As I reflect upon my ministry as a School Sister of St. Francis, I see what makes me enjoy life: It is being with people, teaching, listening, and assisting people as my ministry leads me.
I am a Chicagoan. My dad was a Chicago police officer and my mother worked for the telephone company. As a child, we moved a few times, which is why I attended three different Catholic elementary grade schools.
When it was time for high school, I went to Alvernia High School, which was administered by the School Sisters of St. Francis. The spirit of the place fit me, and sisters and staff motivated me. As an example, I had Sister Sandra Smithson for homeroom as a freshman. She was a powerful educator. I felt she, as well as the other sisters on the faculty, wanted me as an individual to succeed. This drew me to join the School Sisters.
I have had a diverse and fulfilling career path! After graduating from Alverno College with a major in elementary education, I started out as a fourth-grade teacher. Later, I even went as far as getting a master’s degree in physical education. During my physical education years, I taught pre-school children through college age.
Children were an integral part of my ministry. I have served in various capacities, including ministering to schools in Chicago and working alongside my sisters in Holly Springs, Mississippi at CADET (Christian Aided Development Through Extraordinary Training) School. Additionally, I served in El Toro, California at ITOP. Later I returned to Chicago and then proceeded to Milwaukee to join our community in ministry at the Milwaukee Achiever program. Our focus was on assisting adult students in learning how to speak, read, and write.
After all my travels, I returned to my hometown Chicago. There I shifted focus toward administration at Aquinas Literacy Center. I also helped young adults in the Franciscan Volunteer Program to find volunteer ministries around the country. Next, I became the assistant director in the Office for Religious in the Chicago Archdiocese for 13 years. Today, I am the parish office assistant at St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish in the Bridgeport area of Chicago.
During all this time, I have had a variety of experiences with different people, different ministries, cultures, and religions. I have enjoyed life because of the variety and the love in the relationships life has offered me.
I look forward to the years to come because I want to be able to continue the legacy of our foundresses to be witnesses to God’s love in the world and to give, heal, and defend life.