Sr. Kathleen Hayes: Ministering through Library Books
Sr. Kathleen Hayes helps a student with the computer at St. Paul Catholic School.
by Kathleen Hayes, OP
Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore? This is a question that I ask elementary school children in my ministry as librarian at St. Paul Catholic School in St. Petersburg, FL. If you don’t know which you are, perhaps it’s time to read or reread A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh. This is just one example of how I have experienced how children’s literature can lead both children and adults to reflect on many of life’s deepest issues.
Books and libraries have been in my blood since childhood. I remember my joy and excitement when I was finally old enough to get my own library card. I remember, with fondness, the children’s librarian who could always find just the right book to fit my interests and who guided me in choosing books that I enjoyed and that challenged me.
We say, and believe, that at the heart of ministry is relationship. Just as, for the librarian of my youth, it was not sufficient to know books, I, too, am challenged to learn about the interests, reading, and developmental levels of the reader. In this ministry, I am able to influence both students and other adults to live gospel values. In introducing and/or discussing books with children, there are myriad opportunities to explore moral issues and values, as well as to widen the children’s world beyond their known culture and/or experiences. I believe true preaching and teaching come from one’s own personal reflection and using the materials at hand to reach the mind and heart of those with whom one ministers. With a library of 9,000 books, a faculty of 30, and over 300 children ranging in age from 3 to 14, I have more than ample background to give me the opportunity for reflection, joy, modeling, and preaching the Gospel.
Education has been my ministry world for over 40 years: teacher, administrator, and librarian. These 10 years of serving as librarian at St. Paul have allowed me both to synthesize and utilize my past experiences and knowledge, as well as challenged me to continue learning as I keep abreast of current issues.
During the summer when school is not in session, there has been the opportunity to give service to the Congregation. The summer of 2007, I was privileged to live in community with the Sisters at Divine Providence in Des Plaines, IL, assisting them in moving from and closing that mission. This past summer, I was blessed to serve the Sisters in the Siena community at our Motherhouse in Sinsinawa. The rewards of these past two summers are these: learning from the Sisters; watching them embrace challenges and diminishment, and still emanate joy, gratitude, and love; and remaining true to study and prayer. They have enriched me. They model for me being Tiggers, not Eeyores. They are mentoring me into a further stage of my own life.
Two sides of a coin―giving and receiving, ministering to and being ministered to―both summer and winter I’m privileged to experience both sides of this coin of life.