Faces of the Valley: Guardian Angels parishioner Joan Cupec 'born into' church volunteerism

As the Guardian Angels Parish Summer Festival draws hundreds to its carnival for four straight days, an army of volunteers is sweating in the basement kitchen, drumming up hot sausage sandwiches and French fries.

Among the workers is Joan Cupec of Creighton, buzzing between stations to slice fruit or whip batter for the carnival’s ever-popular funnel cakes — which command a line that snakes around the parking lot.

“Most of the people have been there for years, so it’s a fine-tuned machine,” said Cupec, 61.

“It’s a lot of work cooking and getting all the food ready every night, but, really, it works like a dream.”

Truth be told, Cupec can be found lending a hand at the parish on any given day of the year.

A lifelong member of the now-defunct Holy Family in East Deer, Cupec said she was born into a life of church service. Holy Family was one of five churches closed by Guardian Angels Parish last year.

“I had been with Holy Family my entire life because my grandfather, Joseph Kengor, was part of the group that started the church,” she said. “He set the standard for our family for helping out the poor through his work with St. Vincent de Paul and the Knights of Columbus.

“His volunteerism is what I looked up to as a child.”

Cupec said she never questioned how much time she gave to the church because, as a youngster, she saw her mother serve as the organist and other members of her family pitch in as well.

Now, as an adult, Cupec is a member of the pastoral council, which acts as a liaison between administrators and parishioners.

“We help the clergy team and discuss ideas for moving forward,” she said. “We listen to what the undercurrent of the parish is and act as eyes and ears for everyone’s concerns.”

Cupec also volunteers with the vacation Bible school, teaches catechism to third graders, sings in the choir and can be found, once again, in the kitchen during the parish’s Lenten fish fry.

The knack for pierogi pinching and devising other savory treats came early on when, as a grade school student at Deer Lakes, Cupec would run across the street after class to help with fundraisers at Holy Family.

“We were known for our Eastern European treats like kolache,” she said, comparing them to a nutroll.

The church ladies were experts in making pagach — a Slovakian meal sort of like a pierogi, only larger.

“It’s about 5 inches or so of sweet dough stuffed with potatoes or sauerkraut,” Cupec said.

Her efforts today stir nostalgia for Cupec that makes the work worthwhile.

Guardian Angels administrator Tom Babinsack said Cupec is a model volunteer.

“She is a huge help to the parish,” he said.

“We have a lot of great parishioners that get involved and help out with events. What sets Joan apart is that she is always there, at everything we do, giving her heart and soul to our mission.”

Cupec said she enjoys all aspects of the work, especially teaching the elementary schoolchildren.

“Instilling the religion to the young is probably my favorite,” she said. “I hope they carry the love of God with them.”

Also, she believes giving back is the right thing to do and said she hopes to set an example for younger parishioners.

“One of the nicest things is the Ladies of Charity group that we started — it’s a branch of St. Vincent de Paul — so it makes me think of my grandfather,” Cupec said.

“I know he’s happy looking down on me.”