Retirement Reception to be held for 3 retiring staff members at St. Francis de Sales. Sr. Pat Lamb, Director of Outreach and Social Justice, Marilyn Torborg, Director of Faith Formation, and Louise Wall, Elementary Coordinator, have announced their upcoming retirements. A reception will be held in their honor after all Masses at St. Francis on Saturday-Sunday, May 31-June 1.
What is truly incredible is that Louise, together with Sister Pat and Marilyn, have served a total of 68 years in our parish. This kind of dedication and constancy in parish ministry is extraordinary. What an incredible blessing for our parish as we celebrate, live and pass on our Catholic faith. For me personally, I have been blessed by these three collaborators and friends in ministry. They have been a solid foundation and an incredible support for me in my 14 years serving at St. Francis, especially the last 11 as Pastor.
Please join me and your fellow parishioners in showing our appreciation to them and for all they’ve done for us.
Sr. Pat, while retired from full time ministry, will continue to participate in parish life in many ways, but not as the leader of our outreach ministries. She will continue to work with immigration issues as well as mentor her successor. Over her 18 years of ministry in Holland, her work has aided hundreds of needy individuals, as she has often said; put the Gospel words into action. In addition to the individual recognition given by those she has aided through the St. Vincent de Paul Center, Sr. Pat has been lauded by the City of Holland and other groups who have witnessed her great example of Christian stewardship and charity. She has taught so many of us, by word and example, the joy of living the Gospel of justice with great compassion.
Marilyn Torborg has devoted 30 years of her life forming our teens, adults and families in our Catholic Faith. Her first 11 years she was Director of Youth Ministry and become the Director of Faith Formation in 1995, a few months before the church fire. She has built the Faith Formation ministry into one often cited as among the best in the Diocese. The importance of this effort cannot be underestimated. Marilyn has helped our parish to realize an important shift of the focus of faith formation; that is from primarily centered on children to that of adults and families. Marilyn will retire June 1 and embark on a new chapter in her life while remaining a dedicated member of our community.
Louise Wall has faithfully served our parish for the past 19 years. Hundreds if not thousands of children and their families have been served by her compassionate and faith filled ministry.
All three Marilyn, Sr. Pat and Louise have been huge rocks upon which our SFDS ministries, indeed the essence of our parish have been built. It will be a very hard task to locate and hire successors and for that I ask your steady and energetic prayer.
Words are inadequate to express the gratitude we all have for their work and really, devoting their lives to St. Francis de Sales for decades. We will, of course, schedule events later this year at which you can personally express your own gratitude.In the meantime, I ask your help in understanding the need for us to transition to new leadership in these critical ministry positions quickly because of the hundreds of individuals who depend upon them.
With a sure confidence that God in his providence will help us find the right individuals for our parish and our future, we entrust to His everlasting Love the care of Sr. Pat and Marilyn.
May God continue to bless you and your family and St. Francis De Sales Parish.
Sincerely yours in Christ’s Service,
Fr. Charlie
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