St. Paul couple serves as Call to Share honorary chairpersons

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Carlos and Mireya Torres lead a busy life, and are active parishioners at St. Paul Parish in Olathe. But they’re soon to take it up a notch.

The Torreses have long been supporters of the Archbishop’s Call to Share appeal. Now, in 2022, they will serve as the honorary chairpersons of the campaign.

“It is an honor to our family to represent the community of the archdiocese,” they said. “The only way we can give back all the grace God has poured on us is through serving others and helping our archbishop to meet his Call to Share goals.”

The Torreses are advocates for the Spanish-speaking community through a range of activities. They participate in “¿Por Qué Ser Católico?” (“Why Be Catholic?”), serve as a lead couple for marriage preparation and lead the V Encuentro process for St. Paul Parish and the archdiocese.

In 2017, Carlos had the honor of participating in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops “Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America” as the only Spanish-speaking layperson of the delegation for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

Carlos and Mireya have instilled the importance of service in their two children, Sofia and Esteban. Sofia spent a summer working with refugees through Catholic Charities; Esteban serves as an altar server.

The Torres family also volunteers for their parish hospitality ministry, Good Samaritan Nursing Home ministry and in “Enflame Our Hearts.”

“As a family, we try to help people feel comfortable in becoming leaders in our church,” said Carlos. “This is accomplished thanks to the vision of our pastor, Father Michael Hermes, who championed our leadership.”

“We are the body of Christ; in this, we are united as a family,” continued Carlos. “Together, we walk in our faith path, and it is our duty to work hand in hand. At the end of the day, the questions will be: How much did you help those in need? How selfless were you?

“We need to support each other and our communities. In this way, we will always be able to make a loving impact in the lives of others.”

Gifts to the Archbishop’s Call to Share appeal support more than 40 offices, agencies and ministries throughout northeast Kansas, including parishes like St. Paul.

“Our responsibility as Catholics is to strive to help the church,” the couple concluded. “We all have had a unique spiritual path, we may belong to many parishes, but we belong to a single Church.

“That is why we must help each other, and support Archbishop Joseph Naumann’s Call to Share.”

Please prayerfully consider renewing or making a first-time gift to the Archbishop’s Call to Share appeal today.