Text Box: Meet CHRISTY BALSIGER

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Volume 2 issue  Summer 2012

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Text Box: Despite the fact that neither Chris nor Christy Balsiger can claim native status, both have made indelible marks in their adopted hometown and especially on the church community of St. Matthew since coming to El Paso three decades ago. Raised in Memphis, TN, the two met while attending Catholic high schools in the area, married and began raising a family. Working his way up the corporate ladder in the International Finance Department of Owens/Illinois Glass Company, Chris was eventually scheduled to be transferred to Ecuador. Just prior to relocating, he received an offer from another company in El Paso. Christy notes, “I begged Chris to take that one and he did. So we arrived in El Paso in 1980 and have loved it ever since.” Text Box: Chris is currently the CEO of his company, Pallets and Crates, Inc. (PCI), and continues to pursue his passion for mountain climbing. The couple’s children: Angela 35, Joey 33, Camille 30 and Avery 23 spent a large portion of their early lives in El Paso. Angela now lives and works as a therapist in Los Angeles, while Avery is employed at a day care center for mentally challenged adults in Boulder, CO. Camille works with her father at PCI and her husband, Matthew, and son Joey (a transactional attorney with Scott Hulse) and his wife, Heather; continue to reside in El Paso. The latter are the proud parents of Chris and Christy’s two grandchildren, Andrew 8 and Emma 5. Active members of St. Matthew for more than 18 years, Christy began her involvement by asking if she could teach CCD. No immediate openings were available so Sister Rosita asked Christy if she would be interested in working with the vacation bible school program. She was and has been its director since 1981 and also taught CCD for number of years. She is currently secretary of the St. Matthew School Board and also serves on the school board for the Diocese of El Paso. Christy notes, “I have always been in love with learning more about the bible, but not finding good Catholic scripture studies I often had to settle for attending non-denominational studies, supplementing them with the catholic approach at home.” Eventually, however, God responded to Christy’s needs using her daughter Avery to point her in the right direction. While studying at the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO, Avery had the opportunity to attend a conference presented by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students in Dallas. Christy volunteered to accompany her daughter on this journey. “It was one the most fabulous things I have ever done in my life,” she enthuses. “Since I couldn’t attend all the classes, I spent time checking out information on the kiosks there. This is when I discovered that Denver’s Augustine Institute was offering an advanced degree program in biblical theology. An online program was implemented the following spring, so I registered and became a member of their first “Distance Education” Master’s program.” “Because I had a few off semesters, it took me four years to complete degree requirements. “I went on campus for the most intensive sessions so I could get a chance to get to know the professors.” Although it was not mandatory for Distance Education students to complete the course in Biblical Greek required of campus students, Christy undertook the study on her own during one of her off semesters, actually hiring a private tutor here in El Paso. “Believe me he wasn’t an easy person to find”, she jests. On May 19th, 2012 Christy received her Master’s of Arts Degree in Biblical Theology. In September, Christy will also take over as the Facilitator for the Tuesday Morning Bible Study group. “I’m really looking forward to this opportunity because the group voted to do the new “Catholicism” series given by Father Robert Barron, part of the “Word on Fire” group. “Having just completed an in depth study of the bible, I think I would have been a little more confident this first year if the group had chosen to study a something like the Book of James. However, I’m going to work hard on lesson plans this summer using the program videos. Father Barron is such a powerful speaker and theologian so I think its going to be a great study.” Christy is also pleased to announce that Dr. Ted Sri, her professor from the Augustine Institute, whose talk was so well received a little over a year ago, will return to St. Matthew with a new presentation, (most likely on the Blessed Virgin) on Tuesday, evening, October 9.