BY GINNY PRIVITAR
Valerie Haggerty, a parishioner of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, knows the meaning of commitment and service. A religion teacher at DePaul High School in Wayne, she is a long-time volunteer at her parish, where she assists Sr. Geraldine Corio in Generations of Faith, a family catechesis program.
About 20 years ago, Haggerty started as a volunteer at St. Joseph's as a CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) religion teacher and has continued as a volunteer since. About 10 years ago, the parish switched from weekly CCD classes for children to a family catechism (or catechesis) program known as Generations of Faith. Entire families participate, from first graders to adults, in learning their faith.
The program has grown and now there are two teams of teachers who plan and develop up to six different theme sessions per year. There may be a general class, in which everyone participates, followed by break-away classes aimed at different age levels. Participants may then reconvene to discuss what they've learned. A recent session focused on covenants in the Old Testament.
Finding a convenient time to attend is easy. There are five or six sessions every year, held on Fridays from 6:30 to 9 p.m. and repeated on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to noon and again on Sundays from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
It's a new paradigm, Haggerty said. "We're the first in our diocese (to switch to a family program)."
Haggerty's years of volunteer work at St. Joseph's led to other things. Felician College was offering a master's program to parish volunteers for half off the regular tuition. The diocese offered a scholarship, as well. Haggerty took advantage of the opportunity and six years ago she acquired her master in religious education degree.
"It was just beautiful how God's hand was involved in it all," Haggerty said.
At the same time she was starting her master's program, she started teaching theology at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne. She's now in her 10th year there.
Twenty years earlier, certified in social studies, she taught at Albertus Magnus High School in Bardonia, N.Y., and then switched to a business career before she had children.
Haggerty grew up in Park Ridge, went to Eastern Michigan University and then came back to New Jersey to finish her student teaching and be married. She's known her husband since they were both in elementary school at Our Lady of Mercy.
This past November, Haggerty became certified as a spin instructor. She's been spinning for six years and calls it her "midlife crisis."
"I did it to prove to myself I could," she said. "You have to take care of all the different parts of your life…to stay really balanced and healthy you have to carve out time for friends, exercise, spiritual life and family life: the things that make you a whole person."
She and her husband have enriched the community with their volunteerism. Richard has coached more than 40 kids' teams, including baseball, basketball and soccer.
"Hopefully our children have seen that you have to give back of your time," Haggerty said.
It's obvious she loves teaching and her students. She said students have introduced her to things she's never done before.
At DePaul High School, students are required to give 15 hours of community service each year. They introduced her to Midnight Run.org, an organization that delivers warm food, clothing, blankets, toiletries and more to homeless people in New York City.
Generally there are about 10 parents and 20 high school kids involved in each trip. The organization assigns several stops in Manhattan. Haggerty and her husband have been in the lead vehicle of five from DePaul. They have about 100 bags prepared with sandwiches, fresh food, drinks, fruit and cookies. She said the kids get out and give the supplies to the homeless. They also take charge of opening the rear van and distributing hot soup. Their first stop is at 10 p.m. and they finish around 1 a.m.
She's participated in three runs and said, "We're here just to facilitate the kids who are doing this. It's an amazing thing to watch."
She's proud of her son, Andrew, too. When he was at DePaul, he was part of the class that started doing the midnight run.
For fun, she enjoys playing mahjong with friends every other week; they've been meeting for 17 years now.
Haggerty and Richard live in Newfoundland. They have four children: Richard, 26; Mary, 23; Andrew, 19 and Teresa, 14. She offers an old favorite recipe, "Saucy Susan Chicken" for our readers. Duck sauce may be substituted for "Saucy Susan" peach/apricot sauce.