MERRILLVILLE – Each time diocesan property manager David Moore gathers with his family, especially with his sister and his mother, the moments are cherished. Prayers and the support of those he works with have helped the family gain comfort as they navigate through the uncertain waters of a family health crisis.
Moore said he has many reasons to believe that prayer is the answer to the vexing challenges in life and “God’s permissive will allows only the crosses he desires for us.” His vocational journey has been shaped by resolutions he trumpets as divine interventions.
Moore manages the maintenance and improvement of diocesan-owned properties. Known as a contractor manager, handyman and friend to many diocesan faithful, he said he gets inspiration from his mother, Irene Moore, who, at 87, is a vibrant woman and coordinator with Meals on Wheels, a position she has held since 1995.
“She’s amazing,” said Moore, a 1987 graduate of Merrillville High School. “My mother is instrumental in my taking my faith seriously, because I have watched her do it.”
He credits his resourcefulness and mechanical know-how to his dad, a gift his late father Robert Moore helped to cultivate early in his life. As a young teen, David Moore was known for his technical tinkering – such as the time he disassembled and reassembled the bicycle his parents bought as a gift for him.
These skills have come in handy when he’s been called to do a variety of tasks, from replacing light fixtures high above the nave of the Cathedral of the Holy Angels in Gary to coordinating the renovation of living quarters at Camp Lawrence in Porter County.
“Camp Lawrence is a peaceful place and I live there; it’s just a different dynamic when you live where you work,” Moore said. “My radar is always working.”
The youngest of five siblings, Moore said in his early years he was a “nominal Catholic,” but experienced a “deep conversion” at the passing of his father, who was found in the family den clutching his rosary.
Drawing from a treasure of resources that have manifested in his life, Moore maintains his own well-formed, regimented prayer life that has helped him manage his expansive workload and stay connected to his mother and his siblings.
Such spiritual commitment has helped the diocesan staff member especially when, on New Year’s weekend, his sister Debbie Anderson, 56, had a stroke and was hospitalized at St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart. Her speech has remained labored since then, and she is battling acute pain in her arm.
Moore credits the response of his family, especially his mother and his brother Michael, in rallying the group and stepping up to assist their elderly mother, with whom Anderson has lived. Additionally, support poured in from Pastoral Center employees after an email update about his sister’s health emergency was circulated.
Moore’s colleagues communicated their emotional support and prayerful pledges. At the regular Pastoral Center Holy Spirit Chapel Masses, intentions were presented to the Lord for Anderson’s recovery.
He is also “very grateful” for a meeting to which Bishop Robert J. McClory called him where the diocesan shepherd prayed for the efficacy of his sister’s rehab and that God would grant her health, according to Moore.
“Also, when my sister first had the stroke, several people from the Pastoral Center prepared meals for my mom and sister on a rotating basis,” said Moore. “I just wanted to say I appreciate that.”
Additional praise is due to Camp Lawrence retreat director Debbie Pishkur, who Moore said has been an invaluable partner in bringing the diocesan grounds up to standard. He remains grateful for her being a “spiritual companion and the best of friends.”
In busy and troubled times, Moore connects to the writings of St. Paul, and the lessons articulated by St. John Paul II regarding the “paradox of weakness and strength,” and “uniting our sufferings to those of Christ.”
“Those who share in Christ’s sufferings have before their eyes the Paschal Mystery of the Cross and Resurrection, in which Christ descends, in a first phase, to the ultimate limits of human weakness … if at the same time in this weakness there is accomplished his lifting up, confirmed by the power of the Resurrection, then this means that the weaknesses of all human sufferings are capable of being infused with the same power of God manifested in Christ’s cross.” – St. John Paul II
The family’s health crisis has brought Moore and his brother and four sisters into closer proximity. But he also hopes the tireless devotion and faith of his mother will help them “more appreciate” her example of faith.
Moore’s vocational journey – a search for the best, most sustainable way for him to apply his talents and answer a calling – has included his pursuing five years of formation with the Conventional Franciscans at Marytown Franciscan Retreat & Conference Center in Libertyville, Ill. He said he “was on my way, one year away” from taking his permanent vows to become a brother.
More than five years ago, finding himself enduring a “long struggle” of backbreaking construction work, the answer to a novena for career direction came in the form of a phone call and job offer from then-diocesan chief of staff Michael Wick, a former associate at Marytown, who said a new position was created within the diocese to help oversee contractors and help control costs.
“I decided to do a 30-day novena to St. Joseph, specifically asking for a new job. After the 30th day of the novena I got a call from Mike Wick,” said Moore, explaining he didn’t know how Wick got his number. “Mike said, ‘You know (then-) Bishop Donald J. Hying and I came up with this idea and the diocese has never had this kind of a role...”
From discerning a religious vocation, to proposing the formation of a new Eucharistic-centered order, to exhausting work for a cement firm, Moore believes he has found his place in life by reflecting on the kind of care that those around him, particularly among the diocesan staff in Merrillville, have offered.
“I’m grateful every single day,” Moore said. “I feel comfortable coming here and telling everyone what’s going on in my life and what I need help and prayers with ... this is my family.”