An audience that crossed generations filled the Tower Hill Brewery on May 8, 2019 to listen to two parishioners talk about their experiences of grace in the workplace. The presenters were Mike McGee, a glazer, and Dr. Gerry Cleary, a neonatologist. Their presentations were both entertaining and profound. At times the room was filled with laughter, and at other times, you could hear a pin drop.
 
Mike:
A glazer is a specialized tradesman who installs glass in large construction projects. Mike shared his work story, with its ups and downs and moments of grace.
 
After 28 years as a glazer in the field with the same company, Mike took a position with another company as an estimator and project manager. He made much better money in the office than he had on the jobsite, but the atmosphere was not healthy, which led to depression. This went on for years, but no one knew, because like most men, he was raised to focus on providing for his family and to ignore his feelings. Soon he began to wonder if life was even worth living. But the concern for what would become of his family prevented him from making a really bad decision. He finally opened up to his wife and friends and they all agreed: leave the toxic job and go back to what you enjoyed.
 
This was a very difficult step because it would mean a significant pay cut. But with their encouragement, he went back into the field. Now that he was back on jobs interacting with the men instead of sitting alone in an office, he found that faith was at times a topic of conversation. He frequently has opportunities to share with other men about his faith and even be a mentor to younger men.
 
There was one young guy who was about his son’s age who had a very difficult upbringing. One day he came in and said, “Hey, Mike, can I ask your advice?” “Sure.” “Well, when I was driving in this morning I was saying a prayer, and then I looked over and there was a van that had the words, ‘Through Jesus, all things are possible’ written on it. So, do you think that was a sign?” Mike replied, “Y’know, God talks to us all the time in many ways and we usually don’t see it. But if it was written on the side of a van, yes, I think it’s a sign!”
 
Mike’s closing advice – see grace all around you and in the people around you. And he said of his wife, “Kim is grace to me.”
 
Gerry:
Gerry took a different approach to his presentation, though it was also at times very funny and very profound. He talked about how those “character” questions asked in interviews tell who you are. So he answered some of those questions for himself and challenged us to ask ourselves those questions to see how grace works in our lives.
 
“What worries you?” Fear in the workplace can be a grace. Good fear is productive, false fear is destructive. Unproductive worry burns energy on things that will probably never happen, and Jesus told us not to waste our time on such worry. But if you’re worried about work you’re doing because there’s a human being on the other side – that fear is grace.
 
"In neonatology," Gerry said, "you learn to speed-pray, and those prayers are demanding!" He told several stories about babies who were saved against extreme odds and who are alive and well now, because of God’s grace.
 
Grace is in the workplace, and we need to be able to recognize when God is at work. "We may feel we’ve got the day-to-day stuff covered, but when things get tough, call on the Lord."
 
“Tell of a time when you were bailed out or bailed someone out.” Gerry told a story from high school when he was new to the team. During a particularly challenging drill, the team captain helped him make it through it, saying, “We got you, Ger.”
 
Gerry thought, “The all-star captain saved me, and he knew my name!” He didn’t think anyone knew his name. He felt included, accepted. From this he learned two important lessons he never forgot – first, remember people’s names; second, never let anyone fall. If you can do that in the workplace, that’s grace.
 
“When have you judged?” Gerry told some stories of being judged by others and of wrongly judging others himself. He learned that it’s never productive to pigeon-hole people, and you can find the talent in others if you listen to their stories and are open to them.
 
Gerry quoted Fr. Greg Boyle, who helps rehabilitate gang members: “Humbly go to the margin and you can erase the margin.” Look for the margin in your workplace and your neighborhood and erase it when you can. Gerry also shared two trips he takes that help him to reach out to others and erase the margins.
 
One is Camp Pals, a week-long overnight camp for young adults with Downs Syndrome. The interactions at Camp Pals are exactly how humans should treat each other – and the currency is smiles and hugs and thankyous. It’s a place to recharge and experience grace.
 
The other place of grace for Dr. Cleary is going on medical mission trips with youth. The people he visits are grindingly poor, but they pray for those who come to help them. This was very humbling for Gerry. While on a recent trip they made an unplanned visit to an orphanage, where they found disabled children who had been forgotten by society. They clung to the visitors and gave love and soaked up the attention. Gerry was quite sure that the Holy Spirit had led them to that place to shine a little light, and it changed him and the youth forever. Following grace to the margins erases the margins.
 
In closing
Gerry's closing advice: if you’re looking for grace in the workplace, find the person who is grateful. "Much of what we are or what we’ve done isn’t really from our resume. It’s because, to a great degree, we’ve lucked out. We were born into a good family, were raised with faith and values, ran with the right crowd, found a wonderful spouse, and do meaningful work. When you start from a position of gratitude, you see grace all around you and can be a source of grace for others."

written by Jeannette Williams

See our Coronas & Christ page for more pictures and more presentations