by Veronica Pino
St. Gianna Program Manager
Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska
Oftentimes at St. Gianna Women’s Home, we work with a family for a year—sometimes even longer—and when they complete the program, we don’t hear from them.
Although we are always thankful when they have undergone a successful transition to their next step outside of St. Gianna’s, it can be difficult to have those relationships disappear. We always encourage them to keep in touch—to continue to share their struggles and their joys with us. However, trying to keep up with work, kids, school, and all the other activities of a family that is taking steps forward usually leaves little time for extra phone calls or visits.
Every now and then, though, we hear from a family who wants to share a little about their current life after St. Gianna’s. Sometimes this happens a few months after graduating from the program; other times, years pass before someone reaches out. But it’s always a special moment to hear stories or see pictures of growing kids as they share their continued achievements.
This past December, we had an unusually high number of women reach out to reconnect with us. One woman organized time to stop by with clothing that her children had outgrown. She wanted to donate the items to other families who were in the program. She was so appreciative of all that they had received, and she wanted to do what she could to support those who were going through that situation, trying to get ahead.
One of our more recent program graduates reached out to let us know that her job continues to go well, and that she made the dean’s list for her college program! It was amazing to hear how proud she was of that accomplishment. And it was an honor to know that she desired to share that success with us and to continue to invite us into her life.
Another woman who graduated from the St. Gianna Program a few years ago called me, wanting to wish us all a Merry Christmas, and thank us for all that we did to support her. She had since moved to a different state with her two children, to be closer to her family. While starting over in a new city was far from easy, she excitedly shared all that she had accomplished. She got involved with a local parish and was assisting with the youth group there. She had her own apartment close to her sister’s house.
She started off her transition working for a construction company—which she knew little about but quickly learned—for a year or so to save money. She even received a promotion there! This past year, though, she opened her own business! It gave her the flexibility for what she wanted most: to spend time with her kids.
She told so many stories about how much her kids have grown and learned. It was beautiful to hear her delight in her role as a mother and the healthy, safe home they have built. She faced a number of difficulties along the way, but she joyfully shared all of the obstacles she overcame and all of the progress she has made. She even let me know to keep an eye on the mail: she sent St. Gianna’s a donation.
Saying goodbye to families when they move out of St. Gianna’s is difficult, but we continue to support them as best we can—however they allow us to do so. And as a team, we continue to pray for the wellbeing of each of the families who have passed through the program. As Ecclesiastes 3 says: “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.”
God gives us a time to be a part of their lives, and He calls us to a time of separation—a time where they are to continue on and we are to stay behind. Sometimes, though, He gives us a glimpse of all that He continues to do for them outside of our walls, and these are always incredible blessings.
