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Still recovering from crash, Father Popovich giving thanks
By LINDA M. LINONIS
linonis@vindy.com
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A deep faith in God sustains the Rev. Steve Popovich, who continues to recover from a serious Nov. 12, 2013, car accident.
On that day, the priest, then-pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Church in New Middletown, celebrated morning Mass and then headed to the Ohio State Penitentiary to minister to inmates. His vehicle slid on ice on Struthers Road, was hit by a pick-up truck and pushed into a tree.
Father Popovich talked recently about how his faith has made the difference. “God works in us and on us. God continues to mold and stretch me,” he said. “I’ve found the faith of others supportive.”
Before the accident, his faith was “different and more intellectual ... a knowledge about Jesus,” he said. “Now my faith is more on an emotional level ... more in my heart.”
The accident, he said, “has made me more thankful for everything I have ... I’m thankful for all the little things.
“I’ve always been a positive person,” he said, “... though I have down times. Sometimes in the middle of the night I have negative thoughts,” he continued. “But I am so fortunate to have family and friends ... I have a wonderful support system.”
Father Popovich is a resident at Liberty Health and Rehabilitation Center, a Windsor House facility, 1355 Churchill-Hubbard Road, where his therapy continues.
“As time goes on, the less I remember,” he said of the accident. He believes black ice was the culprit that caused him to lose control. “I tell people now to leave early in case you run into trouble, wear your seat belt, don’t text or be drinking. Make sure you have good tires,” he said.
The priest said he was grateful to Poland Township police who responded.
Father Popovich first went to St. Elizabeth then Metro Health System in Cleveland. “My spine was damaged but not severed. It’s listed as an incomplete injury,” he explained.
Though he has some feeling in his legs, the injury prevents mobility. His arms and hands also were impaired but through surgery and rehabilitation, he has regained use and continues to improve. “My right arm is best,” he said. “I’m appreciative of the exercises that have helped me move my fingers.” These include manipulating clay embedded with beads and pulling them out.
Cassie White, one of his private-duty nurses, said the exercise “benefits fine motor skills.” The nurses monitor Father Popovich’s vital signs, assist him in daily life and accompany him on outings.
Father Popovich said it’s interesting what one will do as a distraction when stuck in bed. At a rehabilitation facility in Kent, he counted holes in the ceiling tiles. That self-made assignment prompted him to think of a passage in the Old Testament about the number of descendants of Abraham and Sarah compared with the number of holes.
“I also thought of them as stars ... and hope for the future,” he said. “A couple times, in faith, I saw stars instead but most of the time it was the stinkin’ holes in the tiles.”
With family, friends and colleagues here, he returned in March.
“This is my home,” he said of coming back to the Valley, where as a youth he delivered The Vindicator on Miller and Weber streets on the South Side. As priest, he most recently served at St. Paul from 2010-13 and was pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Austintown from 1995-2010.
The Rev. Christopher Luoni, pastor of St. Paul, said after Father Popovich’s accident, church members kept a blue candle burning in the sanctuary; New Middletown area churches and residents had blue lights in their windows and porch lights. The blue vigil light continues at St. Paul, where Father Luoni said Father Popovich is regularly remembered in prayer.
Father Popovich was ordained June 6, 1981, and has served other parishes in the Diocese of Youngstown. A graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School, he was associate principal there from 1989-91 and was chaplain for the football team. Last year, CMHS established the Father Popovich Scholarship, in conjunction with Ohio Department of Education’s Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship.
Father Popovich welcomes visitors, but asks that they call a day ahead. White said the nurses keep track of visitors, appointments and events in what the priest calls his “black book.” He averages two to three visitors a day.
Family photos decorate Father Popovich’s room as do many messages from Valley residents. A framed version of the Serenity Prayer, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference,” are words he takes to heart.
Father Popovich said family and friends have been extremely supportive. His family includes sisters and brothers-in-law, Marge and Mike Cretella of Austintown and their three sons; Elizabeth and Scott Curtis of Cleveland and their son; brothers and sisters-in-law, Charlie and Mary Popovich of West Newton, Pa., and son; and John and Andrea Popovich of Lancaster, Calif., and two children. He is spending Thanksgiving with the Cretellas.
Father Popovich celebrated his 61st birthday Tuesday. He spent much of it at the Ohio State Peniteniary, where he baptized three inmates. He was accompanied by the Revs. Ed Noga of St. Patrick Church and Joseph Rudjak of Holy Apostles Parish, both of Youngstown, who assisted in ministering to inmates.
Physical and occupational therapy sessions, each about 90 minutes, take place weekdays and some Saturdays. “I’m working on my core muscles,” Father Popovich said. For one exercise, therapists move him to a tilt table, where straps help in stabilization. Leigh Farr, occupational therapist; Terry O’Neill, physical therapy assistant; and Jim Leone, certified occupational therapy assistant worked with Father Popovich during part of The Vindicator interview. “The idea is to strengthen the core muscles and lower extremities.”
The table is tilted at 70 percent now; Father Popovich is nearly standing. White is on hand to take his blood pressure, which may fluctuate because of the upright position and exertion.
The therapists said Father Popovich has improved; as two support his arms in their palms, he lifts himself forward from the tilt table. When he first began therapy, he couldn’t do that. “This helps get motor return,” O’Neill said. “He’s better at sitting up on his own.”
Father Popovich’s sense of humor shows as he tells the therapists he wants “to work on his six-pack” and wonders aloud if the Mooney football team “can make a place for me on the team.” The priest acknowledged the therapy “is a real workout and I get exhausted from the exercise.”
White said of his improvement, “There’s a significant difference in him.” She added, “He makes me remember why I got into nursing. He’s pretty fantastic ... I’m so proud of him ... I have tears in my eyes.”
During this therapy session, the Rev. Fred Lukehart, a retired priest who served 53 years, stopped by to say hello to Father Popovich. They exchanged an impromptu blessing, and he participated in a ball-tossing session with the staff as an exercise for Father Popovich’s coordination and shoulder muscles.