By Lynne Marshall
Back in October of 2012, I received a phone call from Fr. Jeff Shooner, who was at the time, Vocations Director for the Archdiocese of Louisville. Little did I know that I would be working with him as Pastor of St. Patrick Catholic Church and School three years later. I had been serving in the new role of Director of Mission Advancement at St. Patrick for one year when the request came to speak to the clergy at one of the REV (Religion-Evangelization-Vocation) events coordinated by Fr. Jeff and his team. My first thought was 76 priests and the Archbishop? REALLY?
The topic I was asked to speak about was “Why Catholic Education?” The night before the presentation, I was watching the NBA opening night game between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, with my youngest son, Brett. He was 14 years old at the time. We love sports! I mentioned to him that I had to put together talking points for a presentation to a bunch of priests and his response was:
“Mom, just don’t think about it – JUST DO WHAT YOU DO!”
That’s all I needed to hear.
I write today as a proud product and employee of the Catholic Church and School system. And along with that, a deep gratitude to my parents, who provided me with the opportunity and still today, set the example of what it means to be a good steward. My husband and I have also chosen this path to raise our two sons and now understand the sacrifices that have to be made to accomplish this. There is no guarantee, but our sons are starting to realize as they get older, the value of their Catholic education.
How does a person with a corporate background in sales and marketing end up working for the Church? I believe this is a result of my positive experience in various roles in my home parish and my passion for Catholic education that led me to pursuing work in the Church. We need your help in promoting vocation and employment opportunities in our local parishes and schools to young adults. We are all ministers, whether you are in a liturgical role, business role, pastoral ministry, teacher, administrative support or maintenance. Our parishes and schools are poised for vibrancy and growth over the next decade through the efforts of the Parish Discernment process and because of this, opportunities to attract young talented clergy/professionals/ministers to the church will be very important.
The position I currently hold at St. Patrick, Director of Mission Advancement, was created in 2011 by Fr. Martin A. Linebach, who was Pastor at the time, in collaboration with Dr. Michael Bratcher, former Principal, and consultants, Ashley Rountree and Associates in Louisville. There was a need to pull together all of the working parts of the parish and parish-school to further the institutional wellbeing of the church and school with specific focus on mission enhancement, stewardship, funding and resource development, public relations and communications.
As Catholics, we are called to be ambassadors of Christ and spread the good news!
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. – 1 Corinthians 11
Lynne Marshall is Director of Mission Advancement at St. Patrick Catholic Church.
