Sr. Carol Durkin, DC (right), shows a pair of shoes to Garice Terrell at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store in East St. Louis. Sr. Carol has been volunteering with the Belleville Diocesan Council of St. Vincent de Paul for the past 12 years. She is returning to Emmitsburg , Md. (Liz Quirin photo).
By Liz Quirin
For The Messenger
It’s hard to say good-bye, but it’s time.
After 12 years in the Diocese of Belleville that passed in the blink of an eye, Sr. Carol Durkin, DC, will return to the Seton Center in Emmitsburg, Md., to continue to work with the poor through St. Vincent de Paul-sponsored programs.
Sr. Carol, 83, is returning to where her life as a Daughter of Charity began more than 65 years ago. After professing her vows, she spent many years as a teacher and principal on the East Coast.
With many school adventures in her repertoire, she said she had the opportunity to come to this diocese and work with the St. Vincent de Paul Council providing a “side-kick” of sorts to Pat Hogrebe, the former executive director of the Council.
Hogrebe described Sr. Carol as “a fellow Vincentian, a wonderful Daughter of Charity, an incredible volunteer and, most of all, a beloved friend.”
Sr. Carol has accompanied Hogrebe on some of her outreach work with the poor.
“She’s been a great sport, with me through thick and thin,” Hogrebe said.
In the beginning, Sr. Carol split time between after-school care and St. Vincent’s, but that became full-time work after one year.
Sr. Carol interacted with many of the various Vincentian conferences, including the St. Louise de Marillac special works conference. She brought the group “jobs” to do, including filling emergency food bags to be handed out at the Outreach Ministry Center, sending letters about upcoming events like the annual Walk for the Poor, held last weekend, the Christmas opportunities to help and whatever else was needed.
If gifts needed to be wrapped, she brought them to the “Louise ladies.” She tried to relieve Hogrebe of some of the jobs that needed to be done until recently when she lost her drivers license.
Now, Sr. Carol depends on others to give her a ride, and she has become familiar with the bus system in the diocese. She said she sometimes meets clients from the center on the bus who recognize her and call out their greetings to her.
“I admire Pat for her love and service and support to those in need,” Sr. Carol said. “Working with her has been an inspiration for me.”
Sr. Carol has been an inspiration to others as well. Rose Buchmiller, a Vincentian and thrift store manager, said Sr. Carol takes care of the “shoe department” at the thrift store, making sure an ample supply of footwear is available.
Another Vincentian working at the thrift store, Pat Godt, said: “I’m so grateful that she can return to the place — Seton Center — that brought her such happiness.”
While Sr. Carol is looking forward to returning to her roots, she said she will “miss the people and the spirit those people have who keep the Vincentian spirit alive, especially the St. Louise group, Pat’s work group.”
Returning to the Seton Center will be familiar territory to Sr. Carol, who has twice been the director of that outreach center over the years.
“I’m looking forward to going back and meeting the folks I worked with there and being able to visit our senior sisters,” Sr. Carol said.
The Center offers many of the same types of programs that the campus in East St. Louis does. To learn more about the services available through the Belleville diocesan council, to donate or volunteer, go to svdpsouthil.org; to learn about Sr. Carol’s new location go to setoncenter.org.
Vincentians and friends planned to host a party for Sr. Carol on Sept. 24 at St. Henry’s in Belleville. Sr. Carol was also to receive one last chance to play bingo, a game in which Godt said she has become quite proficient.
