Many Catholics look to certain Scripture passages that guide them in their life and relationship with Christ. For Jim Pecchio, Luke 12:48 — “much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more” — encapsulates a strong faith life built on stewardship.
“I have been given so much in my life that I want to share the many gifts God has given me,” Jim says.
Of all the gifts he has received, Jim is especially grateful for his wife, Lynda. The couple has been blessed with two children and three grandchildren.
“We have shared 53 wonderful, fun-filled, and loving years of marriage,” Jim says. “She is my best friend, and I’m more in love with her each day. We share so much together.”
Both Jim and Lynda are cradle Catholics, and both grew up in large Italian families. As Jim recalls, “I was 10 years old before I realized that not everybody was Italian and Catholic.” He credits his father for paving the way for his Catholic faith.
“I could not have progressed so far into my faith without the gifts of support, encouragement, and help from my entire family,” Jim says. “The most significant gift my father ever gave me was his faith. He shared his time, talent, and treasure by actively participating in several church-related activities.”
Jim joined St. Joseph’s in 1981, shortly after his family moved to Amherst. Jim truly lived a Stewardship way of life and first became involved by attending a Christ Renews His Parish retreat. Jim has served in many ministries over the years and is an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion at Mass and for the homebound.
“The best gift I’ve been given serving as a Eucharistic Minister to the Homebound is knowing that there were a few times when I may have given the last Holy Communion to a resident in Amherst Manor,” Jim says. “When you come into their room the next week, and they are no longer there, you know that they now reside in heaven.”
Serving on the Stewardship Committee has been a blessing for Jim. He has learned so much from the other team members over the past sixteen years.
“What I like about working with this team is that we are helping to bring members of our church closer to Christ by enabling them to share their time, talent, and treasure in one or more of our 43 ministries,” Jim says.
In addition, Jim is also a member of the St. Joseph Vincentians and the Men’s Group. He sends a big thanks to all the parishioners who support the Vincentians.
“I always have a compassionate, fulfilling, and humbling experience every time I place bags of food into the cars of the people we serve,” he says. “Their expression of thankfulness and relief gives me a wonderful feeling knowing that I helped alleviate a little of their hunger.”
Lynda is so inspired by Jim and all he does for the parish. She’s gotten involved in many of the same ministries.
“As a result of volunteering to help him out behind the scenes, I’ve become more deeply involved than I ever expected,” she says. “That involvement has enriched my life by bringing me closer to our parish family here at St. Joseph’s.”
In their free time, Jim and Lynda enjoy spending time with their children, grandchildren, and extended family. In addition, Lynda enjoys reading, typically she reads over one hundred books a year and Jim has an extensive collection of baseball cards.