Archbishop Charles Chaput greets Sophie (left) and MaeLeigh Roberto, and their parents MaryAnne and Matt, at the Mass for Persons with Diabilities last March at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit strikes in subtle ways. It isn’t always a dove or dramatic tongues of fire.

MaryAnne and Matt Roberto of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Bensalem, who had three of their adopted children in the offertory procession during Philadelphia’s Disabilities Mass last March in the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, were not very long ago a fairly typical suburban couple with four birth kids and their share of drama in their lives.

Sophie Roberto, 11, is a student at St. Lucy Day School for Children with Visual Impairments, situated at Holy Innocents School in Philadelphia. Her adopted brother Vincent, 5, also attends the archdiocesan school of special education.

Early in their marriage they had a hard time conceiving a child and had actually started the adoption process with Catholic Social Services. They canceled out when Mick came along followed by Sarah, Meghan and Shannon over the course of seven years.

Sure, there were anxious moments, for example 16 years ago when Matt was injured and temporarily lost the use of his right arm. That scared MaryAnne more than anything before or since.

Anyway the kids (who are now 23, 21, 19 and 16) were coming along nicely. MaryAnne, who knew from grade school she wanted to work with the blind, was working with blind and visually impaired infants and toddlers at BARC Development Services in Bucks County. Matt, who also had worked with kids with disabilities, had switched to government work.

Then a decade ago, when Meghan was sick with an auto-immune disease, she had to take long-term treatments at E.I. DuPont Pediatric Hospital in Delaware. Sometime over the course of treatment she told her parents she thought the family should adopt a child from China.

“I don’t know where she got that. The only thing I can think of is one day we might have seen someone pushing an Asian baby in a stroller,” MaryAnne recalls.

But Meghan got her parents thinking, and her suggestion got more specific. “I think we should adopt a little girl who is deaf.”

A couple of weeks later, while surfing the internet, MaryAnne and Matt came across a picture of a Chinese toddler who had absolutely no hearing and they were hooked. “We knew she was our daughter,” MaryAnne said. “I think it was the Holy Spirit that rolled past us with a child in a stroller.”

It didn’t happen immediately because foreign adoptions involve tons of paperwork and expenses, including the trip to China and two weeks at a hotel. During the wait little Sophie, as they named her, was living in China with kindly American foster parents. Because she had absolutely no language skills they sent over pictures and sign language material. They were delighted when they were finally able to bring her home. She looked at them and made the signs for mother and father. That was in 2008. Sophie, who is now 11, received two cochlear implants and is coming along nicely.

Once started, the Robertos decided to adopt another child from China whose photo they had seen before Sophie’s adoption went through. This was Shane, a little boy who was born blind and had learning disabilities. One of the prime reasons they adopted Shane was because they knew there was little chance, with his disabilities, that anyone else would feel up to adopting him.

Because they both had experience with children with disabilities, it would have to be them. Even so, MaryAnne concedes, Shane’s disabilities proved far more challenging than either of them realized.

Vincent Roberto (center), 5, waits to walk back to his pew with is parents MaryAnne and Matt Roberto, and sister MaeLeigh. Another adopted brother, Shane, is not shown.

“It took soul searching, yes,” MaryAnne said. “It’s hard to understand this unless you are in the situation. People think it is a choice and technically it is a choice because God would let you say no. You really understand these are your children waiting for you, not someone else’s. When you realize that you do what you have to do.

“We never intended to go back to China again because Shane’s needs were so demanding,” she said.

Meanwhile, they were looking at MaeLeigh, who was crippled. They knew they just couldn’t afford another adoption, but somehow MaeLeigh’s image came into MaryAnne’s mind every night. Finally, she mentioned it to Matt.

“Can we afford it?” he asked. “No,” she replied. “Let’s do it anyway,” Matt said.

MaeLeigh was approaching the upper limit in age for adoption in China, and they knew if they didn’t take her then, she would spend the rest of her life in a nursing home; rehabilitative services just do not exist in China.

