What makes you happy?: Seniors find happiness in faith and family

St. Paul Hermitage resident Joan Shevlin straightens a ribbon on a Christmas wreath on Nov. 29 near the chapel at the retirement home operated by the Sisters of St. Benedict of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove.

By Mary Ann Wyand

Smiling, Joan Shevlin straightened the ribbon on a large Christmas wreath hanging on a wall near the chapel at the St. Paul Hermitage in Beech Grove.

A resident of the hermitage, Shevlin finds happiness in her faith, family and friends.

It is the intangible things, the priceless things, she said, that bring joy and meaning to life.

Shevlin believes that people who are searching for happiness in life will find it if they pray to God and ask him for help.

“I don’t know what I would do without prayer,” she said, emotion evident in her voice. “I pray for good health and happiness every day. I find great happiness in being able to go to Mass at the chapel here and receive the Eucharist every day. I’m very fortunate.”

Shevlin and her late husband, Jim, were longtime members of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Indianapolis and the owners of the Anchor Inn, a popular restaurant formerly located in the Irvington neighborhood on the east side.

She wishes that they would have been able to have children, but cherishes her memories of their 40 years in business together and the countless friends they made at the restaurant before they retired and moved to Monticello, Ind.

After her husband died of cancer, Shevlin moved to the hermitage in 2006. She is happy living near her sisters in an apartment at the beautifully maintained retirement home, which is a ministry of the Sisters of St. Benedict of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove.

“I enjoy being around people,” she said. “I’ve met a lot of nice friends here and we do a lot of things together. We play cards, especially euchre, … and bingo. … We go to plays and go shopping and have fun.”

Her friend, Katherine Svarczkopf, a member of St. Lawrence Parish in Indianapolis for 11 years, was widowed 12 years ago and moved to the St. Paul Hermitage in 2005.

She likes spending time with her friends at the hermitage and said her three sons—Frank Jr., Chris and Msgr. Mark Svarczkopf—are happy because she is happy there.

“I found happiness coming here,” she explained. “It’s a place of leisure and retreat, but I’ve found that I can help my family by prayer. We’re all a family here.”

Before retiring, Katherine Svarczkopf worked in retail sales then as volunteer coordinator and a costumed docent conducting tours at the historic President Benjamin Harrison Home in Indianapolis from 1974 until 1986.

Now she enjoys helping hermitage residents as a “Visiting Angel” volunteer and an extraordinary minister of holy Communion.

She said her son’s call from God to the priesthood made her very happy.

“We were always glad for him,” she said, mentioning her late husband, Frank. “Mark had talked about it since about the eighth-grade.”

To find happiness in life, she recommends that people “join in things and keep busy.”

Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ parishioner Lucious Newsom of Indianapolis founded the Lord’s Pantry 19 years ago to help poor people living in Marion County as a volunteer during his retirement years.

Now 91 and battling cancer, Newsom sang “Amazing Grace” during a Catholic Business Exchange meeting that featured Gov. Mitch Daniels as the keynote speaker on Nov. 16 at the St. Pius X Council’s Northside Knights of Columbus Hall in Indianapolis.

After the program, Newsom collected donations for the Lord’s Pantry and Anna’s House, a newer ministry to the poor, and smiled as he reflected on his definition of happiness.

“Loving Jesus,” he said. “That says it all. What brings happiness to me is to know God.”

He joined the Catholic Church after moving from Tennessee to Indianapolis 20 years ago, and said he lives by his faith every moment of every day.

“I always say, ‘Praise God,’ ” he explained. “Faith is hopeful. I have cancer, but my faith is going to make me whole. … Pray and your worries are all gone. … The Lord keeps me going every day—every step, every move—with his love.”

St. Augustine Home for the Aged residents Bill and Louise Ryan moved from Fishers, Ind., to the Little Sisters of the Poor home in Indianapolis in 2006 after volunteering there for 12 years.

“Happiness means different things to different people,” he said. “Some people will tell you that happiness to them means winning the lottery or getting a good job.”

They were married in Union, N.J., on Oct. 22, 1949, and celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary at the St. Augustine Home. They still enjoy holding hands.

“Happiness means to me having a lovely wife, three sons—Timothy, William Jr. and John—and six grandchildren,” he said. “Life is just very happy for me. I really have been very blessed. The day we got married, I was thrilled to death.”

Louise Ryan said her definition of happiness is “mostly family and, of course, Bill. He’s a great guy. Don’t tell everybody, but he’s a great husband. I love the little notes he leaves for me. We’ve been very lucky, and I think we’re very blessed to be living here in this wonderful home. We’re very blessed to be with the Little Sisters. We still volunteer here. We enjoy it.”

She said they love to visit family members in New Jersey and spend time with their grandchildren.

“I enjoy doing things for our grandchildren,”

she said. “We just got some great news. Our grand-daughter is getting married next year. This is the first grandchild getting married, and we’re just hoping we live long enough to have a great-grandchild.”

To find happiness in life, she said, rely on your faith and try to solve your problems by asking God and people that you trust for advice or help.

“I always pray,” she said. “When I have problems, I pray and I feel that that’s what’s helping me.”

Their friend, St. Augustine resident Rose Tobias, a longtime member of St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Indianapolis, has lived at the Little Sisters’ home for eight years. She and her late husband, Armando, raised six children.

“Happiness is a virtue and you cannot buy it,” Tobias said. “When you make people happy, it makes you feel happy. When you can spread happiness, it makes the world a joyful and peaceful place.” †