2023 Catholic Schools Week

From the darkness he has known, Etling strives to be a light for people in need

As the agency director of Catholic Charities Terre Haute, John Etling, left, has always been hands-on in bringing food, hope and dignity to people in need. (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

The words hit home for John Etling.

“I read something recently that said, ‘God is more present in the darkest moments,’ ” Etling says. “Those words give me comfort because we all have our dark moments.”

Etling has experienced tough times at different points in his own life, including suffering a heart attack about six months ago. Yet as he works to strengthen and rehabilitate his heart, the 63-year-old father of five also pours it out for others as he continues to lead Catholic Charities Terre Haute, the archdiocesan agency that strives to give hope and dignity to people in western Indiana in need of food, shelter, job training and counseling.

“It’s a sense of knowing that we meet people at some of the toughest moments in their lives—and there’s a chance to help them turn their lives around,” says Etling, who has led the agency since 2005.

“There are a lot of people hurting in this society. The people we help often have no place else to turn. We’re just trying to play some role in putting their lives back together. One of our volunteers said it would be dire to think of our community without having Catholic Charities here.”

This year marks the 50th one that Catholic Charities Terre Haute has served this part of the archdiocese. In many ways, the agency has been a family affair as Etling’s father—the late John E. Etling—helped start it. And Etling’s mother Patricia worked alongside her husband for years.

As the second of their 10 children and the oldest son, Etling first became involved in the agency as a volunteer, wanting to please his parents. Now he is part of the family legacy that has always had the Catholic faith as its foundation.

“If it wasn’t for my faith, I wouldn’t know where I’d be,” he says. “I’ve always felt I’ve been blessed to be given at my birth a loving family, my mom and dad and my Catholic faith. It’s carried me through a lot of tough times.

“My faith hasn’t always answered my questions about those times, but it’s reminded me I have a purpose in life. I feel better about my life that I’m trying to help people who are struggling in ways I’m not struggling.”

Besides his family, he credits the development of his faith to his eight years as a student at St. Patrick School in

Terre Haute—where he graduated in 1974—and his two years at the former Archbishop Paul C. Schulte High School in Terre Haute.

“It felt like a family environment. There was a strong sense of belonging,” Etling says about his Catholic education. “It was a caring, nurturing environment and a healthy dose of structure. Certain conduct was expected, and there certainly was the presence of religion. I was an altar boy. That was a privilege for me.

“I think a lot about those innocent years now. It allowed me to focus on the most important things—just to realize what we can offer the world in return. There is probably a connection to what I do now.”

His work has helped lead him to a deeper relationship with God.

“I’m probably as involved in my faith as I’ve ever been in my life. I feel I’m in a very healthy place in my relationship with God these days. I have a lot of gratitude and awe for his love of me, for his love of all of us. Because I know how flawed I am and how loved I am by him. I feel like I’m his son, and he’s my father. Maybe that’s what drives me. I’m trying to earn his acceptance.”

He’s also striving for a goal that he considers the essence of his eight years of education at St. Patrick School.

“Part of what I learned at St. Pat’s is that our goal is to get to heaven and to bring as many people with us as we can. To do that, we have to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and our Savior. Our mission is to strive to become saints. I’m nowhere near that, but imagine what the world would be like if more of us followed that blueprint.

“I think the biggest satisfaction we can have is helping somebody else, whether it’s someone in our family or someone we’ve never met before. The most significant thing I got out of my years of Catholic education is there is no substitute for being of service to others.”

He thinks again of his life in the context of those words about God being more present in our darkest moments.

“I’ve been knocked down, and I keep getting back up. I’ve been blessed in this world, and I want to pay it forward.” †