She joined the family a year ago. They had also been looking at another little fellow, Vincent, who is blind. When they picked up MaeLeigh, Vincent gave MaryAnne a big hug, and said, “Hurry back for me, Mama.” Recently they did just that.

MaeLeigh, 14, is in an ESL program at Shafer Middle School in Bensalem; Shane, 7, is in an intermediate unit in Bristol. Sophie, 11, is at Archbishop Ryan Academy for the Deaf and Vincent, 5, has started at St. Lucy Day School for Children with Visual Impairments, both situated at Holy Innocents School in Philadelphia.

“Vincent couldn’t wait to leave China, and he’s already talking about college,” his mother laughed. As for Sophie, she is also mainstreamed for some subjects at Holy Innocents School and proudly brought home a 100 in math recently.

MaryAnne doesn’t pretend any of this is easy. Financially it has been challenging. The money has never been sitting there waiting and it is only through the kindness of friends and even strangers that they have been able of overcome the daunting costs the adoptions entailed.

There have also been strains in the family; it is not easy to bring four people with unique needs and challenges into the family unit. Screaming tantrums have been just as much a part of the experience as are the peals of laughter. For most of the children, disabilities may well turn into challenges rather than barriers, but this is a lifetime commitment.

Sophie Roberto practices American Sign Language with the help of a teacher at St. Lucy Day School for Children with Visual Impairments.

For the Robertos faith has been a big factor in overcoming the obstacles. In China their new children were not exposed to Christianity, let alone Catholicism.

Matt and MaryAnne know full well most people would not have the background needed to put together an amazing family such as theirs, yet there are disabled children in China and other places in the world, who badly need the kind of environment America can provide.

There are actually Christian groups active in the field, and MaryAnne only wishes more Catholics would be among them and listen to the call of the Holy Spirit to become involved. “The blessings we have gotten are tremendous,” she said.

***

To learn more about the Roberto blended family see their blog at www.chosenforadoption.blogspot.com

Feast Day: May 7

We have all no doubt heard that a tree can be known by its fruit. However, if we do not pay attention to the fruit, it will be more difficult to diagnose the health of the tree and to respond accordingly. The same is true of the life of holiness.

The life of holiness is a life in the Holy Spirit. We can do nothing to “produce” this fruit. When we are joyous, loving, peaceful, patient, kind, faithful, generous, gentle and in self-control, we trust that we are in communion with the Spirit, for it is only the Spirit who produces this fruit.

The life and work of St. Rose Venerini (1656-1728) witness to this truth. After the death of her fiancé and later her father, St. Rose found herself teaching the rosary to women and girls in her neighborhood.

She soon opened a preschool for girls in Viterbo, Italy, after being encouraged by Father Ignatius Martinelli, a Jesuit, who convinced her that her vocation was as a teacher. The first objective was to give poor girls a complete Christian formation and to prepare them for life in society. The success of the school caused her reputation to spread and she was invited to organize a number of schools in various places – often against heavy, even violent, opposition.
By the time of her death, she had established 40 schools – all by the invitation of ecclesial and civic leaders who recognized the fruit of the formation she provided. Her lay school teachers were eventually organized as a religious congregation known primarily as the Venerini Sisters.

The main fruit of the education provided by St. Rose was moral in nature. Wherever a new school sprang up, in a short time a moral improvement could be noted in the youth. So much so that on Oct. 24, 1716, St. Rose and her teachers received a visit by Pope Clement XI, accompanied by eight cardinals, who wanted to observe the lessons. At the end of the morning, he addressed these words to Rose: “Signora Rosa, you are doing that which we cannot do. We thank you very much, because with these schools you will sanctify Rome. ”

The tree will absolutely be known by its fruit. Pay attention to the fruit.

Michelle Francl-Donnay is a wife, mother of two, professor of chemistry, writer and blogger (see Quantum Theology). She is a member of Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish in Bryn Mawr.

