Last summer Don Elder, 38, and his wife Jodie had to decide whether they could continue to afford sending their son D.J. to Most Blessed Sacrament School in Berlin, Md., about 30 miles from their Sussex County, Delaware home.
A drastic downturn in residential construction meant Elder had less and less work, which translated to a decrease in income.
“The last year or two things just slowed and slowed and slowed,” Elder said. “I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ve been down here 15 years.” Building permits for dwellings in Sussex County declined by 49 percent from 2006 to last year, according to the Sussex County Planning and Zoning Department.
As the Elders looked at their finances — even considering Jodie’s work with Xerox and some scholarship assistance that was offered — they reluctantly decided they could not afford to keep D.J., 8, at Most Blessed Sacrament. He now attends Long Neck Elementary. “With what I lost, it’s really been a struggle” to keep up with the mortgage and basic monthly bills, Don Elder said.
Elder said he still has a strong faith in God and in the Catholic Church. The family attends Mary Mother of Peace Church in Millsboro.
“We all have our trials,” he said. As his trials have continued, “I definitely pray a lot more.”
Home in jeopardy
Sometimes, prayer seems to go unanswered.
Elizabeth White of Holy Cross in Dover had purchased a modest house in 2006 but a year later lost her seasonal position as a social worker for a state program called CARE Delaware. She has received unemployment benefits and gone through a senior training program but has yet to land an ongoing job.
“My home is now in jeopardy, (and) the electric, gas and car insurance seem to come around sooner than they used to,” she wrote in an e-mail. “I pray to my patron saints daily and to God, friends light candles and pray for me, but things are more tight. I have great faith but have exhausted my resources.”
Francis “Frank”Jackowski admits “God hears some very salty language” as he questions God’s will. Jackowski, 58, an accountant, said he had worked at temporary positions recently but can’t find a temporary or permanent position in today’s market. “We’re struggling,” said Jackowski, whose wife is a public school teacher in New Jersey. They attend St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Bear.
“I want to go back to work. I like to work hard, earn a paycheck, and look up in the sky and say ‘thank God.’”
The ones who need prayers
Evaristo will brush up on his computer skills and may take some college courses as he seeks a new job. “My wife says an opportunity has opened up; that’s the way I am looking at it.” As he upgrades his skills and looks for a new job, he plans to become more involved in service activities.
Even during his employment limbo, he was among Our Lady of Lourdes parishioners who packed groceries for Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets for needy families; his wife was in charge of the program.
Now he’s eyeing a new program at Our Lady of Lourdes called Angel Food Ministries; a training session was held last week. The Georgia-based program purchases restaurant-grade food in bulk and passes the savings — about 50 percent of retail cost — through a network of church host sites in 35 states.
Evaristo worries about the poor, and wonders if Angel Ministry will help those who received the Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets, some of whom may not be able to pay the reduced price. He believes their needs are far greater than his. “I’ll find a job,” he said. “They’re the ones who need our prayers.”
Printed with permission from the Dialog, newspaper for the Diocese of Wilmington, Deleware.