Career Ministry


We hear it in homilies and from motivational speakers: "one person can make a difference." But are we convinced? Meet John Allen and become a believer!

In November, 2008, John saw people struggling to support their families, often giving up hope as they lost the ability to maintain their lifestyles. An executive recruiter and managing director for Charles Sterling Group, he decided to do something about it. He put twenty years' experience at the service of fellow parishioners by launching Our Lady of Victory Career Decisions Workshop Ministry.

"If there ever was a time that my background could be used, it is now." You could feel the intensity and enthusiasm as John prepared for a recent workshop. "I help people get realistic. When somebody lands a job, it's a real high." In the past two years, about sixty men and women ranging in age between twenty-two and seventy-eight have found employment after attending the Friday morning counseling sessions. Approximately 125 have participated in the program. When a 78-year-old operating room nurse was hired by an area hospital, there were high-fives all around the Faith Formation Center where the workshops are held twice a month.

John shares the Ministry with Shelly Stirling, also a parishioner. He credits Shelly, a beauty consultant with Mary Key Cosmetics, for being a motivational force and for "keeping things on track" Together, they call on other members of OLV Faith Community, local business leaders and professionals to share their expertise in a variety of fields. Shelly is impressed by the ability of people to reinvent themselves. When one of the group reports a job offer, it's "cartwheels down the driveway," she says.

The idea for the Career Ministry grew out of a discussion with Father Hession more than two years ago. It was felt that our Faith Community had a role to play in helping people to find jobs and cope with difficult career decisions. The program has a three-fold purpose: helping people to find employment, acting as a support group where confidentiality is maintained, and offering hope through bonding together and meeting one on one with individuals. A special One Day Workshop for college students will be held Friday, November 26 from 9 to 12 in the Parish Center. Other upcoming workshops meet in the Faith Formation Center as follows: November 5, One-on-One Discussions; November 19 and December 17, Invigorating Your Job Search: Refreshing Your Search and Reinventing Yourself.

John Allen is a believer who empowers others to believe in themselves. Our Career Ministry is proof that one man can make a difference. High-fives and cartwheels down the driveway to all the believers!

See the Career Ministry site for schedules and resources.

Please call the Parish Office at (508) 775-5744 if you are interested in serving in this ministry, or send an email to ministries@olvparish.org.