“Faith becomes your foundation. If you have maintained that kind of outlook, then it’s easy to say you’ll always do the right thing. Whenever you are not sure what the right thing to do is, you get help to find out what it is. And you treat everybody with the same level of respect, no matter their background.”
By Terry Peloquin
Living your faith in the workplace can be a tricky business in today’s secular world — but not for Robert (Bob) Panza, a Marian Helper from Trumbull, Connecticut. Bob leads a successful wealth management team with a major global investment bank.
“Faith becomes your foundation,” Bob says. “If you have maintained that kind of outlook, then it’s easy to say you’ll always do the right thing. Whenever you are not sure what the right thing to do is, you get help to find out what it is. And you treat everybody with the same level of respect, no matter their background.”
Bob’s faith also means he adheres to the very highest standards of integrity. “It happens maybe once a decade that you get presented with somebody who wants to become a client and there’s an ethical barometer that’s missing,” he says. “You don’t take them as a client.”
Put to the test
That strong faith was put to the test when Bob faced a major health crisis. At 41, he passed all the medical tests but one: a PSA blood test to screen for prostate cancer. The score of nearly 9 was considered off the charts for someone his age.
A few days after having a biopsy done, Bob received a call from the urologist’s office. “I knew right away what that meant,” Bob recalls. “The doctor says, ‘It’s cancerous. It’s serious.’ I couldn’t believe what was happening. I wanted to wake up and find that it’s not really there.”
The next morning, Bob began his day by going to Mass. “I prayed for all the things that you pray for,” he says. “But I added that I want to see my two young children grow up.” Bob also sought the counsel of his pastor.
Bob walked away from church a changed man. “I was confident, I was no longer concerned,” he relates. “I knew God would take care of it — and He did. I had the surgery and have been fine ever since.”
Bob is now 67, and recalling the experience still chokes him up. “Those two young boys are both adults. One’s married and has two young children. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank God.”
Discovering Eden
Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Bob and his family would vacation in the Berkshires at Lake Garfield, not far from the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy. About 20 years ago, he and his wife, Maria, visited the Shrine for the first time — and were hooked.
“We love coming up to Eden Hill,” Bob says. “We’ll come up for 1 p.m. Confessions, Adoration, Mass, and devotions — an entire afternoon. It’s a very calming spiritual experience just to walk the grounds and be there, grateful for God’s loving mercy in our lives.” As donors, their name is inscribed on one of the stained-glass windows of the Mother of Mercy Outdoor Shrine.
He and Maria fondly recall attending Divine Mercy Sunday at the National Shrine before the pandemic. “It was incredible,” Bob says. “There were 20,000 people there, an enormously diverse crowd, and it rained. Yet no one complained. There was a feeling of peace, love, faith, and solidarity across the entire grounds. We sat down next to an Ecuadorian couple who had set up a picnic for themselves and their kids — and they invited us to sit with them like we’re part of the family.
“That’s not the kind of instant friendliness that a New Yorker expects!” he quips.
Discovering Cana
On Oct. 22, the Panzas celebrated 45 years of marriage. Five years ago, they made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and renewed their marriage vows at the Wedding Church at Cana.
Bob encourages anyone, especially married couples, to grab any opportunity to go to the Holy Land. “Your faith goes up beyond anything you can imagine by just the experience of being there,” he says. “It’s how we feel when we visit Eden Hill, only compounded about a hundredfold.”
On Bob’s desk at work are a pair of Rosary beads and a case with Pope Francis’ picture on it (blessed by the Holy Father during a pilgrimage Bob made to Rome with Maria). There’s also a crucifix.
“Anyone who comes into my office sees these objects,” he notes. “I find that, even in the secular world, people value and respect the fact that you’re a person of faith.
Blessings
“When you help somebody out of the goodness of your heart, God sees it,” he continues. “But nobody else has to know about it. You’re not looking for something in return. You’re doing it out of your heart and because of your faith, and you move on. The result of that is in God’s hands.”
When he prays his daily Rosary, Bob adds, “I remember two very important people. I thank Mother Mary for listening to me and carrying my intentions to God, and to Jesus for listening to my intentions and protecting my family.”
“I will forever be grateful for the blessings I have received all throughout my life,” Bob concludes. “I have learned first-hand as I have advanced in my career that blessedness isn’t about power, wealth, having good luck or esteem and popularity. Blessedness isn’t about being applauded for doing great things in the spotlight of the world. According to Jesus, blessedness is about always trying to live our lives in relationship with Him with an attitude of simplicity, gentleness, compassion, and extending friendship to everyone that I meet.”
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