Thank you, Loreena!
In October 2019, we welcomed Loreena Garcia as Development & Communication Coordinator. After five days of shadowing me, I left for the Holy Land for ten days. You can ask my poor roommate: the time difference had me up at 4 a.m. whispering in the bathroom at the hotel on the Sea of Galilee as Loreena and I put the finishing touches on her first 24-page bulletin. Talk about remote work—talk about baptism by fire?!? Little did any of us know that four months later, Loreena would be part of the St. Monica on-site pandemic pod: staff that never sheltered in place, onsite every day knowing that whilst doctors and nurses were saving lives medically, our spiritual and ministerial work was just as much on the frontline.
Loreena was vital to our parish's pivot to a fully online community. Each week she embraced all the learning opportunities (natch: necessities) with the same passion and dedication as our ministry directors and the many volunteers led by them. As a technical moderator, she often was behind the scenes ensuring this "new Zoom thing" was accessible to all—along with Vimeo, Livestream, and quadrupling our social media presence.
Marketing Communications is unique: it touches every aspect of parish life and strives to give it a voice. Imagine how many voices Loreena had to chorale (misspelling intended)! Loreena's proven experience in the faith-based, non-profit world is far and wide. And so it seems fitting to wish her well as she departs this parish to accept a significant advancement in her career as Director of Grants and Partnerships for Green Commuter.
Turnover, recruitment, and onboarding are the bain of any organization's administrative existence. However, Loreena embodies precisely what (IMHO) our parish should be: an incubator—a lab. St. Monica should be where we welcome those discovering their callings and gifts, support them to explore and hone, and when they've reached the redline of parish wages—make room for the next wave to have the same opportunity. That is how our parishioners thrive and in turn, how our parish thrives. Eventually, with our prayer and warm wishes, they go out, continuing to form disciples who will transform the world.
So often, we share the social good this parish strives to provide externally. Trust me, the need is great. Yet, Loreena stands as a testament that the social good of this parish is also internal: a commitment to lifelong learning, growth, and development. And when we know it's time to fly the coop, this parish joins God's breath under your wings and is confident that you will soar. Thank you, Loreena, for everything you have tirelessly given to this parish community. Go in peace.
