Sister Cecilia Joseph Olinger - Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph

More documents

Recommendations

Info

From 1973-78, she taught seventh and eighth grade math and religion at St. MargaretMary School in Louisville, and also played music with the fourth-graders. “Musicministry with the little kids is what I enjoyed the most,” she said.Being a teacher was never what she would have chosen, but she believes she was agood one. “I was tough,” she said. “I was either loved or hated.”One of her favorite missions began in 1978, teaching math and language arts to fifththrough eighth grades at Sacred Heart School in Poplar Bluff, Mo. It was her chance toreturn to her home diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau.“I was enjoying teaching and realizing I could expand things beyond the books in theclassroom,” she said. During Lent she had her students act out the Passion before therest of the school.During the summers while she was in Poplar Bluff, she helped with Camp Re-NEW-all, aCatholic camp for children in the fifth through ninth grades. “We’d have 100 campers. Iwas religious formation director some years, a cook or a counselor,” she said.Since she returned to the diocese to minister in 2011, she decided to help cook at thecamp last summer and was inspired by the adults who took their work vacations to helpat the camp.“I went last year because I wanted there to be a real live flesh and blood sister there,”she said. “I was the only one.”She left Poplar Bluff in 1984 and spent two years teaching in Madisonville, Ky., when shedecided to take on a new adventure. Her mother died in 1985, and she felt free toventure farther away from home. She had visited her friend Sister Clara once in NewMexico, but hadn’t considered a move there.“I thought I was being missionary enough moving from Missouri to Kentucky,” she saidwith her customary infectious laugh.Sister Clara was principal in Grants, N.M., and had an opening in 1986. “I told SisterMary Irene (Cecil, then major superior) about it, she said there was more need in SanFidel, and I thought it was probably better not to work for my friend,” Sister C.J. said.Sister Clara, who continues to minister in New Mexico, was glad to have her friendnearby. “Once she’s your friend, she will always support you,” Sister Clara said. “I canshare anything with her. She’s very serious about her prayer life and very generous tohelp people.”
Sister C.J. pictured in her classroom at the SaintAnthony Zuni Indian Mission, Zuni, N.M., in 1995.Sister C.J. made sure not to teachdifferently in San Fidel than she hadelsewhere, but there was a differentwork ethic in the San Fidel children.“They came 20 miles to school, it washard to keep a kid after school for notdoing his homework,” she said.While at San Fidel, she lived with SisterMarie Brenda Vowels, who was workingin Acoma, and the two enjoyed playingcribbage together. “She’s outgoing andfriendly to everybody,” Sister MarieBrenda said. “She’s a lot of fun to play cards with. She’s a very intelligent person andgenerous.”Sister Elaine was serving 16 miles away in Grants in 1988. “When we got together, we’dwork puzzles, go walking or gather cans along the highway,” Sister Elaine said. “We’dclimb Mt. Taylor, all sorts of creative things. There’s never a dull moment when you’rewith Sister C.J. She can come up with so many different things to do.”In 1991, Sister C.J. began serving as teacher, librarian and in charge of liturgical music atSaint Anthony Zuni Indian Mission, Zuni, N.M. During that time she lived with membersof other religious communities, which was an enriching experience, but also made hermore grateful for her Ursuline community, she said.When she left Zuni in 1995, she spent 11 months on sabbatical at the New Life Center inMiddleburg, Va. “I learned skills and strategies to handle the challenges with myself andother people, especially in conflict situations,” she said.A new ministryIn 1996, she returned to teaching in St. Louis, but she planned to look for anotherministry at the end of the school year in 1998. The sister who was serving as pastoralassociate at St. Jude Parish in tiny Clinton, Ky., became ill, and Sister C.J. was asked totake over in January 1998.“I thought I’d be there five months,” Sister C.J. said. “Clinton is not a Catholic area. Aspastoral associate I did whatever needed to be done.”There were Catholic churches in two neighboring counties. Father Mike Clark served inFulton, Sister Mary Agnes VonderHaar in Hickman. “We did RCIA as a team, lots of
Page 1 and 2: Sister Cecelia Joseph Olinger hits
Page 3: plus there were others from Glennon
Page 7: She bought some colored bells withg

Sister Cecilia Joseph Olinger - Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?