Mr. Joe Szabo
Coordinator of Parish Life
When you walk into church do you ever wonder who keeps everything in order? I'm sure we all realize that there must be someone responsible for taking care of all the behind the scenes jobs that go into the operations of a large parish like ours. Let me introduce this person, Joe Szabo. Joe was born and raised in East Brunswick, where he went to public school . He received a degree in fine arts from Kean College. Before becoming Pastoral Associate and Coordinator of Parish Life, Joe had several jobs, one of which was teaching Fine Arts at Spotswood High School.
Once Monsignor asked him to take on this job, his responsibilities grew. In his role as Coordinator of Parish Life, he is the point person for all the various groups in the Parish. He is the person they call when they are planning a function and need things done. In addition to handling the logistics for the many groups in the parish who plan events, Joe also works closely with Monsignor to ensure all the liturgical events in the Parish go smoothly.
While we don't usually see all that goes into planning the many liturgical events in the parish there are some events where we can immediately see Joe's handiwork. When we walk into church for Christmas, Easter, First Communion, or Confirmation the first thing we notice is the beautiful sanctuary and all the magnificent flowers. Joe is the "flower person." Joe didn't start out to be our florist. When the florist that the parish had used went out of business, Monsignor suggested since Joe is artistic, (after all he did have a degree in Fine Arts) he try his hand at arranging the flowers. As they say, the rest is history. It's always a pleasure to go into the church and see the flowers Joe has decided to use - they add such beauty to our liturgical space.
In addition to all these responsibilities, Joe is also a founding member of our St. Vincent de Paul Society. He is an inquiry facilitator for RCIA, a member of the Men's Retreat Group, and served on the Jubilee 2000 Committee for the Diocese. He conducts wedding rehearsals for the couples being married in our church, and because of his flower connection, he often does the flowers for the weddings.
In recognition for all the time and talent Joe has given to our Parish he was given the Regina Nostra Award in 1996. St. Bartholomew's Parish is a more colorful place because of the dedication and, hard work of Joseph Szabo.
Note: The Regina Nostra medal recognizes lay and religious men and women of the Diocese of Metuchen who have been outstanding in their service to their parishes and to the local Church. Nominations are made by pastors.
The criteria for recognition are as follows: The individual must be a practicing Catholic who frequents the Sacraments, who has given substantial service to the parish ministry, who has been involved in at least two areas of parish life, and who is regarded as an exemplary and dedicated parishioner by his or her parish community.
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