Written by Dave Faber for the 2024 summer issue of NCEA's Momentum magazine.
I rushed to the ICU just days before Christmas. There, my daughter, Anna, who was nine months pregnant broke down in my arms sobbing, “Dad, we just got really bad news about Andrew,” her husband who was only 29 years old. “The doctors just left and said the cancer is inoperable and he may only have days or weeks.” Never in my life have I had such a sense of the limited time each of us has here on this earth. Andrew passed away just eight days later of colon cancer, first diagnosed only two months earlier. The next day, Anna gave birth to their fourth child, Felicity Jane, who joined her six and five-year-old sisters and her three-year-old brother.
Needless to say, our lives were changed. Who could have imagined our daughter, now a single mother of four small children? Yet, my wife, Sarah, and I knew and trusted that God was doing special work in our family even through the deep sadness and grief, as well as the welcomed joy that only a new baby can bring.
Being active in the Catholic school community, you can imagine the kind of sacramental, prayer and practical support that flooded our family during the following days. Our family’s every need was not only anticipated but met abundantly. It is difficult to find the words to express the deep gratitude we have for our Catholic community.
Amidst the grief I was experiencing, I asked the question many times, “How does one do this without faith and the support of a faith community?” This questioning strengthened my resolve as a Catholic school leader to share the faith with renewed energy and vigor. But how?
The answer would come about two weeks later through an inspiring leader in my life, Bishop David Walkowiak. As a member of his leadership team, I was called for a special meeting. During the meeting, he shared with us that he had attended a retreat with 15 other bishops on the topic of evangelization. He shared what the Lord was doing in his life as a bishop, and he expressed his desire for evangelization to be the primary focus for the remainder of his episcopate. As a result, he wanted to host a Lenten retreat for the chancery staff on the topic of evangelization.
As Lent began, my wife and I decided to follow Jesus and our daughter into the desert in a very intentional way, choosing to sacrifice many of the things we really enjoy. I’ve been blessed to find my experience has been anything but desert. Yes, I gave up many things and offered them up for Anna, but in God’s generosity, I have been given so much more in return, both personally and professionally.
As superintendent, I had the opportunity to participate in two Lenten retreats: the one with chancery staff on March 5 and the other our annual school leaders’ and pastoral ministers’ retreat on March 7. For most Catholic school leaders, one retreat a year is rare, but two in one week was a tremendous blessing! One the Lord knew I needed this year.
The first retreat was led by Peter Herbeck, vice president and director for missions at Renewal Ministries, and Bill Pressprich, Bishop Walkowiak’s evangelization coach from Divine Renovations. The day was a wonderful time of inspirational reflections, encouragement, prayer and sharing our faith stories. One major takeaway for me was to always be ready to share what God is doing in my life and to be more intentional in conversations with colleagues about asking, “What is the Lord doing in your life?” To be an evangelist, we must always be ready to share how God is working in our lives—we are, after all, his witnesses!
The second retreat was led by Cardinal Thomas Collins, retired archbishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto. It was a truly unique experience to enjoy a day of reflection with a prominent cardinal who took part in the last papal conclave. One of Cardinal Collins’ last efforts as archbishop was to write a pastoral letter on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the content of which served as the basis for our discussion. The cardinal’s heart for evangelization, coupled with his joyful, enthusiastic demeanor, inspiring words and deep knowledge of the faith sparked within me a renewed energy to share the Catholic faith with others. He kept saying over and over while tapping his watch and referring to how on fire St. Francis de Sales was, “Tick tock, tick tock— there’s not much time!” He would then extend both hands as if to shoot fire from his fingers and exclaim, “Be fire!”
As I continue my journey, I call on the intercession of Andrew, our family’s newest saint, who would often pray, “Help me to carry my cross with a smile on my face and joy in my heart.” This past Lent, God reawakened the evangelist in me. Let him reawaken the evangelist in you as well. Join me in announcing the joy of the Gospel and in sharing what the Lord is doing in your life! To all my fellow Catholic school leaders and educators, I repeat, “Tick tock, tick tock. Be fire!” I have learned personally that there’s not much time.
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