St. Francis of Assisi parishioner named Orem Police Department Volunteer of the Year

Friday, Jun. 16, 2023

OREM — Service has always been a part of Greg Lupus’ life. A lifelong Orem resident, he has always been involved in his home parish of St. Francis of Assisi, where he serves as a lector. Beyond his parish, Lupus has sought to make a difference in his community and the world around him. That path has included 12 years in diocesan jail ministry and nearly two years as volunteer chaplain for the Orem Police Department. He also serves as chaplain for Lindon Police Department. 

“It gives me the opportunity to give back to my community,” he said of his service.  “Our Lord has been so great to me; he has blessed me in so many ways; how can I not do this?”

In his capacity as chaplain, Lupus attends morning and evening department briefings twice a week. He also rides along with officers on patrol and participates in mental wellness checks. During the briefings he attempts to bring an element of spirituality and to uplift the officers both before and after their shifts. Sometimes he has used music and his quick wit to accomplish this. 

“They look to me now as the Singing Padre,” he said with a laugh. “I always seem to come up with a song that’s relevant to what’s going on. They’ve told me I am a welcome break every time I walk into the room.”

Bringing God to the officers can be challenging, Lupus said. Still, “It’s amazing how the Lord is working through me. When you take away the body armor and the associated guns and handcuffs, and lead with faith, it’s just amazing how people respond.” 

Earlier this year Lupus was honored by Orem PD with its “Volunteer of the Year” award for his service. The accolade was unexpected, he said. “It’s pretty humbling because I don’t do it for acknowledgements, I don’t do it for fame, and I do it for free.” 

Lupus’ position came about unexpectedly. In 2018 he was dealing with prostate cancer as well as mourning the loss of his son Caz to melanoma, so he decided to turn his life over to service to the Lord, Lupus said. For several years while Lupus worked fulltime as the manager of an industrial supply company, his participation in the jail ministry was enough, but he wanted to do more. Then, one night as he drove home from the jail, he heard in his mind the words, “Take care of my people.” 

“I’m thinking, ‘God what more do you want me to do? Tell me; show me,’” he said.

Looking around, Lupus saw a highway patrol officer who had pulled a motorist over. “The voice even seemed louder: ‘Take care of my people,’” he said. 

As he continued to drive home, he encountered two more officers conducting a search. “It was like it hit me: ‘What am I doing for the people that transfer these people down to jail? What am I doing for them? They’re human beings, just like everybody else,’” he said.

Lupus realized that he was being called to minister to police officers: men and women who are often forced to protect themselves by developing a shell around their hearts, he said. The next day he went to the Orem police chief and volunteered to serve as the department’s chaplain.

Then last summer, after the return of his cancer, Lupus accepted an assignment given to him by Father Eleazar Silva, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, to move a headstone from Provo Cemetery to the church. At the time he was struggling physically with his illness and didn’t know how he would fulfill the priest’s request, he said.  

Praying for the physical strength to do the task, he experienced what he believes was a miraculous healing. On the day he was to move the headstone he woke from a deep sleep unexpectedly free from pain, Lupus said. “I thought, ‘OK, Lord God, you’ve answered my prayer. You’ve not only taken away my pains but in my heart I feel like I don’t have cancer anymore.’”

With help from others Lupus was able to move the headstone and get it installed at the church during almost torrential rain. His pain never returned. Shortly after, a CAT scan showed no signs of cancer anywhere in his body. To Lupus, this blessing was a testament that God still has work for him to do here on earth and that he should continue on the path laid out for him.

“Our Lord lifted the cancer from my body, and the doctors can’t understand it; they can’t explain it,” he said. “Now the only thing I know how to do is give back.” 

Lupus is a member of the lay ecclesial minister cohort that will be commissioned by Bishop Oscar A. Solis on Aug. 12 at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. Becoming an LEM is one more way to give back, he said. “When the Lord has gifted you so much and I see a need, I say to myself, ‘Why not me?’” he said. “I don’t think you ever stop serving.”