If Dusty and Diana Hast could pick two words to describe St. Leo’s, they would be “home” and “family.”
“We know many parishioners and always acknowledge each other when we’re out and about,” Diana says. “Many will fill in at Mass when someone needs help. Everyone is friendly. It’s family.”
The couple, who joined the parish in 1999, has three adult children — Sara, Scott, and Amanda. They are also grandparents to five grandchildren — James, Chevelle, Sophia, Sierra, and Sawyer. Dusty was raised Catholic, and Diana was raised Methodist. She converted to the Catholic faith in the late 1980s.
Diana is involved in the Ladies of Leo’s, and Dusty is in the fourth-degree Knights of Columbus. He’s also a past Grand Knight, District Deputy and Faithful Navigator of the fourth degree. Dusty is also a past Empower youth leader and has served on the Parish Council. Dusty and Diana both serve as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and help train other Extraordinary Ministers. They have also helped wash coats for the annual coat drive, and have both served as greeters. The couple always made sure their children were involved, too, when they were younger. There was a joke that if Dusty and Diana volunteered, there would be five people there, as the whole family would show up!
“Get your kids involved from a young age,” Diana says. “Don’t use them as an excuse not to serve. Use serving as a teaching tool for your children. Teach them young to serve their community and, hopefully, it will encourage them to serve willingly as adults.”
For Diana, serving others should be a way of life. This is how she was raised, and she enjoys having the chance to make a difference.
“I enjoy helping others, and serving others is so fulfilling,” she says. “I don’t like to be in front of people, and I don’t like being the center of attention, but I get out of my comfort zone to serve. My advice would be to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and give serving others a chance. You will never regret it, and you will get more out of it than you ever imagined.”
Diana feels more complete when she gets involved, and Dusty feels the same. It’s a way to contribute and give yourself to our parish family.
In their free time, Dusty and Diana enjoy traveling. Each year, they try to go to a new place — sometimes in their own backyard and sometimes further. They are thankful to have so many family members around and enjoy spending time with them. They also attend their grandchildren’s activities. Dusty enjoys gardening, and Diana cans what he grows. Diana also enjoys being a teammate mentor and volunteering many hours for various activities at the United Way.