Dear Fr. Joe and the Parish Family,

I have a blessed life, and hold close to me so many for whom I am grateful. I am grateful for my family of origin who planted seeds of faith and nurtured them, who introduced to me and modeled for me the unconditional love of He who is Love. I am grateful for my children and grandchildren who, time and again, have brought light and love into my days, constantly reminding me of the faithfulness and love of our God. I am grateful for friends with whom I can laugh, celebrate, cry and pray, who show me in untold ways the face of Christ. I am grateful for my faith, my church family and those with whom I have been honored to serve within ministry. Throughout my 3 years of serving my home parish in Illinois and 37 years of service at Our Lady, I have worked 40 years for and with 7 pastors who prayed with me and for me, encouraged me, empowered me, supported me, and challenged me. With vocation being defined as “one’s bliss meeting the needs of the world,” I bow my head in gratitude for my vocation. I am blessed! I am grateful!

My years of serving the parish family of Our Lady started when we moved here in the summer of 1986. It is an interesting evolution:

•     1986-1987 primary aid in the grade school
•     1987-2001 ½ day kindergarten teacher 
•     1991-2001 ½ day DRE 
•     2001-2023 Pastoral Minister

When accepting the position for DRE, Fr. Romano asked me to do it for one year to give him time to do a search. Pleased with my work, in February 1992 he asked me to continue in the position. Consequently, in 1996 I started course work for a Master’s Degree in Religious Education, and completed it in 1999. In April of 2001, we received a new Pastor: Fr. John Swickard. His first weekend at Our Lady, three deaths happened within the parish family. He had only been here since Tuesday and didn’t even know the secretaries’ last names yet. Where to begin? I was on campus Sunday morning facilitating the Religious Ed program and offered my help in getting the necessary steps started. A couple of weeks later he asked me if I had ever thought about Pastoral Ministry. I told him that I had been experiencing an internal “tug” that God was inviting me into something “more,” something deeper, but I didn’t know what. I loved teaching kindergarten and happily planned on staying there “all the days of my life.” Fr. asked me to take a one year leave of absence from Kindergarten and Religious Ed to try it. I was beginning to wonder if I should be hesitant if a priest were ever to again ask me to “do it” or “try it” for “one year.” Once I began the work of pastoral ministry it didn’t take long for me to know that I was right where God wanted me to be. 

My 40 years in church ministry have been full of blessings, not always easy, but full of blessings. Who could ask for more? The pure innocence and joy of that little person behind the toothless smile; the eyes that danced with excitement as the letters on a page came alive in stories; and those hearts that sang out unabashedly their love for Jesus all made it joy to come to “work.” There was one event that was so much fun putting together and celebrating each year that stands out for me in my years as DRE. First Communicants and their parents were invited to a First Communion retreat. Prayer and activities for their participation filled our time together. Lots of smiles were seen and each year it was something families looked forward to attending. There were also sad times, hard times, and challenging times but God supplied the grace!

My service as pastoral minister has been where I spent my greatest number of years. This ministry allowed me to accompany people when they were the most vulnerable. To know that they trusted me with their hearts when they were often filled with pain is an honor, a privilege I will always treasure. The relationships I enjoyed through the years were built on love and I hold those gifts in my heart.

My retirement plans are pretty fluid. I intend to begin by resting, reflecting and celebrating. As you know, arthritis has found a home in my spine, hips, and is currently screaming the loudest in my knees so time will be focused on becoming more mobile and living with less pain. Seeing the Grand Canyon and visiting New England in the fall are two things I have always wanted to do so maybe that desire will become a reality. I am very much a homebody so I look forward to spending time in my recliner delving into the stack of books waiting to be opened. Most importantly, I am looking forward to the freedom I will have to spend more time with my family.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the people of God at Our Lady, my family. With a humble heart, I am grateful to our God for the invitation to serve His people, for His constant presence and faithfulness, and for His abundant grace. Respectfully and with tremendous gratitude, with both excitement and a certain sadness, I share with you my retirement date of May 15, 2023.

In His service,
Marti Hurd