The home of La Verne Papich is a wonderland of books, family photos, and precious heirlooms. Every piece has a story as unique as the woman herself.
La Verne has spent fifty years in the education system, teaching children Faith Formation. She has worked at several schools and volunteered much of her free time in the name of spreading love and learning.
Mrs. Papich grew up in South Chicago, where her teaching career began. Her young cousin in law was not allowed to take communion because of a mental disability. He wanted to though! So La Verne took him to the pastor, and asked that her cousin be taught the Sacraments. The pastor told her that she could try to teach him, and if she succeeded, the boy could take communion.
She was successful, and her cousin was only the beginning. La Verne believes strongly that life is about learning. When she was very young she used to help cloister nuns sneak out of their convent in order to attend seminary classes. When a pastor caught her, he invited her to attend class too.
“You get a taste of learning,” she says, “and you never stop. You want to keep learning. The more you know, the more you want to know. There will always be more questions.”
La Verne started teaching in Chicago but transferred to Bishop Noll High School of Hammond in 1970. Her family moved into the cozy home she still shares with her husband. She spent ten years at Bishop Noll, then two at Marquette in Michigan City, four years at Andrean High School, and a decade at St Bridgette in Hobart.
“Faith is something that grows,” she said. “When they are little and you see them… the love is really fantastic.”
Her course was always Faith Formation but she liked to implement other subjects, to make a rounded student. Writing well and knowing your numbers is important, no matter the class. “I taught children to make choices, and to stand up for those choices.”
Meanwhile she continued to help her community in other ways. Her parents raised her with a civic mind and a need to service the people around her. So when she was asked to organize and decorate a library for the children in East Chicago, she did it. When she was asked to act as crossing guard to guide children safely to school, she did.
When she saw an opportunity to volunteer at Portage Hospital, she did. “Life doesn’t go on unless we help other people,” she explains. For the hospital she helped guests, patients, doctors, and nurses get where they needed to be. She built a gift shop with her supervisor, Ella Kavris. La Verne even took classes to learn the medical codes.
This year she was awarded with a 3000 hour volunteer pin, to commemorate her dedication. Since joining the hospital’s crew, she has worked every Wednesday.
In 2004, she was given the St Catherine of Sienna award, which recognizes outstanding catechists. It was an honor, she said, because it was out of every religious teacher in the state. It is a big deal.
As much as La Verne has helped the community, the community has tried to give back to her. “It’s a homey atmosphere,” she describes Portage. “It makes you feel like this is home. This is where I want to be. The people are friendly, and helpful.” La Verne has been struggling lately with her husband’s Alzheimer's diagnosis. Friends and neighbors have been pitching in to relieve some of that stress.
She has met some amazing people in her life, both at home and on the road. In Chicago she shared words with Mother Theresa. She shook hands with Pope John Paul the Second. In Washington DC she came a little too close to President Harry Truman with a camera, and was nearly arrested by secret service men.
La Verne’s life has been a blessing that she attributes to her raising and her faith.
“Every time I taught, I knew: this is what I am supposed to do. Because the longer I did it, the more I got to know my own faith. This is what God asks of us. To help one another.”