Summit honoree went from telecommunications to communicating the Faith in second career

Fred and Jane Topor received the 2021 Ambassadors of the Year Award at the Legatus Summit East 2022 recognizing the couple’s efforts on behalf
of their chapter and the Church. Fred, who is vice president of the Jupiter-Palm Beach Chapter in Florida, spoke recently with Legatus magazine
about the honor.

Fred was born and raised in Palmer, MA. His father was an electrician and worked for an electric light company. Fred earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering and spent his career working for AT&T. He retired in 1994, and has since earned a master’s degree in theology from St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary and has volunteered as a religious education teacher as well as in a variety of other capacities at his parish, the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola, and in his Diocese of Palm Beach.

Fred and Jane have three children, seven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. They joined Legatus in 2018.

Tell me about your religious upbringing.

I was blessed to have two strong Catholic parents who came from strong Catholic families. Their parents came to the United States from Poland to escape poverty. You expect the mom of a Catholic family to be religious; I was blessed to have a solidly religious dad as well. He was a wonderful example of a deeply spiritual guy. They were both daily communicants, and the rosary was a big part of their lives.

What motivates you to be active in your chapter and the Church?

When I retired, I was age 56, a still relatively young guy. I had two objectives: I wanted to stay active, and I wanted to learn more about my Catholic faith. About that time, I had heard a priest who had come to my parish to give talks on the synoptic Gospels. I thought, “If I could ever learn from this gentleman, that would fulfill my life.” It turned out he was on the faculty of our seminary as well as its academic dean. It was through the intervention of the Holy Spirit and my wife that I spent the next eight years at the seminary, took all the courses they had, and earned a master’s degree in theology. I loved studying the Faith.

My studies led me to opportunities teaching the faith, of which I’ve loved every minute. I spent 35 years with AT&T, and now I’m in the 28th year
of my second career teaching for the Church. I look at my time with AT&T as preparation for this career.

How large is your Legatus chapter, and which of its activities are your favorite?

We’re blessed to have 22 active couples, with another six to eight who are good prospects to join. Our goal is to get up to 30 couples.

I especially enjoy it when we bring in prominent Catholic speakers and persuade them to come early or stay late so they can address other Catholic groups in the area. In 2021, for example, we invited Scott Hahn to give a presentation to a 70-couple, multi-chapter event—including the Legatus chapters in Miami and Fort Lauderdale—and he came a day early to give a talk at our cathedral parish. We opened it up to other parishes in the area and filled the church with a thousand people. We have two more of these events planned for 2022, including one with Scott’s wife, Kimberly.

I’ve also especially enjoyed our Legatus Men’s Forum. It’s so successful, we’re starting a second one. We are 10 men who meet monthly for prayer, to share about our lives, and to offer one another support. We’ve grown into a band of brothers, and we have really gotten to know one another personally.