Beth Masen

I was born and raised in a small town about 50 miles N. of Venice, Italy,
called the Friuli Region. My father came to the United States in the 1950s. After he was here for 5 years, we were able to get a visa and finally join him. The first few years were very difficult for us, not knowing the language, and the food was not what we were used to. I wanted to go back to my beautiful Italy and the rest of my family. We settled in Evansville, Indiana. Shortly thereafter, we moved to New
Orleans and lived there for 4 years. Then. back to Evansville, where I graduated from high school and then moved to Chicago. My dad's work took him all over the country. Years later, I met my husband, John, in Chicago. We married and lived in the Northwest side in an apartment on a high 4th floor with no elevator. As the family grew, now 4 children, we needed to move. So, in 1974 we came to Hoffman Estates. We joined this wonderful parish, St. Hubert, and during this time our Lord blessed us with our 5th child. My children's faith was rooted and flourished here. Through the years and today, they all are practicing Catholics and involved in ministries in their own parishes. When my children were small, I did not work, and most moms did not work outside their home in those days. Money was tight, so a group of moms in my neighborhood and I decided to start cleaning homes. We would watch each other children and made a little extra money doing this. My youngest daughter, Noelle went to St. Hubert School, I worked in the school kitchen for 7 years preparing the lunches, and this is how I was able to pay her tuition.

I volunteered in the Religious Education program for several years, was part of Kingdom weekend team for several years, was involved with the RCIA team for 4 years, and also volunteered with Welcoming.

During this time Fr. Shields, our pastor, knew that I cleaned homes and asked me if I would consider being a housekeeper and cook for the rectory, since the one they had was retiring. I said yes, and in 1989 I started working as a housekeeper and cook until there was no more rectory. Fr. Gene was pastor then, and when the
rectory came down, he gave me a job in our new building in the front office. Fr. Gene gave me the opportunity to attend the 2-year Lay Ministry program. Little did I know at the time how much this would help me later in my work here as a bereavement minister and in Ministry of Care. I love these ministries, which I have been involved for over 13 years. I feel this is where the Lord prepared me to be all along. In the Bereavement ministry I try to support the grieving family by being compassionate, caring, and helpful in the planning of the liturgy for their
loved ones. I am the one who is always blessed and humbled in hearing the life stories of their loved ones. Being a widow myself and losing a child, I feel some of the pain they are going through and will go through as they grieve. This fills me with great compassion.

In the front office, I answer phone calls and do many other tasks. I love to help people as they walk through these front doors with all kinds of questions, and if I do not have the answer, I can direct them to someone who does. I have been working here for almost 26 years and love it. This place has been my second family.

I thank God every day for the blessing of working in such a wonderful faith filled environment. I was also blessed to have had the opportunity to care for, and worked for, 3 wonderful spiritual pastors and several associate priests.