Serving by Heart
Melissa Getty at St. Martin de Porres Church in Prosper on June 10. She volunteers at the church and school. (NTC/Kevin Bartram)
When you live your faith, people notice and many are inspired. This is true for Melissa Getty, who lives a vibrant life of faith visible to friends, family, and fellow parishioners at St. Martin de Porres Church in Prosper.
At the core of Getty’s faith is her “love for the Lord,” said Father Stephen Hauck, who nominated her for the diocese’s 2025 Light of Christ Award for her commitment to the faith and exceptional stewardship at St. Martin de Porres.
“It really is what motivates her in everything she does, whether it’s her home life or the things she does in the parish community,” the pastor said. “It is out of a genuine experience of faith.”
Getty said she has always felt drawn to serve.
“I think it was something the Lord put on my heart at an early age,” she explained. “I watched my grandmothers serve in their parishes. I was an altar server, and I sang in the choir. I just loved it and the flow of the Mass fascinated me.”
Getty feels it was the Lord that led her and husband, Bobby, to the Frisco area when they moved to Texas in 2013.
They purchased their home because of its proximity to St. Martin de Porres Catholic School so their two daughters could be grounded in the faith of their families. The fact that a church was being built to create a new parish community proved to be the answer to the Ohio-born Catholics’ prayers. To Getty, “it felt like home.”
After their daughters were old enough for school, Getty said, “I felt like I was able, and was willing, to dive into getting to know what the community was about and who was part of that community.”
Just as Getty joined the parish’s fall festival committee, COVID hit. Even though volunteer opportunities slowed or stopped, Getty’s name continued to circulate throughout the parish as someone who would step up, show up, and manage a project to fruition.
According to Fr. Hauck, Getty has served on just about every parish committee. She is “plugged into all aspects of the parish: in helping out, in increasing more volunteers, but also helping make different events successful.”
Getty is part of the faith formation ministry that prepares youngsters for the sacraments of reconciliation and first Communion.
She has served on the leadership team for Vacation Bible School and helped the parish transition to Totus Tuus (Totally Yours), a youth catechism summer program led by college students or seminarians who serve as missionaries.
Getty located and organized parishioners willing to house missionaries, host dinners, and create a welcoming environment for the young visitors. She recruited volunteers to assist with the daily faith-based activities to maintain the proper adult-to-student ratios and helped coordinate Safe Environment training for upwards of 60 volunteers.
Three years ago, she also joined the women’s ministry and has enjoyed being part of the group’s hospitality committee especially when “we would go to Adoration, guided reflection, and [to pray the] Rosary.”
The ministry gave Getty a chance to meet other members of the faith than what she’d expected. “I love being able to really connect with so many different people, not just seeing them at Mass,” she said. “I feel like we really come together, and I get to know a lot of people on deeper levels.”
Considering Getty’s breadth of presence at the parish, Business Manager Kathy Campbell said, “Melissa’s life is a beautiful reflection of stewardship in action — a faithful response to God’s gifts through joyful service, discipleship, and love for others. Her example inspires us all to ask how we, too, are being called to respond.”
Faith begins at home
Getty’s passion for her Catholic faith is her strength. Aside from being a participant in the Evangelical Catholic program at St. Martin de Porres — where, according to Campbell, “Melissa has embraced the mission of the Evangelical Catholic beautifully, inspiring others through her words and the example of her daily faith” — she is also part of the Devotions Ministry and was the catalyst in the parish’s reinstatement of home enthronements of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
During an enthronement ceremony, a family acknowledges Jesus as Lord, Savior, and King of the household and places a blessed image of the Sacred Heart in the center of their home.
Logistics, budget, and staff had initially made the program difficult to offer the ceremony to parishioners, and it had been phased out. With Getty’s commitment, she and fellow parishioner Kerry Rhodes were able to revive the process. The reinstated program has enthroned 15 homes, with 10 more scheduled for this summer.
“I was an adult before I learned about home enthronements and how it fulfills the ninth promise that Jesus made to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque: I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart is exposed and honored. I think I was led by the Holy Spirit to do this,” Getty said.
“Home enthronements bring the family together and reinforce love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The ceremony is just beautiful, and I am honored to be a part of the process,” she added.
The enthronements reflect Getty’s belief that faith begins at home. Her family regularly prays together, and they have been known to say the Rosary during long car trips. It is her hope that her daughters will follow in her footsteps in both faith and service. Her message to them is “You want to give glory to God every day.”
Reflecting on the experience and her five years of service at the Prosper church, Getty said, “Volunteering is how I can give back to the Lord. It is how I show my gratitude.”