It’s Been A Pleasure!

~ It was three years ago now that I was hired by Chris Burke and Fr. John to be the Coordinator of Religious Education here at St. Margaret of Scotland. When I came across the post advertising this position, I was intrigued because I didn’t know what a Coordinator of Religious Education was. I knew that St. Margaret of Scotland School had a reputation for being a big, academically rigorous school. When I read the job description and saw that my job could include planning Mass, offering retreats, coordinating service, and teaching kids about Jesus, I applied right away. I had no idea how that decision was going to help shape the rest of my life. 

Being part of this community has forced me to grow as a person, and more importantly, as a follower of Christ. I grew up in a mid-size city in Iowa where there was one Catholic high school. Most of the people I knew and interacted with on a daily basis held beliefs that were similar to mine. I will never forget the look on Chris Stephen’s face during my interview when she asked me if I was going to be okay working with people whose beliefs differed from mine. If you have ever gotten a rather stern look from Chris, then you will know that I was quite literally shaking when I told her that my only job here was to help bring children closer to Christ, and that the rest would fall into place. 

There have been many highlights and growth spots for me both personally and professionally during my time here at SMOS. I was working here when I got engaged, got married, and had my baby. I also became certified as a Catechetical Leader and a Level I Catechist for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. However, the biggest thing that I will take away from my time here is that I had to grow more comfortable proclaiming my faith in God, and the Truths of our faith. Getting to work with the students and staff in our community has challenged me to think about WHY I believe what I believe. Our students are deep thinkers – they don’t just accept what they are told, they want to understand what they are told. I was put into positions time and time again where I had to be able to confidently explain Christ’s teachings and the reasoning behind those teachings. I found that I really enjoyed the apologetics aspect of this job, and that I am more prepared now to confidently articulate the faith going forward. 

My prayer for the person coming into my position next (if you know someone, please encourage them to apply!) is that they, too, will have a passion for sharing our faith with children. The children in our parish and school are calling out, asking to go deeper in their faith. I pray that we continue to answer that call. Thank you for welcoming me into your community. 

Throughout the year, we present an article in the bulletin each week on a variety of topics, written by a member of our Parish staff or ministries on a rotating basis.