Dee Thatcher of Rochester became a Cojourner when
she turned 50. Feeling she’d earned a massage, she
visited Assisi Heights’ Integrative Therapies. Here she
came to know S.Linda Wieser, and through her, S.
Tereselle Fihe—for whom she became friend
and companion. They soon found themselves attending Mass
and having lunch together.
Dee simply fit in so well, so loved the Heights, and
found God so clearly in each Sister’s dedication, that
though she hadn’t been a “church” woman—she found God
out-of-doors
--she discovered that St.Francis and she had a good deal
in common, and her interest in
the Church took root. At Pax Christi Parish, S.
Rosemarie welcomed her into RCIA 1997.
There were obstacles, to be sure; she knew her family,
her stepfather in particular, wouldn’t take kindly to
this new woman, despite her desire. But Dee worked as a
volunteer in the Assisi Community Center for four years,
learning every nook and outlet
in the whole building as she set up equipment,
registered participants, and followed S. Joy in whatever
the task. She found such openness, such willingness,
among the Sisters—and she grew always more intrigued.
When S. Colleen gave her a biography of St.
Clare--Clare, companion to Francis and founder of her
own community—Dee saw how Clare’s family opposed her
desire to be a poor woman of God, and how she followed
the Spirit anyway. Like Clare, she felt torn; yet she
saw the path clearly. And so, on September 17th, the
feast of Francis’s Stigmata, she signed her covenant as
a Cojourner with the Sisters of St. Francis; she was
baptized at the Holy Saturday ritual in 1998.
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Her family recognized that she was the happiest she’d
ever been. And after her mother’s death, she realized
its fruit in a warm friendship with her stepfather,
Stewart, in his last
weeks. Asked about this still-new life, she says she’s
“Franciscan first, then Catholic”
--though there’s no real separation. Retired now from
the Mayo Clinic, she finds herself
busier than ever. A volunteer, she gives a morning each
week as receptionist for Integrative Therapies; another
morning is spent at Charter House, and she’s often out
mowing lawns or washing windows for folks unable to do
these chores. Dee has become
Coordinator of Befrienders for Pax Christi Parish—she
and other Befrienders lend themselves to compassionate
listening and support, one-on-one, wherever there is
need.
Dee—energetic and joyful, yet enduring multiple joint
pain for which there is no remedy yet, has had to give
up beloved sports. She handles her health differently
these days. There is still pain, and clinic
appointments; but the whole of Franciscan life as she
has come to know it gives her a fresh place on the earth
each morning.
This community is her connection to Francis.
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