March 5, 2010
Sister Darlene Boyd has served at St. Mary’s Church for 25 years
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
For the past 25 years, Sister Darlene Boyd has served faithfully at St. Mary’s Church in downtown Evansville.
She’s shared joys with the parishioners there, and she’s also been with them during their difficult times.
She is a member of the Sisters for Christian Community, and originally from Hamilton, Ohio.
When she arrived at St. Mary’s Church her title was pastoral associate, with additional duties to the Catholic patients at nearby Welborn Hospital. That meant she helped with the parish RCIA program, St. Vincent de Paul Society, religious education, and she visited the sick and the shut-ins.
“You did whatever needed to be done,” she said. “Whatever the need was, if I could do it, I did it.”
In 1994, she became a full-time chaplain at Welborn Hospital, continuing her work at the parish on a part-time basis. She joined the staff at St. Mary’s Hospital as a chaplain in 2002, and continued her part-time work at St. Mary’s, including working in music ministry.
“Every day is different,” she says of her parish ministry. “There are a lot of joys,” in sharing wonderful celebrations with parishioners. “There are difficult times too.” Sharing both with her parishioners has been “a real privilege.”
The international community of the Sisters for Christian Community was founded in 1970 for Christian woman consecrated to God in a non-canonical, ecumenical community. Their website states, We strive to realize the prayer of Jesus, ‘ . . . that all may be one . . . .’ Committed through Baptism to this gospel mandate, we fulfill our mission to build community globally.”