By Dan Sullivan
Catholic Herald

Toohey award winner has many ministries

WEBSTER -- Even as a youngster Joanie McKeown wanted to be a teacher, but because she attended parochial school, McKeown thought one had to be a religious sister in order to be a teacher.

When she was in the fourth grade and for the first time had a laywoman as a teacher, "that's when it kind of registered that you don't have to be a sister in order to be a teacher," McKeown said.

"I had thought about becoming a sister, but realized you shouldn't become a sister in order to be a teacher, if it isn't your calling."

McKeown had many early influences in her life, including being educated in Catholic schools, various Sisters of St. Joseph and Benedictine sisters she had for teachers, and inspiration gained while growing up in Holy Spirit Parish in St. Paul, Minn.

"Going into church every week and seeing that huge mosaic of the Holy Spirit on the back wall of the sanctuary, with the tongues of fire representing the gifts of the Spirit, was something," she said.

"I look back and that was really an influence on me. It reminded me that we are given gifts and given gifts to share them with others."

She credited a high school math teacher helping her confront shyness in order to enter the field of education.

"It got me thinking that I needed to start working at coming out of myself to be able to speak in front of people," McKeown said.

McKeown went on to earn a degree in math and secondary education from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul. After graduation she served as a high school math teacher for five years at Derham Hall High School, an all girls Catholic college prep school in St. Paul.

Following marriage and relocation to the Webster area in 1977, McKeown started working for her husband Jim's business, which centers on writing and publishing books about cameras. The company first published a small booklet. It has since expanded to the 900 page McKeowns Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras that is available today.

"I then decided I wanted to get back into something where I was using my gifts more to help others," McKeown said. "I always felt that calling to be a teacher."

McKeown was a bit humble when talking about receiving the Thomas P. Toohey Award for leadership in catechetical ministry during the fall institute for teachers and catechists held in Rice Lake Oct. 8. She has been involved in ministry work for some time, but said, "My background in this field isn't as lengthy as a lot of people," she said.

"People had been asking me for the last four or five years to allow my name to be submitted for this award, but I kept saying no. The reason is, I didn't start working for the church in this diocese until 1988."

It was in 1988 that she went to work as a parish bookkeeper at the Webster parish cluster office. McKeown said while in this office she admired the working relationship Mary Modjeski, the director of religious education, and Fr. John Drummy, the pastor, had. Modjeski now serves as DRE in Cumberland and Drummy is current pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Amery.

Modjeski said she has been fortunate to have worked alongside McKeown on many occasions over the years.

"Our years of shared ministry have been a rich blessing for me," Modjeski said.

"Throughout her years of ministry Joanie has exhibited an extraordinary knowledge and appreciation of the Catholic faith. So many in our diocese have benefited from her inspiring and challenging presentations."

Although working with numbers was said to be a good fit for a former math teacher, McKeown desired to get back into what she loved doing most, teaching.

"As I got into it and became more involved, I realized it was the teaching end, and the ministry end, that I really wanted to get into," McKeown said.

"Seeing them (Modjeski and Drummy) and their working style, the way it was such a team effort for things they did, led me to want to go into pastoral work."

In 1991 McKeown left the job as bookkeeper and went back to school to obtain a master's degree in pastoral ministry from the St. Mary's University in Winona, Minn. While completing this degree she was hired by the late Fr. Jim Dluge to be DRE and liturgist at the cluster parishes of St. Dominic, Frederic, and Immaculate Conception, Grantsburg.

She worked for those parishes for about five years, until Dluge was forced into retirement because of ill health.

Besides working in parishes, McKeown has given presentations throughout the diocese. One workshop she did was a four part series explaining the revised Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Being a catechist, McKeown stressed, is more than being a teacher. "If you look at the church documents, they define catechesis as teaching people how to be disciples." she said.

"Catechesis isn't just about sitting in a classroom and doing education, it's about living your faith."

McKeown has served in the diocese as a pastoral associate, DRE, youth minister, director of adult formation, liturgist, lay leader of prayer, RCIA coordinator and retreat coordinator. She has also authored two books -- Sharing More Than a Pastor and Employing Catechetical Leaders -- and contributed articles to the Superior Catholic Herald.

As a professional catechetical leader she has been an active member of the Superior Mutual Ministry Team (SUMMIT). When she first heard of the group, McKeown didn't think she would benefit from it. She was then invited to a meeting where the group was looking to revise its organizational by-laws. Feeling there was some "meat" to the gathering, McKeown decided to attend.

"If you read articles and by-laws you really find out what the organization is," McKeown said. "I then realized it (SUMMIT) does a lot of things that are educational to help DREs and CREs (coordinators of religious education) in their work and they form a lot of good friendships with the other DREs and CREs. You can also share with others what you are doing in your program. I found it is a wonderful support system for people that are doing this kind of ministry."

As a member of SUMMIT, McKeown was selected to be a diocesan representative with the Wisconsin Directors of Religious Education Federation (WDREF) and then went on to the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership and the National Association for Parish Catechetical directors. She has served on the WDREF board for six years and has been its facilitator for three years. McKeown has been a part of the SUMMIT executive team since 1995 and presently serves as its secretary.

McKeown and her husband are members of St. John the Baptist Parish in Webster. The couple recently bought a second home that rests on the shore of Yellow Lake near Webster. They are looking to devote it to a retreat get away. Although the duo has differing ideas on what the aim should be -- Jim is leaning toward a place for executives to get away and Joanie is looking to focus more on the spiritual side -- they both appreciate the property's natural surroundings.

"The setting and the grounds are so beautiful," McKeown said.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2003