I sometimes wonder just what Mary was doing when the angel Gabriel appeared.  Was she out for a long walk in the hills?  Stopping to rest for a moment while hauling a heavy water jar from the village well?  Or was she in the kitchen?  Luke’s gospel tells us nothing.  Whatever she had planned for that moment, for that day, I’m almost certain she did not imagine an angelic visitation.

“How can this be?” she asked Gabriel. I can almost hear her thoughts, “What are you doing here, in my kitchen, on this hillside, on the cool damp steps up from the well? Right now?”

Years ago, a friend told me about her then very young daughter’s reaction to this story. Her daughter wondered, not about Mary’s reaction, but about her own, turning around the thought that an angel might yet appear to her crying, “Hail, Heather!”

At the time, I found it a charming story, but perhaps Heather was right, we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the possibility of such encounters. In his book “What is contemplation?” Trappist monk Thomas Merton blithely reminds us that while we might be tempted to think of the gift of mystical prayer — of God’s invitation to stillness within Him — is reserved for the holiest few, it is rather “part of the normal equipment of Christian sanctity.”

It’s a daunting thought, that God might invite us at times to experience his love so deeply, to be overshadowed as Mary was by the Holy Spirit when we least expect it.  While in the kitchen, or walking down the hill by the elementary school. How can this be?

If we imagine such encounters at all, I suspect we envision ourselves in a serene chapel, composed in prayer, alone with God.  But as Madeleine L’Engle points out in her essay “The Icon Tree,” Jesus did not go looking for disciples in the synagogues.  Instead he called them from beaches and street corners and kitchens, while they were about the tasks of daily life:  fishing and making dinner.

I imagine that none of us is expecting such encounters with God’s Holy Spirit, but the response of Mary and of the disciples to these un-looked-for visits, offers us a window into our response. How can this be?  As Gabriel says to Mary, grace.  God’s own gift of Himself to us, set within us, which spills over into the lives of those around us.

These are experiences that have the potential to change us, even if they do not change the external circumstances of our lives.  The daily remains.  The disciples still worked their nets after the resurrection; Peter’s mother-in-law surely kept preparing meals.

Like Mary and the disciples, I think we encounter God, perhaps less eventfully but no less certainly, in the midst of our everyday lives. Could it be that we are called to be ordinary mystics, that we ought to pray for this gift and long for it? The answer is obvious, says Merton:  Yes.

Feast Day: April 8

“Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy.” This beatitude calls each Christian to be an instrument of God’s mercy in the world. It is for this reason that the Church has traditionally articulated the Christian duty to engage in both corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

This mercy is patterned on God’s own mercy. God the Father chose to not only exercise his power by constraining it so that we might have life, but God the Son then emptied himself and submitted to death so that we might have life more fully with God. Thus, as Christians, we are to mirror this example in our own lives and in all of our relationships where we hold some measure of power whether physical, emotional, political, economic or social.

Being merciful in all of our relationships, Christianity demands a double movement, rooted and predicated on the love of God and neighbor. First, we must affirm the existence of the other by constraining ourselves in order to allow goodness to flourish, especially when it is in our power to “destroy” another. Second, we must empty ourselves and exercise power in humble service to the other so that he or she may not only have life, but have it more fully, to share in the goodness of Divine Life.

St. Julie Billiart’s life (1751-1816) constitutes an example of what it means to live mercifully. The fifth of seven children, St. Julie loved her studies, especially in the area of religion, and spent her life teaching, especially the poor. She founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. In 12 years, she established 15 convents and her order continues her work of educating children today.

She suffered paralysis of her lower limbs at 22. For the next 22 years, she was confined to a bed. This did not stop her, however, from the spiritual work of mercy that is praying. In addition, she continued catechizing the children in her village from her bed.

She sheltered the homeless and comforted the afflicted during the French Revolution by hiding priests from persecution and certain death. In return, she had to patiently bear the wrong of becoming hunted herself and going into hiding.

In short, St. Julie was an instrument of God’s mercy. Through her witness, those around her experienced more fully that life which God mercifully wills for us all.

