and started attending mass not just because it was what was expected, but because I was looking for more guidance, the idea of a calling didn’t seem so foreign.
Flash forward a few decades later and I have realized that God’s calling comes to us in many different ways and I would soon discover mine would be found in the halls of our children’s Catholic school. When we first sent our children to Catholic school, I never envisioned us staying more than a year or two. We live in a very good public school district and I was basically looking for an all day kindergarten program until we headed to public school in 1st grade. However, after our first year with my older child, our perspective changed. We loved our little Catholic school’s community with teachers that were truly invested in educating our children not just academically but also spiritually. We loved the morals and values that were continually reinforced on a daily basis. We loved the kindness that was found in halls. There were so many amazing things that were happening in the halls of this school that we found it impossible to leave. The next thing we knew we had committed to sending our children to Catholic school which was a surprising turn of events.
When we made the commitment to Catholic school, I felt the need to slowly get involved in our child’s school. I thought it would be a good way to meet parents and make some new friends. It started slowly by volunteering to be a homeroom parent. By the end of the year, I was asked to be on our school’s PTG (Parent-Teacher Guild) as the treasurer. It was billed to me as keeping track of receipts and writing checks (HA!). I fell for that one pretty easily and said yes. How hard could it be? But that role quickly turned into being our PTG president and I started helping to organize school fundraisers. All of the sudden I was volunteering to give tours and organize open houses. It was amazing how in that one year, my life took a totally different, unexpected turn.
During this time, our school was undergoing a lot of changes and we found out that a merger was in our future. I was the first person to volunteer to be a part of the process. It was stressful and time consuming, but I felt it was important to help in whatever way I could to preserve and continue the tradition of Catholic education for my children and all of the families who were so committed to seeing it succeed. I remember sitting in my best friend’s kitchen during this time, talking to her about all of the problems we were facing and how difficult this journey was. I really wanted to give up and be one of those people who just puts their kids on the bus and has no clue what is going on in their school. It would be so much easier and less stressful. But she said to me, “Meredith, this is what God is calling you to do.” And that hit me like a ton of bricks. Ironically, during this time I had also been attending mass and listening to Fr. Tim Whalen speak about finding what God is calling you to do. One Sunday at mass, he spoke at length about finding your calling in the least expected places and how you have to listen to God and not ignore what He is trying to tell you.
I thought, “Is this it? Is this what God is calling me to do?” and very quickly, realized that it was. There was a high power leading me in this direction. This is how my desire to volunteer as a homeroom parent has resulted in my job as the Director of Admissions and Marketing at Blessed Trinity Academy.
Although the journey has not been easy and presented unbelievable challenges over the last 6 years, it has been amazing to see how God mysteriously works in my life. It has been fulfilling in ways I can’t describe and offered so many rewarding experiences especially because I know I am fighting for something much larger than I am. I have made friends in unexpected places, worked with so many committed teachers, parents, and administrators and been led on the most unexpected, yet fulfilling journey.
So as we begin this new school year, I want to challenge you to listen to what God is calling you to do in your child’s school and in your larger community. Could you volunteer more in your community or parish? Do you have something to offer your child’s or grandchild’s school? Could you sell raffle tickets for a fundraiser that supports your school? Could you volunteer to be on a committee or coach a team? Could you chaperone a field trip? Do you have a special interest or skill that could be a part of a club at school? Your calling does not need to come in the form of a new job. It can be small. But do not be afraid to listen. There are so many ways to find what God is calling you to do. They may not seem like a big deal, but in the end they can make a big impact on the people around you.
Meredith Kandravy, Director of Admissions and Marketing at Blessed Trinity Academy
Catholic School Classrooms at Work 