Terry McCarthy doesn’t look his age. At 80, he has a full
head of hair with just a few traces of gray, and he has the
slim physique of a runner – which he is. While most men of
his age are reflecting on a life well lived, McCarthy is
running, writing, teaching and ministering to people who are
his contemporaries.
For the past 16 years, McCarthy, and his wife, Teresa, have
been active in the Ministry for the Aging at St. John the
Apostle Church in Leesburg. It’s a ministry that brings
companionship and the Eucharist to seniors in retirement and
assisted living homes in Loudoun County.
But McCarthy also teaches people how to continue to live an
active life well into their golden years.
McCarthy was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He attended Campion
Jesuit High School, a boarding school in Prairie du Chien,
Wis. He graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, and
he earned a master’s degree in international relations from
the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
He was an ROTC cadet at Marquette, and in 1959 he began his
service in the U.S. Army as an intelligence officer. He
served for 20 years with tours of duty in Vietnam, Germany,
Thailand and the United States.
He started running in 1971 when he was stationed at the
Pentagon and received orders to go to parachute jump school
at Fort Benning, Ga. He was in his mid-40s – a late start in
a running career – and it began a discipline of fitness that
continues.
He retired from the Army in 1979, and started a career of
spiritual ministry, serving as assistant hospital chaplain at
Fort Belvoir from 1983 to 1998. In addition to his spiritual
vocation, he became a writer, poet and managed several
non-profit organizations; and he continued to run.
McCarthy married Teresa in 1987, the second marriage for
both.
In November, 1993, the couple experienced a catastrophic
life-changing event. Teresa’s daughter, Mara Rose Fox, was
killed by a drunk driver as she walked with friends in South
Bend, Ind. Both Mara Rose and the man who killed her were
students at the University of Notre Dame. Mara Rose was a
19-year-old freshman; the driver who hit her was a law
student. The man did not stop after he hit the young woman,
but eventually he was found by the police and charged with
leaving the scene of an accident and driving under the
influence. He was tried and acquitted.
“It was the most devastating experience you can go through,”
said McCarthy.
The couple is not bitter about the tragic death of their
daughter.
“I ask the Lord for forgiveness for him, I hope he can find
peace,” said McCarthy.
McCarthy and his wife started a scholarship in memory of
their daughter. Every year the women of Lyons Hall, a women’s
dormitory at Notre Dame, sponsor a 5k fun run to help fund
the scholarship. In 21 years, the scholarship has provided
about $250,000 to deserving students giving them an
opportunity to study is Spain.
The couple joined Mothers Against Drunk Driving in 1995, and
became tireless activists for victims’ rights. That activism
continued with their work for Alcohol Safety Action Program,
a Virginia criminal justice program that works to reduce the
problems caused by drunk and impaired driving.
Their work with St. John the Apostle’s Ministry of the Aging
is at INOVA Loudoun Nursing and Rehabilitation, an assisted
living center in Leesburg. Every week, someone from the
ministry visits Catholics at the center. It’s a ministry of
grace and companionship. Members of the group bring holy
Communion and provide companionship to the residents.
“We bring Jesus Christ to them,” said McCarthy.
The residents become their extended family, said McCarthy.
But like most families, there are challenges.
About 12 years ago, they brought communion to a 91-year-old
resident, formerly from Brooklyn, N.Y. They asked if he would
like to receive communion. He said, “Drop dead.”
But it’s mostly a wonderful experience, and Teresa said most
are very appreciative.
Both husband and wife said they’ve gotten more out of the
experience than they put in, and they both plan to serve in
the ministry as long as they can.
“There is something special about the elderly,” said Teresa.
“We would never abandon them.”
In his more than 40 years of running, between racing and
training, McCarthy has logged thousands of miles. In fact, in
2014 he ran about 60 races. He brings the same passion to
fitness that he brings to his ministry.
In 2009, he wrote Running until you are 100. The book is a
guide to staying fit and to keep running into your 80s, 90s
and beyond.
McCarthy’s physical and spiritual regimen could make that
wish a reality.
