We continue here our series highlighting the members of the Priests for Life Family who serve or have served on our staff and pastoral team.
Erica McCullough was hired to do one of the toughest jobs at Priests for Life – scheduling the travels for Father Frank Pavone, Janet Morana, Alveda King and the rest of the always-on-the-move pastoral team. She is more than up to the task!
The native of Cocoa Beach was living and working in Pennsylvania when she met her husband, Mike. The couple then moved to Georgia for five years before Mike was offered his dream job and the couple moved back to Erica’s home town.
But finding a new job for Erica was proving tougher than she had anticipated.
“When we moved back to Florida, I was struggling to find a job and couldn’t figure out why. I had applied to several positions and was getting turned down for jobs that I had been doing for several years by this time. I couldn’t understand how I was perfectly qualified to these positions but not getting them,” she says.
She had reconnected with a friend and mentor who helped the couple find their house, and when Erica mentioned that she was still looking for a job, the friend told her about Priests for Life and the travel coordinator’s job.
“I applied for the position without knowing much about it and left it in God’s hands,” she says. “When I interviewed, I felt an instant connection with everyone and I knew this was where God wanted me. I didn’t realize until after I started working that God was directing my steps the entire time and He alone was closing doors that He didn’t want me to walk through.”
Erica says she’s excited to be working for a ministry – “something bigger than me. I have always struggled with how my gifts are really serving God and how to use them in ministry. Now, I no longer have that struggle and I know exactly how God is using me in ministry!”
After growing very close with her “work family” in Georgia, Erica is excited to be adding to that family at Priests for Life.
“I love working with the staff,” she says. “Everyone has gone out of their way to make sure I was welcomed and they immediately treated me like I belong with them. Everyone has offered to help me in some way to make sure I was learning all the details that I needed to. I have never felt this comfortable starting a new job.”
Erica is equally enthusiastic about her new bosses.
“I love working with Father Frank and Janet! They have covered me with so much grace and mercy as I am learning all of the technical details of this position. I love hearing about the history of the ministry and it gives me so much peace to know I’m working for something so important.”
Erica’s parents and grandmother live nearby, while Mike’s family is still in Pennsylvania. The couple share their home with a rabbit, Ziachek, whose name in Russian means “wild rabbit.”
“Ziachek’s older sister, Lydia, was a German shepherd who crossed the Rainbow Bridge right before Thanksgiving of this year,” Erica says.