Some Jobs Are Just Not Worth It

From left, August, Tim, Nicole and Adeline Roach put their trust in God.

Photo by Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Let's say you have been unemployed since July of 2009. At that time you were laid off of your job as an electrician. You & your wife have 2 children. & while she does have a job things are still tight financially. Fast forward to February of 2011. Your unemployment is about to run out & you get a call from your union with a job offer. The offer is to be a job foreman for at least 11 months, with a salary of $65,000 to $70,000 a year. Sounds good. Sounds like an offer you can't refuse. doesn't it.

But then you find out what the job is, working on construction of a new Planned Parent­hood Clinic in St. Paul on University Avenue. Oh yeah, add to that that you are a devout Catholic family. What would you do?

Well if you were Tim Roach the answer would be simple, No thank you! & while his wife Nicole struggled with the decision because she managed the family finances, she embraced the decision as the right one.

“The first thing I wanted to do was justify [taking the job],” she said, when Tim called her moments after he turned it down. “It’s just a clinic. No, it isn’t.
“Through this whole process, our faith has deepened,” she said. “We feel like it was a test of our faith. We chose to stand by our faith.”

“In the last six months, we’ve learned to take our fears and worries and give them to God,” Nicole said. “It’s really changed me and my faith. I feel like I’m proud to be a Catholic and proud to take a stand against abortion.”

It also turns out Tim wasn't the only person to refuse what seems an irrefusable offer. Thomas Peters over @ CatholicVote.org heard from the wife of another person who turned down an offer to work on building a new Planned Parenthood building. For reasons that will quickly become obvious, Thomas Peters is keeping the person's identity secret.

"Hi, I just thought I’d let you guys know what was going on here. [My husband] was asked to go to build a new Planned Parenthood building. He refused and was given a week off (we believe this was punitive) of work. I need you to pray for the people that are working on this building because they think they are doing a good thing or because they think they have no choice.
[My husband's] boss told him “You know, I have every right to fire you because of your refusal to work on this?” [My husband] said yes. He’s not being fired, but depending on if they want to make an example of him or not, he could very well BE fired. This is the company and the work that my husband has been doing for more than 15 years . He is VERY good at doing what he does and I don’t believe he will be fired but it’s pretty scary these days. A week off of work is very bad, financially, but the lessons for the kids are a great reward, as is finding out who the people are around you that support you and may even be changed for the good by your stance! Share [My husband's] story and please pray for him to stay strong and not worry."

“In the last six months, we’ve learned to take our fears and worries and give them to God,” Nicole said. “It’s really changed me and my faith. I feel like I’m proud to be a Catholic and proud to take a stand against abortion.”

Most of us don't have to face decisions like this. But how many of us would make the same decision if we were faced with it? I would hope I would be able to.

Please keep both these men & their families in prayer. Both these men have said that some jobs are just NOT worth putting their souls at risk for, no matter the cost. They have both made a strong Pro-life statement in doing so.

As I said, the reason for Peters not mentioning the 2nd man's name should be obvious. & even without his name getting out, things are precarious at his job for his willingness to put his faith 1st.

Tim Roach is hoping to start his own business. But in the meantime he does need some income so he can save up for the expenses needed to start it.

So I echo what Thomas Peters said in his post. "If someone in Minnesota can offer Tim work, please write Dave Hrbacek, the author of the above article at hrbacekd [at] archspm.org (but don’t swamp his email!)."

Again, please keep both these men & their families in prayer that God may bless them for their decisions & provide for all their needs.

Sources: Electrician sparks life commitment by turning down abortion clinic job
Courageous: 2 Catholic Fathers – one unemployed – refuse to build Planned Parenthood clinic (+what we can do)