Summer Challenge

WEST MILFORD  This summer, Paula Korinko of St. Joseph Parish here has been taking advantage of the best place and time for her to pray — in her car while driving around for work.

“It’s a great time for me to pray, because it’s quiet and I’m in the car a lot during the day,” said Korinko, a married mother of two, who designs and installs artificial turf as her profession. “Recently, I prayed for one thing or person each day for one week this summer. I prayed for more peace and understanding in the world and for people I know, who didn’t know that I was praying for them,” she said.

In the past few weeks, Korinko has been one of numerous parishioners who have accepted the St. Joseph Summer Challenge: engaging in a different activity each week to help make them increasingly mindful — more conscious or aware — of the needs of other people. The faithful can fulfill these challenges, which have included praying, listening to others and being on time, anywhere or anytime, while vacation or during their weekly routines — and as many times as they would like, said Mary Beth Ferriola, St. Joseph’s business and cemetery administrator, who devised the program — a first for the rural Passaic County parish in the Echo Lake section of the township.

On the weekend of June 10 and 11, Ferriola — with help from Camille Kluge, St. Joseph’s youth director — launched the Summer Challenge by giving parishioners a brief introduction of the initiative at the Masses. Afterward, they handed out small brightly colored stones that display the word “mindful” to remind the faithful of its theme. Each week, Ferriola alerts the faithful to that week’s challenge in three ways: by email, a post on St. Joseph’s website and a blurb in the bulletin.

“People can perform a challenge whenever they have time during the week. It reminds them that their actions, like being on time, can affect others. Then, they can bring that awareness to their relationships. The challenges can help us become kinder, more compassionate and more understanding and to become better Christians. Also, these challenges can become habits in our own lives,” said Ferriola, who invites participants to share their experiences in the bulletin for the end of summer. “The feedback from parishioners has been positive so far,” she said.

So far, participating parishioners have undertaken the following weekly challenges:

• To listen. “When was the last time someone was talking to you and you were texting or reading or watching TV? Be mindful of others when they talk to you and really pay attention to them. It is so important for others to know that you value what they are communicating to you,” Ferriola writes in the bulletin.

• To pause. “Have you ever been in a conversation when you are angry or just trying to be funny and you’ve said a cutting word to someone? Words can stay with people a lot longer than we expect. Be mindful of how harmful your words can be. Pause and catch your words before blurting them out, texting or posting on Facebook,” she writes.

• To be content. “When was the last time you read something on Facebook or browsed through a magazine and wished you had what someone else has? Be mindful of the blessings you do have and thank God for each of them. Try to come up with three things each day to thank God for. It would be a nice habit to start,” Ferriola writes.

• To pray. “How do you view prayer — as a chore or just part of a routine (at Mass, at mealtime, etc.)? Be mindful that we don’t have to pray — we get to pray. Be creative and find the joy in prayer; for example, pray for a different person for every lap you take in the pool, pray for a friend every time you brush your teeth, or make a ‘fridge list’ and write down a list of people’s names to remind you to pray every time you open it,” she writes.

• To be on time. “Have you ever been late for a meeting, lunch with a friend or picking up your child? Be mindful that when you are late for something, it often shows the other person that your time is more valuable than theirs. Concentrate this week on being on time or perhaps even early and enjoy a peaceful moment rather than feeling rushed,” Ferriola writes.

• To smile. “Have you noticed in this world of connectivity how little we connect with the people we pass every day? Be mindful when you pass someone to smile and perhaps say a few words of greeting. You never know what good a little smile can bring to someone’s day,” she writes.

Father Aleksander Bialas, St. Joseph’s pastor, told The Beacon that the Summer Challenge offers parishioners “small things” to undertake to “put their faith to work.”

“It’s always important to challenge ourselves. Faith has to motivate our decisions in life. We need to put our faith into practice, which includes being attentive to others and their needs,” Father Bialas said.

The Summer Challenge finds its inspiration in a United Kingdom-based Lenten program that Ferriola tried two years ago: 40 Acts, which provides participants with a good deed to perform each of the 40 days of the liturgical season. In devising the challenges, Ferriola said that she borrowed some ideas from 40 Acts, asked St. Joseph’s staff for suggestions and drew from her own experiences.

“The Summer Challenge has made me more mindful. Now, when someone comes into my office at St. Joseph’s, I stop and pay attention to them, instead of continuing to work, while they speak,” Ferriola said.

Meanwhile, Korinko said that she has been more mindful of being on-time for appointments — a clear signal that she values other people’s time, as much as hers.

“The Summer Challenge reminds me to be mindful of others by taking time out of my busy day. There is a joy and satisfaction in having stopped and done it [each challenge]. I hope that in becoming more mindful, my actions will become deliberate — all the time,” she said.