‘A tsunami of goodwill’

Jim Cuggino, who had been a driving force behind recent “Generations of Faith” gatherings, died on Oct. 21. In his wake he leaves a legacy of building connections, relationships and helping to create "a tsunami of goodwill." (Provided photo)

Jim Cuggino was a new friend. I had started a podcast with the Diocese, it was only four-and-a- half minutes long at the time. The Director of Evangelization, Tom Cronin, suggested I interview Jim, a 90-year-old parishioner who had been a driving force behind recent “Generations of Faith” gatherings.

Our first meeting was a phone call. It didn’t take long to learn that Jim had a deep faith, a love of God and a desire to share it. I left that phone conversation a better person. Jim had hope and it came from his relationship with God.

I traveled to St. Clement’s Church in Saratoga Springs to meet my new friend in person and to record the podcast with Jim, sharing how he felt called to serve God with his life. He shared much wisdom in that four-and-a-half minutes. Here is a link if you would like to listen. It’s Episode 16: https://www.rcda.org/calledtoservepodcast. 

Our friendship didn’t end there. After that day, I was blessed to get calls from Jim periodically. He preached the value of relationship, not just with words, but in action. It is who he was. It is what made him special. He had a deep relationship with God, a deep love and he shared that so effortlessly with all who were blessed to cross his path.

One day, Jim asked if he could visit our office. He spent time with me and my staff of two, joining us for our weekly team meeting. He got so excited as he listened to us plan ways to serve, discussing plans for the diocesan website, social media pages and sharing parish events. He longed to connect people and build relationships. There is such wisdom in that.

Jim went home to be with God on Oct. 21. I will miss Jim. I will miss those unexpected phone calls, seeing his name on caller ID, knowing that I was about to be inspired, to connect with someone who always seemed to bring me closer to God. 

He may be gone, but his spirit lives on. We can all honor Jim by looking for opportunities to connect with others, to build up rather than tear down, to inspire, not through any grand acts, but simply by listening, learning, and being kind. As Jim was fond of saying, we can all help to create “a tsunami of goodwill.”

Kathy Barrans is Director of Communications for the Diocese of Albany.