Jim and Jen Volpe and their four children are members of Mother of Divine Providence Parish in King of Prussia. Married for more than 10 years, they teach Natural Family Planning through the Couple to Couple League.

Now that spring is finally here, it’s time to get outside and enjoy the sun. The leaves are budding, flowers are poking up from the earth, and everything is glowing with new life. If your kids are anything like mine, they’ve been begging to get outside for the last month or so, no matter what the weather. So the arrival of sunny days is such a blessing!

Kids love the outdoors; they love nature! And this can be another opportunity to teach them about God’s love. The Bible says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the works of his hands” (Psalm 19:2). Creation is a witness to God’s loving providence for us, His children. Allowing children to get out in the open and explore the natural world can be a great opportunity for them to understand God’s power, and His care.

Allow your children to explore – to dig in the dirt, plants seeds, climb trees and splash in a stream. There are numerous parks and open spaces in the Philadelphia area, even if you don’t have a large backyard. Find parks near you and pick a special spot to focus on. Go frequently and watch how things grow and change throughout the seasons. See what kinds of animals may live there. What do they eat? What kind of shelter do they have? Use this to talk about how God made the animals and gave them these things for their survival.

Encourage a careful observation of the world around us. This will foster a love of the outdoors and respect and care toward nature. God has given nature to us, not only for our survival, but so that we may draw closer to him. Nature is, like the Bible, God’s love letter to us, a demonstration of his affection and a call to a deeper relationship with Him.

God placed man at the head of creation and gave us the responsibility to care for this world. Stewardship of the resources that God gave us is an important lesson to teach our children. Just as you would teach your children to take care of a precious gift from an aunt or uncle, you should teach them to care for the world that God has given us. How good God is to give us such a wonderful home! We should all go out, enjoy the gift and give thanks to the Creator!

There is a system put in place to help teach the children appropriate behavior in the kindergarten classroom. If the child exhibits good behavior, he or she gets a sun. And then for not-so-good behavior, there are colored clouds. There are green clouds for not listening, orange clouds for being disrespectful and so on and so forth.

Our son, the social and passionate comic who loves to make the other kids laugh, was prone to falling in the pink cloud category, which is for talking too much.

We had to firmly remind him on a daily basis that there were appropriate and inappropriate times to talk at school. But he would forget and, well, hence the pink clouds.

But then one day, the mention of a chocolate malt changed everything.

We had shared with my in-laws our struggle to get our son to change his talkative pattern. They pulled an old trick from the playbook, offering him “the world’s yummiest chocolate malt” if he went two weeks straight with no clouds.

Two weeks? A high wager. We scoffed at their untenable ambition, even if it was dripping with affirmations of how proud they would be when he succeeded.

But what my in-laws knew from experience is what God understands in all of us. Our own behavior cannot be forced on us. We are free spirits with the freedom to do what we choose and unless we decide that we want to change our behavior, the behavior won’t likely change.

For our boy, “having a sun” was just not incentive enough. But pleasing his grandparents and getting a chocolate malt, that was something else.

The plan worked. Our son not only went two weeks without a cloud, but in that time he fell into a different pattern of behavior and it’s been “all suns” ever since. But the best part is that when he got his reward, his excitement for the malt was not as great as his excitement for having pleased both his grandparents and parents. He was truly proud to have their approval and beamed with a sense of self-worth.

As adults we too misapply our own free will at times. I wonder how surprised we might be to find that heaven has less to do with earthly pleasures and sweet rewards, but the simple joy and sense of worth that comes with having pleased our Father!

Banana Split Chocolate Malt

3 large scoops vanilla ice cream

¼ cup milk

2-3 tablespoons chocolate sauce or syrup

1-2 tablespoons malted milk powder

2 tablespoons diced pineapple

2-3 strawberries quartered

½ banana, thinly sliced

whipped cream topping

chopped nuts

cherry

In a blender, mix the ice cream, milk, chocolate sauce, malted milk powder and most of the sliced banana until well combined and smooth (it’s OK if the sliced banana isn’t totally pureed). Pour into a tall glass, leaving about an inch of space (from the top of the glass). Top off with remaining sliced banana, strawberries, pineapple, whipped cream topping, drizzled chocolate sauce, chopped nuts and a cherry.

