Estela Reyes-Bugg to Retire After 30 Years of Saying Yes to Service

Estela Reyes-Bugg always knew that God was calling her to a prayerful life of service to those in need. She has consistently responded to that call with a faithful, love-filled “yes.” “This is what God wants from me,” Reyes-Bugg said as she reflected on 30 years working with countless ministries within Catholic Charities of Philadelphia. Her retirement is scheduled for June. “As a teenager, I thought that I was going to change the whole world. I’m still trying. It was a call in my heart that I needed to serve.” That calling has led her to play a litany of roles in serving God’s people, all of which she responded to with total willingness. “She is someone who always says yes when it comes to answering God’s call (with) so many different roles over the course of her career,” said Dr. Jim Black, the director of the Youth Services Division at Catholic Charities of Philadelphia. “Whenever she was asked to do something, she always said yes.” Reyes-Bugg, who belongs to St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties section, was working for another social services agency in 1996 when she responded to a supervisor’s call from Casa del Carmen, an agency of Catholic Charities that serves the Spanish-speaking communities of North Philadelphia. She soon joined the agency. “It was serving families to prevent removing their children from home. I basically thought, ‘Well, this is representing the Church,’” she said. “In every family that I was working with, I saw so much injustice going on, but also a lack of support.” She fulfilled that role until 2002 before being called to begin the Office for Community Development for a year. She then helped launch the Cardinal Bevilacqua Community Center in Kensington, running it for 10 years. Following that stint she led efforts to help organize volunteers to serve in numerous areas of Catholic Charities. In 2016, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput called for the launch of Project Rachel, post-abortion healing ministry of the archdiocesan Office for Life and Family with support by Catholic Charities. “What attracted me to this ministry is that I was contributing to the Kingdom of God by helping those women in pain after the loss of a child to come back to God, to come back to church,” she said. “I had a core group that I recruited (as) volunteers, mostly pastors and religious sisters. And I said, ‘I’m alone here, I need you.’ So it’s how we started Project Rachel.” But she wasn’t done in launching new social service projects for the archdiocese, as she was called to open Fatima Catholic Outreach Center in Bensalem. Reyes-Bugg says throughout her career, she has always believed that “God doesn’t choose the qualified. He qualifies the chosen.” Her varied experiences reveal that God profoundly qualified her. Black considers her a “Swiss army knife” of skills, connections, resources, and openness to fulfill God’s mission. “Estela is clearly one of those people who is driven by her faith, her love, her compassion, and that drive manifests itself,” Black said. “She knows absolutely everyone. Her outreach is just incredible. Her network of all the people that she knows is incredible, the connections that she can make, the ways that she can help people because of those connections, the way she can get people together and get people to the resources they need. She’s incredible.” Reyes-Bugg holds a passion for people that reflects how she sees Christ in those she encounters daily, in every walk and facet of life. “Pope Francis said that famous phrase about encountering, ‘There’s nothing more beautiful in this world than encountering a person,’” she said. “I think I get fed by being around people. It’s my passion to identify needs. The power is in the relationship. I just always keep thinking about the Gospel, Jesus building that relationship, bringing the apostles with Him and say, ‘Come and see, come and see, come with me.’ “I find so many good people that are also willing to embrace the mission of God, willing to embrace each other. I’m delighted by that, and that’s what gives me energy.” In March she cut down her in-office time before she completes her tenure in June. In retirement she will prioritize care for her family, but she will never stop her calling to compassion. “I don’t think I will ever retire from serving,” she said. “It’s nice to be home, not thinking about deadlines and get up so early (but) there are always chances to continue doing the work of Jesus.” Reyes-Bugg, as always, will keep saying “yes” to the Lord’s calling. “Thank you, Lord,” she tells God, “and I’m here to do your will.” Share this story