Profiles of Endurance

Profiles of Endurance - Cathy Amodeo

Cathy Amodeo and her husband prayed for the opportunity to be parents, never knowing how abundantly those prayers would be answered.  Early in the pregnancy, a sonogram revealed that Cathy was going to be the mother of three babies at once.  Listen as this woman of faith describes the experience of adjusting her expectations and expanding her life in a monumental way and how advocating for the special needs of two of her children has brought out her best.

Profiles of Endurance: Joan Spelter (part 2)

At one time in her life, 91-year old Joan Spelter thought she’d be trapped in the prison of anxiety forever.  Her faith and her involvement in the support group Recovery International gave her a new life.  Soon after she gained new tools and skills, however, life again tested her, when a promotion for her husband moved Joan and their five kids from NYC to Upstate.  Soon after that her husband battled an illness that ultimately took his life at age 48.  What Joan did next will amaze you.  No matter your situation, this conversation will fill you with hope for tomorrow.  [Part 2 of 2]

 

For more information on the group that gave Joan the tools that help her cope, visit the official site for Recovery International:

https://recoveryinternational.org/

 

Profiles of Endurance: Joan Spelter (part 1)

When she was a young wife and mother of three living in New York City in her her 20s, Joan Spelter was struck with a debilitating anxiety disorder that would be with her for the rest of her life.  In the first couple of years, life was unbearable for Joan and basic functioning was extremely difficult.  A breakthrough came when a referral from a priest she had never met  led her to a group that gave her tools to heal.  Many years since that graced encounter, Joan continues to live a life she never dreamt possible.  Is your happiness being diminished by anxiety?  Have you wondered how to escape it?  Listen as Joan offers a practical roadmap to healing and decades of living proof that it works. [Part 1 of 2]

 

For more information on the group that gave Joan the tools that help her cope, visit the official site for Recovery International:

https://recoveryinternational.org/

 

 

Profiles of Endurance: Lisa M. (part 2)

Lisa and her husband gave up secure corporate jobs and traded suburban success for a rural adventure right out of the movie Dirty Dancing.  They purchased a fixer-upper resort in a small town in the Catskills with an inn, restaurant and bar.  She describes what it took to make that business reach its potential in a quaint vacation region, famous for its iconic history, but now past its prime.  She also shared how she knew when it was time to move on when their work there was done.  What happened next reacquainted her with God and set her family on a new adventure that is still unfolding. (Part 2 of 2)

Profiles of Endurance: Lisa M. (part 1)

The birth of a baby is always a cause for great joy, but when that pregnancy came unexpectedly at the beginning of her senior year of high school, things for Lisa got quite complex  She shares candidly about being a teen mother and describes the experience of blending her family with her husband’s.  The two later went on to change their lives completely when they decided to exchange secure corporate jobs for the chance to be intrepid entrepreneurs running an inn, restaurant and bar in a small town in the Catskills.  Listen as this 39-year-old mother shares intimately about making hard choices and taking risks that change everything in life. (Part 1 of 2)

 

Profiles of Endurance: Joan Lipscomb Arthurton

Joan Lipscomb Arthurton is a teacher, community organizer and woman of faith who shares with us her story of being raised in the only black family at St. Patrick’s Church in Ravena.  Like all of us, Joan is searching to find her place in the Black Lives Matter movement and seeking to find ways to interrupt the systemic racism that is sapping life from the soul of America.  In this conversation, she and Fr. Scott discuss how none of us is a bystander in the struggle for freedom - all of us have a role.  Hear how speaking up when others say disrespectful or hateful things about others because of their race is an act of patriotism.

Profiles of Endurance: Christa Desrosiers

While serving in the U.S. Army, Christa Desrosiers put the Catholic faith of her childhood on a back burner until the day she had an awakening that put her in closer friendship with God. Years later, the mother of four relied on that relationship to get her through a serious bout of cancer. Christa shares what she did to survive a life-threatening disease and the ways that God showed up when her need was greatest.

Profiles of Endurance: Father David Noone

This small town Gloversville, N.Y., kid never dreamed he'd study theology in Rome for four years on his path to becoming a Catholic priest. Over time, the excitement of the Eternal City helped ease the feeling of isolation from family and friends. But just weeks before his ordination to the priesthood, his spiritual director shocked him by saying he was an unfit candidate and should bow out. Listen how he overcame this blow and went on to serve as a priest for 53 years (and counting).

Profiles of Endurance: Alan King

A high voltage electric shock rocked the body of parishioner Allan King, breaking bones, ripping skin, searing flesh and nearly killing him. Hear this young husband and father share what it took to survive unthinkable physical pain and make his way back from the edge of death through the help of family, friends and a total reliance on faith.

Profiles of Endurance: Seth Mann

We all have some favorite "go-tos" we use to take the hard edge off of life: alcohol, food, shopping, sex, work... anything. For some of us, those "go-tos" can begin to take over our thinking and behavior.

 

Seth Mann had a boarding school education, raised a family and built a successful business, but he wasn't able to juggle it all when his addiction to alcohol took over.  Hear this brave man of faith share what "hitting a new bottom" meant for him and how by accepting life exactly as it is today, without conditions, his life turned around.