The 79th gathering of the Salesian Guild took place on Feb. 3.
This organization aims to celebrate professionals in the field of Catholic communications through Mass, good food, and inspirational speakers. This year, the event was held at DePaul Cristo Rey High School, founded by the Sisters of Charity.
As a communications intern for the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati since last semester, I was fortunate enough to be invited to this annual gathering by my supervisor, S. Georgia Kitt, director of communications.. I do not personally identify myself as religious or Catholic, but I think it’s truly beautiful how all of these individuals I met through the Salesian Guild feel so strongly about their faith that they’ve dedicated their lives to it.
Even though I’m not religious, I did enjoy all the different songs and music played throughout the Mass. The first song was called “All Are Welcome,” which helped set the tone for the event. Despite how different my views may be from the people sitting next to me, we were all able to come together for one night and celebrate.
After Mass, we migrated to the school’s cafeteria for the rest of the evening. Dinner came with the option of roast chicken or a delicious-looking fettuccine alfredo alongside mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, and dinner rolls. There also were mini chocolates and cheesecake pieces for dessert—needless to say, nobody went hungry!
At my table for dinner, I was able to sit with everyone from the Sisters of Charity I had gotten to know over the past semester: Sisters Georgia Kitt, Patrice Vales, Kathyrn Ann Connelly, and Judy Metz. Our graphic designer, Michelle Bley, and archivist, Veronica Buchanan, also sat with us. If I have learned anything throughout my journey as an intern with the Sisters, it is that you should never judge a person without talking to them. The laughs and conversations we all had that night was some of the most fun I’ve had in a while. The Sisters I have grown close to are nothing like I would have ever imagined beforehand, and I encourage everyone with the opportunity to get to know some of them.
The main event of the night was the presentation of the Communicator of the Year Award, which went to Patricia McGeever, a news producer at WKRC. The award is in recognition of all the work she did to put together an hour-long special for Local 12 news, called “Sister Blandina Segale: A Cincinnati Saint.” Some of you may recall last semester when the movie about S. Blandina, At the End of the Santa Fe Trail, was shown on campus. All of the work and media about her is not pure coincidence—she is on the journey to be canonized as a Catholic saint. I found it incredibly inspiring how Patti put this idea into motion and made it such a huge success. The Sisters of Charity was something she was very passionate about, and it gave me hope that there is room for me to also go after things I’m passionate about.
The skills I’ve learned throughout my degree and internships have given me a lot of preparation for the “real world,” but I think the most valuable thing I’ve gotten is to never give up on your dreams. All of these outstanding members of the Salesian Guild believe with their whole soul in their work of communicating the Catholic message, and I can only hope that I feel the same about the work I do in my future career.
Cutline: Katelyn Rieder, right, with Sister of Charity Georgia Kitt