By Katherine Hatting, Parish Missionary Disciple Cohort 2018-2019
In 1971 I was asked to play the organ for a wedding. The groom was a young man I had attended elementary school with but hadn’t seen since 1963. He had enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed in England. He asked me to provide the music for his wedding to Mary, a woman he had met in England. They would be in the USA for only a week. I had never played for a wedding, but agreed to do it.
About a year later, Bill and Mary asked if I would be the godmother of their daughter who was being baptized in England. I agreed without giving it any thought at all—and certainly with no awareness of the responsibility that came with this request.
As the years passed, I exchanged Christmas letters with Bill and Mary. I had never met my goddaughter, Dorothy, but Mary faithfully sent photos of her to me. I hadn’t seen Bill and Mary since their wedding day.
When I participated in Parish Missionary Disciples in 2018, one of the sessions focused on Baptism. I then began to realize the role of a godmother—a responsibility I had never previously understood or accepted. I reached out to Mary and asked if she would share Dorothy’s contact info with me. She got Dorothy’s permission and shared her mailing address. For the past four years, I sent Dorothy a letter, wishing her and her family greetings of the Christmas season and letting her know that I was keeping her in prayer each evening.
On Sunday, December 10, 2023, I met Dorothy, her 18-year-old son, and her younger sister at a Pennsylvania restaurant. What an amazing blessing that dinner was! Many thanks to the Parish Missionary Disciples initiative and leaders who helped me recognize my responsibility as a godmother and meet my spiritual child for the first time—over 50 years after her birth. ✝
- Via Magazine, Issue 2, 2024
Parish Missionary Disciples (PMD) is a training offered by Catholic Leadership Institute to deepen Catholics’ relationship with Jesus Christ, transforming them into disciples and empowering them to give witness to how He lives in hearts, influences lives, and calls everyone to holiness.
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