Live, Love, and Serve in the Image of Christ
Sharon Hartranft
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Spotlight on Sharon Hartranft and the St. Monica Sodality
Q. What do you like about St. Jude parish?
I've always felt welcomed at St. Jude parish. Growing up, we were part of St. Bede's and it was very hard for me to leave there when I got married and moved to Chalfont. I was afraid I'd never find that kind of parish family anywhere else, but I was wrong. We have made so many friends here and they are all wonderful, faith-filled people. Once our boys (James - 21, Justin - 19, and Derek - 14) started attending St. Jude School, we knew we had found our forever home.
Q. What role does faith play in your life and how do you nurture it?
Faith is essential to my life. I would not be who I am without it. Throughout many of life's trials, I've learned that I cannot do anything without trusting that God will see me through. I believe that the best way to thank God for the gift of my faith is to nurture it every day, through prayer, service to others, and kindness to anyone I meet. I also am fortunate enough to teach in a Catholic school, so I get to attend Mass every day, as well as Adoration and Confession frequently. One other way I nurture my faith is that I share it with my students by treating each one of them with love and respect. I believe God gave me this vocation for that reason - to plant little seeds in all of them that will grow and flourish after they leave my classroom.
Q. Tell us about the ministry that you lead – what is its main purpose and whom does it serve?
I lead the St. Monica Prayer Group. The main purpose when this group was started about 15 years ago was to pray for all those people in our families who had left the Church or left their faith behind, and so many of us wanted so badly to help them, but we didn't know how else to do it besides prayer. Anyone who wants to pray for conversions (either personal or world-wide) is welcome to be part of our group at any time.
Q. What are some of the benefits members receive from being a part of this group?
I think we enjoy being together and praying for our loved ones. We have supported each other through many ups and downs of life over the years and are like a little family. Also, with Flocknote being used by many parishes across the country, we have members who join us via Zoom from several states, like Arizona, Montana, and Ohio, to name a few. It's always reassuring to me to know that other people are facing similar struggles, and having that in common is a bond that you don't get to have often with strangers. I think it's beautiful that we get to share our faith this way.
Q. Are you involved in any other parish activities/ministries?
I'm in the Parish Choir, and I am also a lector and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. These have been very rewarding ministries for me, and I've made some lifelong friends! I would highly recommend any of them if you are looking to get involved in something at our parish.
Q. What would people be surprised to learn about you?
When I was little, I used to carry around a joke book so that I always had a joke handy in case someone needed to laugh (I'm still waiting for one of my siblings to tell me what happened to that book). Truthfully, I just love to see and hear people laugh! My students get themed jokes depending on what we are learning that week in school. Even though they groan a lot (kind of like when Deacon Tim tells a joke), they never let me miss telling the joke of the day. It's true that God made smiling a lot easier on our face muscles than frowning, so I try to do it a lot!
Q. What do you do for fun? What are some of your hobbies?
I love to do the New York Times crossword puzzle every Sunday. I'm also a big fan of Wordle or cryptograms. I enjoy taking walks with my family - it's a great way to catch up with my kids and talk through problems they may be having. We've had some very productive conversations in nature! We also love having family game nights - recently we played a game where you get to throw a squishy plastic avocado at other people when you get certain cards in your pile. We were laughing so hard we couldn't even throw straight! That's my idea of fun!
