RETIREMENT PRESENTATION Margie Ann McKinnon Thanks for being here today. It is a joy to connect with people whom I have met over the years. I have been reflecting on how the Lord has prepared me for my various careers. I grew up in Chatham, N.B. and attended St. Michaels s Academy for Grades 1-12. There were about 750 students in the school. From the time I was in Grade 1, I was often asked to give the report for my class at the school assembly. It was in the days before microphones and the principal would stand at the back of the auditorium and work with you until she could hear every word that you said so I learned to project my voice. This prepared me to be comfortable doing presentations in front of large groups. From Grade 2, I took piano lessons. My Dad came from a family of 10 boys and no girls so he said that he prayed for 20 years for a little girl to play the piano for him. So when I came along I felt wanted. The music lessons prepared me for music ministry in church. My mom used to say to my dad: we are giving them a gift that will last a life time. After graduating from High School I came to Ontario. I joined the RHSJ s, Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph and became involved in a variety of ministries. I attended Teachers College in Ottawa and graduated in 1964. I taught elementary grades in Amherstview and Bath for 9 years. I studied at Ottawa U. and received a B.A. in Religious Studies. Then I was invited by Archbishop Wilhelm to work for the Archdiocese in Elementary Religious Education. I was here from 1974-77. Then I was appointed to the Provincial Council of the RHSJ s and served as secretary. There were times when we would have 10 days of meetings so I learned to listen with my pen. This was a great preparation for taking minutes on various committees. Next I went to St. Michael s College in Toronto and did a Masters in Religious Education. As part of the program I did a pastoral care course at St.
Michael s Hospital. Then there was an opening for a Hospital Chaplain at St. Bernard Hospital in the Black Community on the south side of Chicago. I went for one year and stayed for seven. When someone got shot or stabbed I got called. I acted as a link between the family, the medical team, the police and detectives. Some of the police used to say when they came to the E.R. and saw me there they knew that their work was half done because I could tell them who was at the scene and who they should talk to. I remember one night a young man was shot and he was DOA. The gang members insisted that they see him or they would tear the place apart. The security guards were apprehensive so I went out to greet them. They said that they wanted to see their friend. So I slpipped into my school teacher role and said I can arrange that for you but we will have to be quiet because there are a lot of sick people in here. I can take you 2 by 2 to see him and each of you will get a turn. It took about 2 hours but they went away peacefully. The nurses said to me after: weren t you afraid being alone with those gang bangers. I said no. I came from a place where there were 7 federal prisons and I have been in them all. I have learned to listen to the needs and respond. I lived in the Catholic Community of Englewood which had ten Catholic parishes and a hospital. The priests met once a month and they invited me to their meetings. We took turns hosting the monthly meetings, provided social time and dinner. I became part of their team so when a pastor got a call that a parishioner was admitted to the hospital, I would get a call to check on the patient to assess whether the priest needed to come and I would call him back. Seminarians from Catholic Theological Union came to work with me in Pastoral Care and I would tell them I can t tell you what to say or do. Just listen to the needs and respond.. At the end of the day we did theological reflection. Our reflection questions were: What was the need? How did I respond? How did I sense the Lord s presence? It was delightful to see the seminarians gain confidence, carry the beeper and respond to codes. Some of them came back to work at the hospital. CTU compensated me by inviting me to take courses free of charge. After 7 years I knew it was time to come back to Canada when I got a notice from immigration that if I was not out of the country in one month I would be deported. They figured that I was taking a job from Americans and they were right because I worked during the day and responded to the beeper at night.
Then I heard about a job for a Religious Education Consultant for the Lanark, Leeds and Grenville RCSSB in Smtihs Falls. I phoned and they told me that they had been looking for a couple of years for someone with my background. I went for an interview and the director of education was Frank Musca. We had been at Teacher s College together. The superintendent said that they could t hire me right away because they had to advertise the position in the board. I was given an armful of books and was told that the board meeting was Tuesday night. They said they would call me on Wednesday. I got the call on Wednesday morning to come to work on Thursday. I worked for 8 years as a Religious Education Consultant with Carole Murphy and Marion Doyle. We were a strong team because we had complimentary gifts. Then there was downsizing at the Board and Carole said it was like breaking up the Trinity! I was appointed to teach a Grade 2 & 3 class. The thought of returning to the classroom was confining so I told the Lord he better show me what I was going to be doing. In the meantime I was talking to Sr. Mary Carten on the phone and she told me that she had accepted an appointment to the General Council in Montreal. I asked her if she could see me doing her job and she said no: Too much work and not enough pay. Two days later I got a call from Msgr. Joe Lynch to see if I would be interested in the job so I sent a resume. The I went to Susan La Rosa, the superintendent and told her that I had a job offer from the archdiocese and asked her what I needed to do to request a Leave of Absence. She said that they would need a letter and the board meeting was that night so I dashed home, typed the letter and brought it back to her. Then I was hired over the phone by the archdiocese. Two days later I came for interviews which went well. So I began my work as Coordinator of Religous Education. I have brought the Religous Education Consultants, High School Chaplains and Prison Chaplains to meet with the Archbishop twice a year. I have facilitated workshops on Sacramental Preparation and Ministry Training. Coordinated the Masters in Religious Education Program for teachers in the archdiocese through St. Paul University. It was done through distance education so when we met at St. Pauls we recognized each other by our voices. I coordinated the Religion Course for student teachers at Queen s Faculty of Education.
Since 1998 I have served as local advisor for the Diploma in Ministry Program through St. Francis Xavier University. The archdiocese generously provided funding for students who had time and ability but lacked financial resources. We have about 50 students who completed their Diploma in Ministry. One of my goals is to contact these students to find out how they benefited from the courses and in what ministries they are serving. I have been on writing teams and we published four books for the archdiocese: Eucharist and Reconciliation: A Planning and Resource Guide, The Body Of Christ: for parents and children preparng for First Communion Confirmation: A Planning and Resource Guide revised in 2012. Springing from the Rock - a 25 year history of the archdiocese to celebrate our 175 th anniversary in 2001. I have served on several committees at the provincial and national levels. CRECO (Catholic Religious Education Consultant of Ontario) - I served on the executive. CAMP - Canadian Association of Ministry Programs - I chaired that group. National Advisory Committee on Adult Religious Education - the fringe benefits were great. I went to the Jubilee of Catechists in Rome, The Church in America, international meetings in Los Angeles; Bangkok, Thailand, and Santiago, Chile. It was interesting to meet people from around the world. I have a sense of belonging in the diocese. I can go into most parishes and someone will call me by name. I meet people on the street and they say, I know you from Journey. A prisoner whom I hadn t met said: I like the way that you think. I read your column in Journey. It is amaziing these days to work in the same place for 20 years with many of the same people. It has always been a pleasure to come to work. I appreciated having the freedom to assess needs and to respond to them. I am looking forward to retirement and will continue my involvement in ministries at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Smiths Falls. I will assist with the Women s Fall Retreat at Glen House in Gananoque September 16-18 th.
I will help with a course to prepare volunteers for Prison Ministry Oct. 13- to Nov 17 th which will be offered here at the Diocesan Centre. I plan to go to British Columbia in August to visit neices and nephews. Your Grace, I want to thank you for your affirming words and continued support. I felt free to consult you any time and it has been a pleasure to work with you. To each of our staff members, I thank you for all your assistance over the years. Also I want to thank you for all the planning that has gone into hosting such an elegant gathering. I thank each of you for being here today and I hope that our paths will cross soon again. May the blessing of the Lord be upon you.