By Alice Huth-Derrah
Having lived a rich and varied life in her home state of New York, Joan Zombek recently joined St. Elizabeth Seton parish on the “recommendation of a friend.” Joan and one of her three sons, Robert, moved to Arizona a year ago, and she says that when she sold her home in New York, the “snow shovel and blower went with it.” Joan is smart, funny, and a woman of action. As a life-long Catholic, she is filled with love for her faith, stating “I appreciate our rich Catholic faith increasingly as time goes on. We receive tremendous grace through the Sacraments.”
Born in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, Joan and her younger sister and brother grew up in the borough of Queens, in a neighborhood called Woodhaven. She describes herself and her siblings as “second generation American grandchildren of Polish immigrants” and says her grandparents were “very important in our lives…we regularly celebrated traditions of our Polish ancestors.” Living next door to a bustling city like New York afforded Joan the opportunity to “attend live ballet, opera, and Broadway theatre.” Joan’s parents “made sure we attended Mass and received the sacraments,” and she was enrolled in Catholic schools through high school. While at Dominican Commercial High School, an all-girls school, Joan “excelled in acquiring Spanish-language skills,” which led to an opportunity to spend time in Spain and Portugal. After marriage and children, Joan was able to go back to school and earned an Associate Liberal Arts Degree, a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish/Education, and a Master of Science in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). After working with adults to help them prepare to take the General Education Development (GED) Test, Joan secured a position in public education teaching Spanish and ESOL in Florida and New York. Her job enabled her to meet, befriend, and support many immigrant families. Joan recalls that “Although it was subtle, I could sometimes sense an air of intolerance…for the immigrant families,” and “In those moments, I felt even more determined to be seen with them, and as their advocate.”
Prior to leaving New York, Joan was a parishioner at St. Stephen the First Martyr where she served as a “lector, parish council member…with our Spanish-speaking ministry as a lector,” and as the “only adult altar server.” Already involved with volunteering, Joan is one of the newest writers producing articles for The Family Seton parish newsletter and is helping with the Vacation Bible School Children’s Summer Program. Joan says of St. Elizabeth Seton, “My East Coast friends are impressed with the variety and depth of activities and ministries available in this parish.” She has earned certifications as a personal trainer from the Academy of Sports Medicine and as a water-fitness instructor and works part-time for EOS Fitness as a water-fitness instructor.
Joan’s wide-ranging interests include a joy of reading, listening to music, traveling, attending theatrical performances (she will be seeing “Hamilton” this summer), learning “how to garden in the desert climate,” fitness with a holistic approach, learning more about her Polish ancestry, and spending time with her “poodle, Bettina, whom I have labeled “’a teenager in a dog’s body.’” Joan’s vibrancy seems to come from a deep faith and desire to do for others with an unflappable can-do attitude. She says, “I like to remember ’God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called,’” and says, “I remember this when I feel unprepared for a task.” If you can catch up with this very energetic woman, Joan is someone you will enjoy getting to know.
