Mary Jean Bega, a parishioner at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Kula, Maui, found love and support in her parish after her husband died and has become deeply involved in stewardship. (Courtesy Catholic Stewardship Consultants)
By Catholic Stewardship Consultants
www.CatholicSteward.com
When Mary Jean Bega reflects on her life, she is struck by the way in which the Holy Spirit has worked to draw her to Christ and his church.
“It really seems as though everything has been Holy Spirit-driven,” Bega says. “Nothing happened by chance.”
Bega immigrated to Maui from the Philippines as a young girl. As her parents worked to create a life for their family here, their focus was on survival, and they fell away from the church.
“Although I was baptized as a baby, we never went to church much, and I didn’t receive any other sacraments,” Bega says. “But I always had a desire for more.”
Then, one day, as Bega walked the University of San Diego campus, she noticed a sign for RCIA classes.
“I didn’t even realize it was a Catholic school up until then,” Bega says. “But when I saw the sign advertising the RCIA classes, I felt drawn to go.”
The following Easter, Bega was fully initiated into the church, and she began a new life of faith. Years later, Bega married her husband, Eric, and they settled down in Kula.
That brought them to Our Lady Queen of Angels where they, in turn, raised their three daughters.
As the couple’s children were growing up, Bega had a desire to get more involved in the life of the church.
“When my oldest was 6, I wanted her to receive the sacraments, but the parish needed a catechist,” Bega says.
So, like a true Christian steward, Bega stepped up to serve.
“It was all Holy Spirit-led,” she says of why she got involved. “Once I was a mother, I could see what the world was becoming, and I wanted to make sure my children had a better and stronger foundation than I did.”
The following year, the parish lost its director of religious education, so Bega stepped up to the plate. From there, she got involved in youth ministry and then served as part of the liturgical ministry.
Then the pandemic hit, and Bega lost her husband. It was a harrowing time for her, and she found herself hesitant to come back to church post-pandemic. But, yet again, the Holy Spirit drew her in. This time, he used a fellow parishioner to do it.
“A fellow parishioner texted me, ‘Come home when you are ready, we’re here for you,’” Bega says.
That gentle nudge pulled her back into the fold, and Bega found love and support like she couldn’t imagine.
“The parish really has been a second family to me,” she says. “They gave me so much support and helped me get through one of the toughest times in my life. They offered me so much love and concern.”
So when the opportunity presented itself for Bega to once again give of herself to the church, she jumped right in.
“I had attended a stewardship conference, and I realized we needed a stewardship committee at our parish,” Bega says. “So I went to Father and asked him if I could establish one, and he gave me his blessing.”
What Bega didn’t realize was that the Holy Spirit had even bigger plans for her. Her initiation of a parish stewardship committee led to her serving as the Maui Vicariate representative on the Diocesan Stewardship Commission.
Bega says she is humbled by what she witnesses as a member of the commission.
“The people of our parish and our diocese give so much of themselves,” she says. “It is amazing to see people give of their time and talent without even a second thought.”
