October 20, 2017

Sister Cathy Homrok retires from diocesan position, reflects on ministry

REGIONAL
Story and photos by Rebecca Drake

 

SPRINGFIELD – Sister Catherine Homrok entered the congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield on Sept. 15, 1959, at the age of 17 – and never looked back.

“I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn’t become a Sister of Joseph because it’s really allowed me to do many of the things I dreamed about,” said Sister Homrok in an interview with iObserve following her recent retirement from her position as director of pastoral ministries for the Springfield Diocese. Known to most as Sister Cathy, she was honored with a special Mass and luncheon on Oct. 4.

At the noontime Mass at St. Michael’s Cathedral, attended by many of Sister Cathy’s friends, co-workers and Sisters of St. Joseph, Springfield Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski welcomed those present saying, “We gather to celebrate Sister Cathy Homrok’s ministry… and to thank God for all she has done for us these past years (at the diocese) and all she has done before.”

During his homily, Bishop Rozanski spoke about St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast day was being celebrated.

“St. Francis of Assisi for the world is a saint who signifies what it means to turn one’s whole self over to God,” he said. “He teaches what it truly is to abandon one’s life to God, to find in him a source of joy and hope.”

“Sister Cathy is a source of joy and hope to us as God’s people,” the bishop continued. He mentioned Sister Cathy’s ministry with developmentally disabled children and adults, through the Bureau of Exceptional Children and Adults at Jericho, and at The Gray House in Springfield’s North End, as well as in her more recent work at the diocese.

Speaking with iObserve, Sister Cathy recalled some of the highlights, and the dreams fulfilled, as a Sister of St. Joseph. She began as a sixth- and seventh-grade teacher in a Catholic school in Florence and then was sent to Rhode Island to teach eighth-graders.

“I had prayed to God that I wouldn’t be sent to Rhode Island because Rhode Island was too far for my parents to drive to see me,” she said. But that assignment helped nurture what would become a unique and special part of her life’s work.

“That’s when we discovered that I had a talent for theater, for putting on plays,” she said. She remembered productions of “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Oliver!” in which the eighth-grade boys, in particular, surprised her.

“Boys just surprised me in their willingness to dance and their willingness to be on stage,” she said. “And the families just loved what we did.”

Sister Cathy’s congregation subsequently sent her to Emerson College to complete a master’s degree in theater so she could join the faculty of Elms College as a drama professor. Eventually, her desire to work with special needs children led her to use her theatrical talents in another setting.

“I wanted to do theater with young children who were developmentally delayed and that was really the highlight of my ministry because the families were so amazed that their children could do more than they thought they could,” Sister Cathy said. Working with children at Jericho in Holyoke, she wrote original scripts and worked with the students for as long as a year to present polished productions.

“They just loved being on stage,” she said of the performers in the Jericho productions.

Sister Cathy also remembers with great fondness the years she spent working as a producer and reporter for the diocese’s Catholic Communications ministry.

“People are really nervous when they are interviewed and I think I was able to put them at ease,” she said. “I really helped them to be comfortable so they could share their stories in a more vibrant way.”

Mark Dupont, Catholic Communications longtime director, worked with Sister Cathy during her years in television ministry.

“Dating back more than 20 years, Catholic Communications was very fortunate to benefit from the talents of Sister Cathy Homrok,” he said. “Her stories were truly works of art, told in way that moved beyond just a rendition of facts and information, capturing the true essence and spirit of the people she interviewed.”

In 2010, when the diocese was implementing staffing reductions, Sister Cathy accepted the position of pastoral ministries director. She said she especially enjoyed the opportunity to connect with people throughout the diocese and had particular praise for the committee members who coordinated the annual Catholic Women’s Conference.

And as she continues her ministry as a Sister of St. Joseph, through volunteering and pastoral visits to sisters at local health care centers, she has special memories of her Catholic Communications work.

“The people who work at Catholic Communications work very hard and they’re people who really put their best into their work, whether it’s for television or whether it’s for writing for the magazine now,” she said. “And I appreciate what they do. It’s a lot of work but it’s very satisfying work and I do miss it.”

Commenting further on Sister Cathy’s work in Catholic Communications, Dupont said, “She gave the full measure of her talent to each and every story she was assigned, meticulously watching and re-watching her interviews, writing and rewriting her scripts until they took shape and told the story with clarity and beauty. 

“All her former colleagues at Catholic Communications wish her well in retirement and are forever grateful for the role she played in sharing the Good News.”