Threshold Winter 2011

30-Year Employees Honored by Mount Sisters
by Judith Sutera, OSB

Sister Dorothy Wolters, center, director of human resources, pictured with Connie Cline (left) and Willette Sinclair (right) both 30 year employees of the Mount.


Two of the employees honored by the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica at this year’s employee picnic have a lot more in common than working in the same place. For one thing, they’ve done it for a long time. Willette Sinclair and Connie Cline each received recognition for thirty years of service or, as Connie put it, “about half of my life.”

Both began as part-time helpers, Willette as a licensed practical nurse in Dooley Center and Connie in the kitchen that serves the sisters and the Dooley Center residents. Both women are enthusiastic about their life choice and say they can’t imagine working anywhere else. “I’ve been offered other jobs, but why would I go?” says Willette. “Dooley Center is one of the best care facilities in the nation because we’ve grown together.” She points to the continuity of the staff and the environment with the sisters as important. She also credits the respect for persons, the standard of behavior expected, and the general peacefulness. “It’s never dull, but it’s also not chaotic.”

Connie seconds that assessment. “Having a Christian atmosphere at work has really been a joy for me. The sisters are easy to work for, good to their employees, and they are more like family. When an employer is good, you want to do good work.” Both have had their own children work for the sisters as well. They praise the sisters for being a caring support for their families, especially in times of trouble. When one asks them about their thirty years on the job, both say that it went by quickly. One other comment was made by both women, “I can’t think of another job where you’d have so many people praying for you every day!” they said.