Associates 2024 Cookout

Words of Gratitude from Kathy McCluskey, CSJ

Gifts for leadership are precious in any community. We know that the Holy Spirit scatters these gifts throughout the community so that many needs may be met, dreaming and planning may happen, people feel cared for and included. We all count on the community to offer may gifts for the life of the whole body. 

We also call forth those among us – people who will take particular responsibilities for the wellbeing and thriving of the group. Over these past years, Kathie Shute and Carole Anne Scott have served in this way, Kathie for 7 years and Carole Anne for 3 years. So, though Kathie is not with us today, we want to celebrate and thank both of them for the many, many ways they served the associates for many years.

With the help of the Associates and especially the committees, they provided opportunities for spiritual and human growth, wrote monthly letters to keep everyone connected and up to date, facilitated communications, gathered the group for service to the Dear Neighbor, kept the records, served on many committees, and met monthly with the advisory board. The list is endless and much of it, as you know, was behind the scenes. They worked closely with Sister Mary Ellen and, in this last year, helped hold us all together as we journeyed together toward a new way of organizing.

So today we want to offer them huge thanks for the gift of their lives to all of us, for their generosity and giftedness, their attention, love, and dedication.