40 Days for Life - Our Lady of Good Counsel

8 | The Good Counsel Courier Vol. 5 | Issue 5 | November 21, 2013www.olgcnj.orgThe Retirement of Mary Sullivan:Fifty –Five Years of Commitment to Catholic EducationMary Sullivan was honored on Wednesday, November 6 at Barone’sTuscan Grill to celebrate her retirement from Our Lady of Good CounselSchool after fifty-five years of commitment to Catholic Education.Sixty-four guests which included members of her family, friends,clergy, faculty and staff were on hand to celebrate Mary’s dedication. MissSullivan’s unique and inspiring history of the school entitled: Our Ladyof Good Counsel School: Where Knowledge, Faith, Friends and FamilyMeet will be published in the Catholic Schools Week edition of the GoodCounsel Courier.Guest speakers included Dawn Cahill, school reading specialist,Marcie Steel, fifth grade teacher and Mary’s first cousin, MargueriteHennessy. A video tribute was shown.Father Damian presented Mary with the traditional retirement plaquecommemorating the event and asked all to pray the Irish Blessing as wewished Mary God’s continued blessings upon her retirement.Miss Sullivan was a picture of happiness. She said, “The day wasabsolutely perfect in every way!” Mary went on to thank all who planned,attended, and helped coordinate Part I and Part II of her retirementcelebrations, including Father Damian, staff, and her invited, retiredcolleagues and associates who returned to offer their best wishes to Mary.They included: former principal, Jerry McGowan, Dolores Allendorf, MaryTerry, Pat Posey, Pat Loesch, Rosemary and Jack Conners, Peg and NormBuehler, and Gen and Regina Gallagher.Explained Dr. Dix: “Mary loved to plan Innovative Days for the school.Her retirement plan was no less creative. Mary had the idea to inviteformer teachers, including the Sisters of St. Joseph going back to the1960s, to renew friendships and also to enable them to see the legacy ofCatholic education to which they had served still flourishing at Our Ladyof Good Counsel School.What better venue to do this than at a PTA Opening meeting whereparents could also be part of the historic celebration? Gratitude isextended to Lisa D’Avanzo, PTA President, for enabling Part I of Mary’sretirement to be so successful. That meeting was dubbed, “The BestFather Damian presentsthe traditional plaqueto Mary Sullivan on theoccasion of her retirement,November 6th at Barone’sTuscan Grill.PTA Meeting Ever!” Mary was a diligent grade partner and colleague oftwenty-five years.In her own words, she was included in, helped to plan, consultedwith and totally approved all the details of the celebrations and was mostgrateful to be, in the words of the school song, “a part of it all.”The God Box on both occasions was filled with memories from friends,children, and family! To see her brimming with happiness at Barone’s inthe presence of her loving family, friends, and faculty members was everybit as empowering, guests felt, as the PTA Meeting on September 11.Mary inspired us with her story-history of Good Counsel as seenthrough her eyes and perspective of lived experience. It infused us with arenewal of friendship and commitment to education.The power of the Holy Spirit was tangible, alive, and real in ourmidst. After all the summer and fall planning of the two events, it wasso affirming to experience such a grace-filled day. God comes to us inthe everyday and certainly all who attended the holy ground of Mary’sretirement celebrations were filled with a sense of the gratitude for hercontributions to Our Lady of Good Counsel throughout these past yearsand the ongoing presence of God in our midst which continually callsus to serve children and families through education in Moorestown andbeyond!Needless to say, good times were had by all. Mary also told us that sheis on the Principal’s invited guest list in times to come! A special thanks isalso extended to our pastor, Father Damian, who makes these celebrationspossible. He enables us to come together as a family and in Mary’s words,“Truly celebrate who we are called to be!”OLGC AlumniCongratulations to Connor McLaughlin, Brianna Morello, Bridget Hughes, Rachel Kueny,Taylor Forrest, Christina Giunta, Ashley Monahan and Kurt Elmer, 2011 graduates fromOur Lady’s school. They were inducted on October 30, 2013 to the National Honor Societyat Bishop Eustace Preparatory School. To be inducted into the National Honor Society,a student must maintain both an unweighted semester average and an unweightedcumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better. Prior to membership, active participationin co-curricular and service activities is required.