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Catherine Gibbons S.S.J.
-----Original Message-----
Hi - It is a cloudy Sunday afternoon in Lyons, NY
and after a few days of relief from the "wiles of winter" we are
have a few spritzes of flakes today. Ordinarily Sunday is one of my more
hectic days - a sign of a church related ministry. However, I shut-down
on work about 1:30PM today and am going 25 miles NW to Ontario, NY to connect
with some other S/CSJs for some relaxation.
I wanted to send a greeting to all participating
in this celebration of our collective "anniversary of our
nativities". I'm sure there will be lots of fun, visiting, picture
sharing and memory making the weekend of March 26-28. I will be with you
in "spirit" and hope that there will be some post-get-together
sharing.
Last fall, Linda Ellwanger Horvat contacted me to
let me know she and Mike would be coming to Rochester to visit her 80+ Mom for
a bit. When I hear of someone who hasn't been around in a bit landing in
my neck of the woods, I make some contacts to have a "mini-reunion".
It worked out that Barb Olmstead, Carole Eilers-Lloyd, Mary Lou Hoffman-Gorman
and I were those available to meet for supper and a visit. As we sat at
the table I realized that I was the only one there who was employed full-time
as we approached our 60th birthdays. Mary Lou had wedding pictures from
her daughter's wedding in St. Feehan's Church at the Genesee Country Museum and
Linda from her younger son, Jason's wedding in Charlotte, NC in Nov. of
'02. Barb and I were the ones bereft of parents - so we heard the tales
we lived through or heard about in our lives 10 or more years ago. The
"mother" stories about what happens when we, in our generation,
become parents to our folks - in Carole, Linda and Mary Lou's cases - only
their moms survive.
Presently, I am working for three small parishes
in Wayne County. In 1998-1999 I went on sabbatical after 32 years of
either Catholic school teaching or administration. When I was looking
for a position I wasn't even sure that I would return to working within the
Catholic Church - religious women do things even as "far fetched" as
being a lawyer or a realtor in the 21st Century.
Eventually I accepted the position I am in - my
"official" job title is Faith Formation Coordinator. Since
beginning my work among these small town folks I have had 4 different
"pastoral leaders". Due to the priest shortage our diocese has
a number of lay men, religious, permanent deacons and lay women who have the
title of "pastoral administrator", They take care of
everything that the priest pastors have traditionally handled accept the
sacraments. In the 18 months since our pastoral administrator came to us
@ St. Michael, Lyons we've had 6 different priests - sacramental ministers
serve us. I do everything from taking communion to shut-ins @ home or in
the nursing home to preparing children between the ages of 3 - 7 for Baptism
when they weren't baptized as infants. "Ordinarily" I organize
catechetical programs ( known to some as CCD or Religious Edu.), sacramental
preparation programs for Eucharist, Reconciliation ( Penance) and
Confirmation. I spend alternating weekends in the parishes (two are
"clustered" with one pastor) and certain of the weekdays in one of
my offices. I am like a "bag" lady carrying my wares from one
place to another. Since I have been the only religious woman in Wayne
County for almost all of my time here, I live alone in a small apt. in Lyons.
I enjoy the variety of my ministry's various responsibilities and actually it
does demand many of the skills I've acquired with experience in elementary
school.
My family is well and all the nieces and nephews
are "young adults". As I write my younger sister and her two
children, a daughter who is a research assistant @ Dana Farber Cancer Research
Center in Boston, and a son who is a freshman architecture students @
Northeastern U. in Boston as well as her husband are just returning from a
week long visit to Nice, FRANCE to celebrate Rose and Yogesh's 25th wedding
anniversary. My brother, who is VP of Rochester Rehab, and his wife a
professor @ NTID are returning from a week's vacation in the Dominican
Republic. My older sister, who lives in Pittsford, and I are the
"stay at homes". My oldest nephew is based in Indianapolis but
travels all over the world since he works for US Rowing and is very involved
in preparations for the Athens Olympics. My other nephew is a "web
master" @ Geo. Washington Univ. Medical School in DC.
Since "nuns don't retire" I'll probably
be working when our 70th birthdays come around. I enjoy reading, biking
and visiting with people with whom I connect with via e-mail, "snail
mail" and the telephone. Having lived in 13 different locations
throughout the 12 county diocese of Rochester during the past 38 years, I've
had my own "scenic tour" of upstate NY. I also enjoy travel but
other than a trip to Brazil for a month in '89 my travels have been
"confined" to the US and Canadian Rockies.
Presently I am in my second term as a member of
the Nazareth College Alumni Assn. Advisory Board. I am on the
scholarship subcommittee. It has been great to see our alma mater grow
and develop "up close and personal" over the past three years.
I still experience the spirit of a small college community on the expanded
campus and with the expanded majors / degrees.
Hope to see many of you at our 40th reunion on
campus in two years. Enjoy your time together. Wishes for the
blessings of safe travel, good health and continued success in all areas of
your lives.
Catherine
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