CATHEDRAL DEANERY — There comes a time when each of us is compelled to put the tenets of our Catholic faith into action in a way we never anticipated.

For Ted Bergh, the opportunity came after he joined Metro, Cincinnati’s public transportation system, as chief financial officer (CFO) in April 2005.

Originally from upstate New York, Bergh, his wife, Margaret, and their three children moved to Cincinnati in 1993, quickly coming to love the area. A lifelong Catholic, Bergh became an active member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Anderson Township, serving the faith community in a variety of ways.

He eventually enrolled in the graduate theology program at Xavier University, completing his master’s degree in 2007. Bergh worked as chief financial officer for The Cincinnati Enquirer before accepting the position with Metro.

COURTESY PHOTO

Ted Bergh, executive director of Everybody Rides Metro, is pictured here at the foundation’s launching in December 2006 as Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory looks on.

"If we talk about being one with the poor, then we should support and use public transportation," Bergh said. "It costs us more to use our cars and is environmentally unsound. In that sense, public transportation is really about social justice."

It was that justice aspect that led Bergh and his associates, after a year of research and meetings, to launch the Everybody Rides Metro foundation (ERM) in 2006. ERM is a 501©(3) charitable foundation that partners with non-profit organizations such as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SDVP), Mercy Franciscan St. John Social Service Center and Our Daily Bread, to provide bus tokens to low-income individuals. It is the first foundation of its kind in the country.

The goal, explained Bergh, is to help connect struggling Metro riders to jobs, education, healthcare and other vital human services so they may achieve self-sufficiency. Funding is provided through corporations, other foundations, private individuals and government grants.

Recently, the foundation secured its first $1 million in funding to connect low-income workers with transportation to employment.

In reflecting on the founding of ERM, Bergh, who serves as the foundation’s executive director, said, "It’s a blessing to be involved in this. I always knew I wanted to do more, and this just kind of happened. I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be and doing what I’m meant to be doing."

Bergh has also found other meaningful ways to share his faith. An adjunct professor of theology at Xavier, he teaches a course on "Evangelization and Mega-Churches: Being Church in a Consumer Culture," which examines the growth of large churches, explores how Catholics have become detached from parishes and the ways the culture we live in impacts how we "consume" religion.

In addition, Bergh has given presentations based on the course at several parishes in the archdiocese. He also writes a weekly online column for St. Anthony Messenger Press called "For the Ride Home," which offers Catholics further reflection opportunities on the Sunday readings.

Liz Carter, executive director of SVDP, said that while humble and quiet, "Bergh is not a passive Catholic. He is very active and engaged, intellectually and emotionally. It’s his faith that compels him to look at things in a new and different way and find solutions."