Joe: Hey, Pop, I hear the new Pope is the first Pope Francis ever.

Pop: Joe, I was surprised. With so many popular saints named Francis, I thought there would have been one by now.

Tom: Pop, you really struck out. I went on line and learned that there has never been a Pope Joseph or a Pope Thomas. How did you come to name us?

———–

Father John J. Ames is the deputy secretary for the Office for Catechetical Formation for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

On March 13, 2013, the Catholic Church elected its 266^th Pope. People throughout the world gathered in St. Peter’s Square to welcome Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina as the new bishop of Rome. Since the new Pope is a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), I assumed that he chose the name, Francis, in honor of St. Francis Xavier, an original member of the Society. I was surprised when he made it clear that he chose the name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. He really could not go wrong with either St. Francis.

Francis Xavier (1506-1552, Feast: December 3) met Ignatius of Loyola at the University of Paris. The 24-year-old Francis was a young teacher of philosophy who had a highly promising academic career and a life of prestige and honor before him. Ignatius saw something special in Francis. He kept asking Francis a question that Jesus asked in the Gospel. “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Mt. 16:26).

Francis did not heed these words at once. Ignatius’ persistence finally convinced Francis to go on a retreat. Following the retreat, Francis joined a small community who vowed poverty, chastity and a special promise of obedience to the pope. This group of seven would initially be known as the “Company” and later grow to become the Society of Jesus, the largest community of priests in the world.

The Pope had requested that two of this community travel to India and evangelize the people. When one of those who was supposed to travel became ill, Ignatius designated Francis to go in his place. He was ordained priest and sailed to the East Indies, landing on the west coast of India. Francis traveled through the islands of Malaysia, then up to Japan. He learned enough Japanese to preach to simple folk, to instruct and to baptize, and to establish missions. From Japan he had dreams of going to China, but this plan was never realized. Before reaching the mainland he became sick. He was removed from the ship and left on the sands of the shore of the island of Sancian, where he died.

Wherever he went, he lived with the poorest people, sharing their food and rough accommodations. He spent countless hours ministering to the sick and the poor, particularly to lepers. Very often he had no time to sleep and little time to pray. However, as we know from his letters, he was filled always with joy.

Francis of Assisi (1181-1226; Feast: October 4) astounded and inspired the Church by taking the Gospel literally. As a youth he enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle and a social life filled with excess. Serious illness brought the young Francis to question his priorities. In his prayer, he kept hearing, “Francis, repair my Church!” At first, Francis thought that Jesus was referring to the crumbling church building in which he was praying. In time, Francis realized that Jesus was speaking to him about the entire Church, which was filled with scandal.

Francis gave away his worldly possessions and embraced a life of poverty. He devoted his life to prayer and penance. He desired to be poor so that he might be more like Christ and depend ever more on God. He loved nature because it was another sign of the beauty of God. At his core, he wanted to live as Jesus taught.

He began to preach and attracted numerous followers. He eventually went to Rome and received approval to found a new religious community, the Order of Friars Minor. Members of the community lived a simple lifestyle with an emphasis on poverty and preaching the Gospel.

Francis did endure much suffering during his life. He encountered opposition from those outside and inside his community who questioned the radical ideal of poverty that he demanded.  He received the stigmata (the marks of the nails and the lance wound that Christ suffered) in his own body. Francis’ health declined and he became blind. He died on October 4, 1226 at the age of 45.

Do you have a favorite St. Francis? Don’t forget St. Francis DeSales.

Some stories, no matter how unsettling, just can’t be ignored — even when some people are determined to look away.

