S. Marie Pauline Skalski

Sister of Charity of Cincinnati Marie Pauline Skalski celebrated 50 years with the Community in 2010. Active spiritually and physically, Sister runs, rides her bike, skis both cross country and downhill, and attends a weightlifting class for women twice weekly. S. Marie Pauline has spent her 50 years as a Sister of Charity in the field of education, and sits down to discuss her current ministry as the assistant principal and school counselor at St. Martha School Parish in Okemos, Mich.

Who was/is the inspiration for your current ministry?

I started St. Martha School with three Sisters of Charity in 1992. It was a joy to be starting a school when so many others were closing. I learned early in my religious life the importance of education and soon found I had very big footsteps to follow in role models such as St. Elizabeth Seton, Mother Margaret George and S. Blandina Segale. They were all about education, beginnings and building.

Why and how is your ministry relevant in today’s ever-changing culture?

Today more than ever we need to embrace our children in a warm and loving community, a firm life-giving faith, Catholic values and virtues, so they will be well-grounded, competent, and self-confident young people seeking to make this world a better place.

What is the biggest challenge you face in your ministry?

The biggest challenge is to help young people to pause and focus on faith, values and virtues that today’s pop culture skims right over. This iPod, Facebook, texting generation is actually longing for moments of serenity and prayer. They experience great joy in service to the poor and down-trodden; and they relish the warmth of community.

As a parish and school we made a commitment to live out the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. In parish homilies, in classroom lessons, and in families we learned and studied each work of mercy with the goal of “wrapping them into our everyday lives.” To practice we launched projects – school, group, family and individual projects. We fed the hungry in the inner city, clothed those who lost everything in natural disasters, visited the sick in hospitals and nursing homes until we learned that those we helped are not separate from us but a part of us, the Body of Christ.

What gives you the greatest satisfaction?

Seeing the lights go on – and knowing that I helped flip the switch!

 

back to top