Hi my name is Chris Montrowl. I attend QOP with my wife Sheryl, 2 daughters, Jen and Melissa, and future son-in-law, Jason. Sheryl is a lector at 5:30 mass and Jen, Melissa, and Jason are in the 5:30 choir. A lot of talent in my family!
Ya know, sometimes I wonder if y’all see me in the pew and think “what does HE do?” Well, I’m in charge of getting the talent here every week :)
Actually, Sheryl and I have been on the Stewardship Council for several years. But ya know, making sure the family gets to where they need to go is an important role of a father.
My dad is the kind of guy that would literally give me the shirt off his back. If I said, “hey dad, nice shirt, can I have it?” He would give it to me. I'm not sure I would give up a shirt I really liked. So I admit, I’m certainly not a perfect dad.
One quick story about my dad. If you knew him, this story would be especially funny. As a teenager, I was always working on my car. One time, I left dirty oil from an oil change in a pan on the side of the house. He kept telling me to take care of it and I didn’t. One night, he went to take out the trash and guess what he stepped in. Luckily I wasn’t home when that happened or I may not be here now. My mom and brother said they have never seen him so mad. He was wearing his favorite slippers when he stepped in the oil and he had black oil under his toenails for days!
It’s funny now, and we all laugh about it when the story gets told. But not all kids have an opportunity to have memories like that.
On a serious note, I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage, maybe even challenge the men here today to something. There are many children out there without a father figure in their life. I’d like to ask that you prayerfully consider getting involved in a ministry or organization to be a male role model or companion to a child without a father.
Just a few options and ideas:
Big Brothers/Big Sisters – They have 2 programs:
Community-based Mentoring (the traditional Big Brother/Big Sister relationship) - This is all about one-on-one time spent doing the things that they enjoy, one hour a week filled with shared interests and activities.
Then there’s School-based Mentoring which takes place at the child’s school and typically the meeting is once a week.
National research indicates:
58% of the kids in this program improved their school performance
65% showed higher levels of self-confidence
55% had a better attitude toward school
If you don’t want to get involved in a national organization, there’s a Mentoring program right here at our school. Like the BB/BS program, it takes place at school. Volunteers usually meet once a week during the lunch period for about 30 minutes. It gives the kids an opportunity to have an adult to talk to. Someone other than a parent or teacher.
Some other ideas:
Getting involved as a teacher or volunteer in our Youth Faith Formation program here.
Or maybe even taking the lead at restarting the father’s group as a ministry here.
Most of us are very busy, it’s not easy to get involved. But there are children right here in our community being raised by single moms. Those kids could use a male role model and companion. Please consider doing something.
Thanks and Happy Father’s Day!
Contact Information:
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Gainesville - 352-375-2525 http://www.bbbs.org
Queen of Peace Acadamy Mentoring - Jill Geltner, Guidance Counselor jageltner@qopacademy.org