The murder trial of Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell will soon go to jury. And like every other criminally accused person under the law, Gosnell is innocent until proven guilty. Whatever the verdict though, there’s no ambiguity about the kind of business he ran at his West Philadelphia “Women’s Medical Center” ­— an abortion clinic that critics have likened to a meatpacking plant or a butcher shop, with unborn children delivered into a toilet, and jars of fetal body parts stored around the facility.

Dr. Gosnell was originally charged with one count of infanticide and five counts of “abuse of corpse” for killing fetuses born alive by plunging scissors into their necks. Without explanation, the judge in the case accepted a motion to acquit Gosnell of these charges earlier this week. Gosnell still faces four counts of first-degree and one count of third-degree murder. Eight of his coworkers have already pleaded guilty in the case, including three to third-degree murder.

Or so said The New York Times in a report dated April 23.  The date is important.  Gosnell’s trial began March 18, more than a month ago.  The Times coverage, while modest, is significant.  Why?  The answer is simple.  The Inquirer – Philadelphia’s hometown paper – has done a good job following the trial.  But most prestige national media have seemed remarkably eager to ignore the story until shamed into covering it.

Gosnell is much more than a “local” story. The continuing debate over legalized abortion is a hot-button national issue that drew half a million pro-life demonstrators to Washington in January. The battle over abortion restrictions continues in every state. Forty years after the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, resistance to permissive abortion remains high. And the vivid details of the Gosnell clinic tragedy have the kind of salacious appeal that few national media would normally avoid — if the issue were anything else. But abortion is too often, and in too many news rooms, exactly the kind of topic that brings on a sudden case of snow blindness.

The real story in the Gosnell trial is bigger than the ugly allegations against Gosnell himself; it includes the failure — the allergic disinterest — of some of our most important national media. A headline in The Atlantic magazine, April 12, states the obvious: “Why Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s Trial Should Be a Front-Page Story: The dead babies. The exploited women. The racism. The numerous governmental failures. It is thoroughly newsworthy.”

The Atlantic story by Conor Friedersdorf is worth reading. But don’t stop there.  Read this by Kirsten Powers, columnist for The Daily Beast, in USA Today. And these excellent analyses by journalists Terry Mattingly, Mollie Hemingway and George Conger.

The irony is that much of the media’s lethargy in covering the Gosnell case really doesn’t surprise. It’s part of the fabric of a culture that simply will not see what it doesn’t want to see about the realities of abortion. And it leads to the kind of implausible claim made recently by one local commentator that “no sense of guilt is warranted” by the media because “there is no causal connection between coverage of [the Gosnell] case and bias.” It’s hard to imagine a more untenable alibi.

The brutality in abortion is intimate, personal and permanent. It violates women, and it kills a developing human life every time — whether the venue is a “Women’s Medical Center”-style meat factory or a soothing suburban clinic. What makes the Gosnell story unique is that it should distress anyone with its details, pro-choice or pro-life, regardless of religion or politics.

But of course, people need to know about an evil before they can do anything about it.

Iris Reyes-Bugg, a junior at St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls, poses proudly in front of her school.

When Iris Reyes-Bugg finished her presentation on the archdiocesan Catholic Charities Appeal at St. Leo Church in Philadelphia, the congregation spontaneously clapped. That’s unusual. People generally are not especially enthusiastic when someone is trying to get them to open their wallets. Maybe it was because she is so young – she is only a junior at St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls but she certainly is articulate and passionate about her subject.

“Through Catholic Charities people can be a voice for people who can’t speak for themselves,” she said. “Whether you give time, talent or treasure, you are giving support for someone who needs it. As Catholics we act. We don’t just stand there, we do something. Catholic Charities is the best way for us to do something on a larger scale.”

If the congregation knew Iris’s background they probably would have clapped even harder. Born in San Juan Pueblo, Honduras, 17 years ago into a poor family with 16 children, she was adopted by her parents, Charlie Bugg and Estella Reyes-Bugg and brought to Philadelphia and raised in St. Hugh of Cluny and St. Peter the Apostle parishes.

