In 1965, a few years after returning from service in the Korean War,
Ray Piontek suddenly found himself a widower struggling to raise five
small children on his own — the youngest just six weeks old. By the
grace of God, however, his family’s story doesn’t end with the tragic
death of Ray’s young wife.
A couple of years after his wife’s
unexpected passing, Ray met Ginny. Ginny was an executive secretary at
Union Electric who enjoyed her career. But after falling in love with
Ray, she selflessly left her position, married Ray and, without
reservation, took on the important and challenging task of helping to
raise his five children. Not only did Ginny lovingly give of herself to
her new family, but she also found time to live her faith by serving
others through the Legion of Mary and the parish school of religion
(PSR) program at her parish. She served as principal of the PSR program
for many years.
After three decades of happy marriage, Ginny
Piontek departed this life. Ray, a St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
parishioner, wanted to memorialize in a special way his beloved Ginny,
who had made his family whole again. He wanted to make permanent her
Catholic legacy.
In 2015, Ray established the Virginia Celeste
Piontek Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund at the Roman Catholic
Foundation. Because it is endowed, the fund in Ginny’s name will offer
scholarship assistance in perpetuity to students attending the
Pontifical Paul VI Institute of Catechetical and Pastoral Studies. This
local institute educates lay men and women, many who are PSR teachers,
in the faith so they may grow in missionary discipleship. Establishing
an endowment fund to benefit Paul VI students allowed Ray to further the
Catholic mission about which Ginny was passionate, strengthening now
and for generations Catholics who care deeply about educating others in
our faith.
Ray’s story may be unique, but his experience with the
foundation is not. Many Catholics have benefited from the guidance and
expertise offered. Few of us want to consider our mortality, but as
Catholics, we’re hopeful in the promise of eternal life. Like the
Pionteks, we can leave something behind for future generations of the
faithful. We can establish our own Catholic legacies, making a lasting
impact on the Catholic parishes, schools and ministries we love. What
will your legacy be?
Guyol is president and CEO of the Roman
Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri. He and his wife are
parishioners of Immacolata Parish in Richmond Heights. He can be reached
at (314) 918-2891 or [email protected].