By PAUL WIRTH Diocesan Communications Staff
There’s a surprising thing about giving your time to others. That’s the message Rosanne Venditto has for anyone thinking of volunteering in their parish or their community.
She has been a church organist for many years, but since retiring a few years ago, Venditto has added many new volunteer gigs to the ones she was already doing in her parish, Our Lady Help of Christians in Allentown.
She’s a member of the Diocese Commission for Women. She sings on the Diocesan choir. She plays the organ at daily Masses and at the Phoebe Home. She volunteers at Mercy School for Special Learning. She helps with parish fundraisers.
As an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, she regularly delivers the Eucharist to patients in Lehigh Valley Hospital.
She tells the story of a long day making her way through the halls at the hospital, feeling a little discouraged because she had found few patients on her list who were willing or able to receive Communion.
On one of her last stops, however, an elderly lady began crying with joy when Venditto stepped into her room. “I had been hoping all day that you would come,” the lady said.
“I guess my visit made a big difference in her day,” Venditto said. “It certainly made a big difference in mine.
“You give people your time, but it can be amazing what comes back to you in return,” she said. It’s the special grace that comes from serving others.
“Because We Are Catholic” tells the stories of how the people of the Diocese of Allentown make a difference in the lives of others, bringing the Light of Christ to each other and to our community.