The circumstances were an international calamity. Estella-Reyes Bugg, who works for archdiocesan Catholic Social Services, encountered the family in 1998 during a visit after Hurricane Mitch which absolutely devastated Honduras. In the course of her visit she befriended the family and ultimately adopted little Iris.

As a matter of fact she is now both her mother and godmother, because prior to the adoption she stood for her and a couple of her siblings at their baptism in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital. Iris’s childhood memories of Honduras are limited – for example visits to the nearby well for water, and the ride in the big airplane.

In Philadelphia Iris’s adopted  family included two older brothers and because her new mother was a native of Honduras, she grew up perfectly bilingual. Iris is comfortable speaking both English and Spanish, which is why she was chosen to give Catholic Charities presentations at St. Leo and Mater Dolorosa parishes, because both have English and Spanish Masses.

“Iris has been a blessing in our home, she is very good and very mature for her age,” Estella Reyes-Bugg said. “Whenever someone asks her to do something, she always volunteers.”

“My biggest motivation has been my mother since I was a little girl,” Iris said. “She would take me along to work when I didn’t have someone to babysit me. She has done a lot of community-service work and I shadowed her. My parents taught me to take leadership roles and be vocal about my opinions.”

Because Iris’s mother was a long-time director of the Cardinal Bevilacqua Center in Kensington, she also attended the after-school program there in her younger years, and it is one of the CSS programs she stressed in her Catholic Charities presentations.

It wasn’t just social service programs. Iris’s new family was thoroughly Catholic, with such things as prayer before meals, Mass and evening prayer a matter of course.  She knows many teens she encounters don’t have that training, but she said, “You have to be true to yourself. I grew up with spirituality.”

Becoming active in the parish and other outreach was also encouraged. Iris is a teacher in the PREP program at St. Peter’s, teaching the young children in grades one through three, another activity that keeps her centered.

Among her other role models, she counts Msgr. Hugh Shields, the former archdiocese vicar for Hispanic Catholics, and Redemptorist Father Kevin Moley.

“I call them my fathers,” Iris said. “If I was in trouble at home, my mother would say, ‘I’m going to call Father Moley or Msgr. Shields.’”

Two years ago her mother took her back to Honduras to become reacquainted with her birth family. Her dad is dead now, but she did meet her birth mom and her seven sisters and eight brothers, who range in age from their 40s to 11.  They gave her a book with everybody’s name, age, address, phone numbers and children of those who have married and now she keeps in touch.

Iris (left) chats with adoptive mom and dad Estella and Charlie, and adoptive mom Purificacion (far right), when Iris visited returned for a visit to her homeland in Honduras.

At St. Hubert she is a good student and a “Bambi Ambassador,” one of the students who welcome prospective future students at open houses or dances. Academically her favorite subjects are theology, English and Spanish. Even though she speaks Spanish very well, she studies it, she explains, to learn the grammatical structure and history. She has a passion for art, but knows that won’t be her career.

“I’m very interested in the medical field because I think through that I can continue to give back to the community,” she said. She doesn’t see herself as a surgeon, rather as a diagnostician. After establishing herself in the U.S., perhaps she would do some volunteer work in Honduras.

That’s way in the future. First there is college, and her preference would be a Catholic college, maybe St. Joseph’s or La Salle universities.

In the meantime there is volunteer work. She has helped out at archdiocesan Nutritional Development Services (NDS), where “she prepared a Power Point presentation on the challenges of living in Honduras for the Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl Program and she helped with our fair trade sale,” said Anne Ayella, assistant director for Non-Government Services at NDS. “She is just a very sharing person, and you can tell she will go far and use her gifts very well.”

Meanwhile other volunteer programs Iris has worked with are at St. Edmond’s Home for Children and currently at a rehabilitation center on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia.

Clearly whatever the future holds it will include services to those with needs.

“I like to reach out to the less fortunate because I know someone reached out a hand for me,” Iris said. “You can never forget where you come from. I have eight sisters and seven brothers and I know there are times when they need something.”