By Seth Gonzales
Special to The Texas Catholic
Since becoming parishioners of St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in McKinney 23 years ago, Steven and Rita Aguirre have been paying it forward to the community that has become an extension of their own family.
What they did not realize is how their own dedication would extend to all eight of their own children.
“To me, it was kind of surprising,” Steven, who together with his wife received the Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church during a Mass on April 26, said. “It does take commitment, but to me that was the blessing. It’s important to build the spiritual side of your children’s lives.”
The couple joined St. Gabriel after moving to McKinney in 2001. Rita, then a new parent who was homeschooling her children, took them to daily Mass as often as she could. Parishioners who were “regulars” at the Mass quickly became “tios and tias” to the growing young family.
“Everyone was so friendly, and they cared how your family was doing,” Rita said. “I really felt like they noticed you.”
Eventually, Rita, a self-proclaimed introvert, was invited to become a lector, a sacristan, and then a member of the Holy Spirit Prayer Group. From there, her involvement grew; and today, she spreads her time between eight different ministries.
Rita shares some of those ministries with her husband, Steven, a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus, a eucharistic minister, and an influential leader within the parish’s youth group. Their involvement, they said, has rubbed off on their children, two of whom have even taken leadership positions in the youth group.
“A lot of the ministries we participate in are a bigger blessing to us because we do them together,” Steven said. “Even the young ones wanted to help, so we gave them little jobs. It kept the family together.”
Their oldest, Clarissa, now 25, remains an active member of the parish as a eucharistic minister, sacristan, a leader in the young adult group, and member of the Holy Spirit Prayer Group. She said the message all of her siblings received from her parents was simple: You can do it too.
“One of the first ministries that rubbed off on me were the liturgical ministries, because my parents were always involved,” Clarissa, a recent graduate of the University of Dallas, said. “If they weren’t eucharistic ministers, they were lectors at Mass. I’ve seen the power of prayer they have, and they have such immense trust in the Lord; so that’s where you kind of follow in their footsteps.”
Pam Criss and her husband Mark have known Steven and Rita for the last 20 years. They said it is easier to talk about what Steven and Rita do not participate in, rather than what they do.
“It sounds trite to say, but they really do help us to be better people,” Pam said. “They’re just great examples of people who walk the walk. Seeing the fruits of how they live their life and how it’s passed down is such a beautiful thing.”
Cutline for featured image: Steven and Rita Aguirre, parishioners of St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in McKinney, were among those honored with a Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church on April 26 at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (SETH GONZALES/Special Contributor)
