November 11, 2011
People of Faith
Jerry Woehler spreads message of hope and faith
BY STEVE HALBIG
The People of Faith feature is compiled by Steve Halbig, who asks a series of questions of people of the diocese — some who have reached the “age of wisdom” and some who are younger. All will share stories of faith.
This month’s column takes a look at Jerome “Jerry” Woehler, a 63-year-old retiree who “travels by faith.” Jerry, a member of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Haubstadt, is passionate about “Christ Renews His Parish” and Cursillo, where he tries to inspire all men not to give up on Christ. Read more about Jerry and his faith-filled life:
Occupation: Retired Jan. 1 as custodian at Sts. Peters and Paul parish. Also worked at Whirlpool and General Foods.
Number of children and grandchildren: Two children — Lori Connor and Darrin Woehler. Six grandchildren.
Have you lived in Southern Indiana all your life? Yes.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? From the time I was in grade school watching John Wayne movies, I wanted to be a Marine, get married and raise a family. I did all three of those things. I joined the Marine Corps in 1967, lived through the Vietnam War in 1968, then married my high school sweetheart in 1969.
Who influenced you growing up? My parents (August and Hilda), the nuns at Sts. Peter and Paul and Monsignor Lindauer, our parish priest. They all played a big part in laying the foundation for my spiritual life. I would also like to thank my sister — Sister Harriet Woehler — for all the encouragement she has given me. She used to tell me don’t give up. He can use you to help others. Also my wife Patty. Without her help and backing I would be dead in the water.
Who do you consider to be the role models today? I have to start with the priests we have. Father Tony Ernst comes to mind. He is a very spiritual and giving priest, along with his mentor, Father Francis Schroering. These are people one could and can look up to.
There are a lot of lay people who keep our Christian movements going. The Cursillo and the “Christ Renews His Parish” movement have a lot of men and women who put Christ first in their lives. These people should also be admired. Many of them have been good role models for me.
Describe how your faith helped you through a difficult time in your life: A couple of years ago, my wife Patty had a blockage that no one could find in her small intestines. She could not keep food down and had lost 30 pounds or more. Sometimes, people with less faith would have blamed God, but we never stopped praying. We came across a prayer called “The Miracle Prayer” and added it to our Rosary every night. In not too long a time, we found the right doctor and the blockage was removed. Some people might call this “luck,” but we call it “faith.”
Any hobbies? I used to play a lot of golf, but arthritis took care of that.
How do I stay active? Well, I do four communion services each week. My Cursillo group meets once a week. My wife Patty and I run our parish Ultreya on the fourth Monday of the month. Patty and I are on the core group of our Christ Renews His Parish movement. I go up to River Oaks retirement home at Princeton and read Scripture to them once a month.
Here in October I started a volunteer job at Aseracare Hospice in Newburgh. Oh, I also train servers here at church. My real passion is doing CRHP and Cursillo weekends to inspire all men not to give up on Christ. Hell is full of those that did.
What is your first memory of church? I’d say going to Sts. Peter and Paul as a youngster in school. The nuns were strict but laid a good foundation in me that has lasted through the years. My second grade teacher, Sister Ann Janette Gettelfinger, and I are still special friends, and I pray for her every day in her illness.
What do you like most about being Catholic? Being able to receive Jesus every day is a true blessing. I also love adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament. You can just feel his presence.
What would you change in the church? I don’t worry much about questions like this. “I travel by faith.” Whatever the pope and the bishops think is best for us is good enough for me.
If you could make one change in your community, what would it be? Well maybe two. One would be more awareness of Christ in the Eucharist. And two, why is it we all admit to being sinners, but reconciliation is down. Going to confession is the only way we can get rid of our sins. Then we can enjoy Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.
Do you have a favorite saint? Yes, I was named after him — St. Jerome, who was a priest and doctor of the Church. He helped translate the Bible into the Latin language. And St. Paul, whom I compare myself to. Both of us started out in life on the wrong foot. He certainly turned his life around, and I’m still working on that.
A favorite religious item? I wear a small Benedictine crucifix every day. It helps me to ward off evil. What I started to do a few years ago is to give them away. People will say “That sure is a nice looking cross you have,” and I just ask them, “Would you wear it if it was yours?” If they say yes, I just take it off my neck and put it on theirs. Some of the people have been buried with it on. The family said they would not part with it. It’s been another good ministry for me . . . to show my Christianity in action.
Any regrets in life? Of course! But I’ve let my past — which I am not very proud of — help a lot of people with their future. Through my witnessing, I have given a lot of people hope. I have let people know that the door to heaven is open to them too, no matter what they have done. All you have to do is put out your hand and ask for Jesus’ help. “Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find.”
Tell us a few more things about yourself: I pretty much went through my conversion when I made Cursillo #48 back in 1997. Then I made the “Christ Renews His Parish” in 2001. Since then I have dedicated my life to the poor souls of this earth who think they are doomed for what sins they have committed.
We all have a chance to go to heaven. You just have to ask Jesus to forgive you . . . and he will. I tell people “today will be the first day of the rest of your life,” and “Don’t look back again.”
What do you do in your spiritual life that you would recommend to others? We all need to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus. I don’t mean just to pray more. I mean to get to “know him” better. I used to fear Jesus because he is the one who can and will send me to hell for my sins. But now I feel bad when I sin because it hurts him, and I love him too much to want to hurt him. I try to be good now out of love for him instead of out of fear of him. I’ve said so many times “true joy and true peace come from knowing Jesus better.”
What is your best wisdom on life? Read more Scripture in the Bible. In it is a wealth of knowledge. There is a complete guide for how we should live our lives. At least read the Gospels. This will help you get to know Jesus better. As they say, “To know him is to love him.”
Contact Steve at shalbig@evdio.org