By Alexandra Molnar, Contributing Writer
Westborough – Walking into Gloria Josephs’ office, it is obvious that Josephs loves her job. You are greeted by pictures decorating the walls and adorning the desk depicting smiling children, teenagers and adults in various locations. Amidst the photos is a large calendar which outlines the many activities that Josephs directs each month – the coffeehouse in January, the “Rock-a-Thon” in February, and the annual pasta supper in March, just to name a few.
Josephs is the youth minister and director of religious education for grades seven through 12 at St. Luke’s Parish in Westborough. As director, Josephs coordinates all of the religious education classes, prepares high-schoolers for confirmation, and leads all of the retreats. She said that the most fun part of her job is working with the youth ministry, consisting of 300 members, planning and participating in social and service projects.
Having volunteered at St. Luke’s since 1989, when she first moved to Westborough with her family from her hometown, New York City, Josephs became the youth minister in 2006.
“From day one, St. Luke’s was home for us. I truly love St. Luke’s. It’s more than a job,” Josephs said.
Josephs’ passion for her work is obvious from the enthusiasm she exudes while describing the various service projects that the youth ministry completes. Each year comes with a long list of annual activities in Westborough, Worcester and beyond. Josephs explained that service starts in the community, then it “expands to surrounding areas, and then you have to think globally.”
One activity is visiting cancer patients where they live at the Hope Lodge in Worcester. The members bring meals and host a holiday party and are able to share stories that bring hope and good memories to the patients.
Another large project in which more than 100 youth will participate this July is the Appalachia Service Project. Since 2008, St. Luke’s has partnered with the Methodist Church in Westborough to send volunteers to various towns in Appalachia to repair houses for families in need.
Throughout the year, youth ministry members raise money to cover the entire cost of tools and supplies to fix houses as well as their transportation to travel to Appalachia. In addition, they learn practical skills, such as how to build roofs and fix leaks, to ready themselves for the nine-day mission trip.
One of Josephs’ favorite memories is joining the youth ministry one year to build a handicap ramp for a community member. According to Josephs, the gentleman watched the volunteers building the ramp from his window, and then wrote them a letter expressing how happy and thankful he was.
“Every service thing we do, I love seeing the impact on the kids [and] on the people we’re helping. And that’s really what it’s all about. In giving, we receive,” Josephs said.
Through all of Josephs’ volunteer work, she said with no hesitation that Haiti is her passion in life. Josephs first traveled to Haiti in 1999 with her college friend, Father Rick, who founded an orphanage there in 1987. Since her first trip, Josephs has traveled to volunteer at the orphanage at least every other year.
Josephs’ trips, which are emotionally overwhelming at times due to the intense poverty she witnesses, help to provide a strong connection between the orphanage and St. Luke’s Parish. Bringing back reports, pictures and personal stories has “gotten the whole parish very ignited,” Josephs said.
While at the orphanage, Josephs is happy to change diapers, feed children, paint, and teach English.
“[The] language barrier is not an issue because all you do is smile and hug,” Josephs said.
The school at the orphanage is run by Silesian nuns who provide meals and medical services in addition to academic classes.
“You need that connection, so it’s very real for people to see the pictures and meet that person, hear the stories as opposed to just writing a check and [asking] ‘where is it really going?’” Josephs said.
Besides linking her parish, Josephs’ volunteer work has led her to establish her own personal relations; she is the godmother of two Haitian children, a boy who was displaced by the earthquake and a young girl whose mother she befriended while in Haiti. The girl’s family has visited Josephs in Westborough, and Josephs and her family spent Christmas with her goddaughter’s family in Haiti after the earthquake in 2010.
“We’re human beings, so we’re meant to be in community,” Josephs said.
No technological devices are allowed on retreats; the students find it relaxing to be without their computers and phones and just playing board games and doing puzzles. Josephs described herself as motherly, but the youth ministry members, who Josephs exalted as a “tremendous, great group,” take it well. She said she tries to remain silly and youthful.
“At this time of my life, this is the perfect vocation for me, truly, because I have the time and energy. I think you have to be so real and you have to love what you’re doing because kids can spot a phony,” Josephs said.