Meet Parishioner Janie Sloan: Growing In Faith Through The Different Seasons Of Life

Janie Sloan has been a lifelong member of Holy Family Cathedral’s faith community since being baptized at the parish on Sept. 23, 1947. The cathedral has shaped her family for over 70 years.

“Holy Family gave us stability as children because we were provided with a disciplined education,” Janie says. “It now gives us comfort as adults because the funeral Masses for our parents were at Holy Family. There is comfort in saying goodbye to your parents where you learned to pray and prayed together with them.”

Fred Sloan, Sr. and Winnifred “Wini” Sloan were the parents of Janie and her only sibling, Fred, who also attended Holy Family School and Church from 1947 until he graduated in 1959.

“Holy Family was a gift to us from our parents,” Janie says. “Mother participated in the PTA. She was a convert and was baptized into our faith when I was in high school.”

From the fall of 1953 to the spring of 1959, Janie attended Holy Family School and vividly remembers the annual Spring Carnivals.

“I enjoyed our carnivals every year,” Janie says. “I remember someone brought his iguana for us to meet, and I was impressed. I like the first-day-of-school picture at Holy Family with my brother teasing me.”

Over time, Janie has noticed that the Cathedral community, both the parish and the school, have changed, but in some ways, it has stayed the same.

“We lived five blocks southeast but walked back and forth to get to school and church,” Janie says. “Parishioners were coming from their homes instead of from parking lots. Today the Cathedral still beautifully represents our faith in Cathedral Square.”

Participating in faith formation classes and conversations with other parishioners has helped Janie grow in her faith through the different seasons of her life. She participated in the 33 Days to Morning Glory Marian Consecration a few years ago at Holy Family and would come to hear some of the Wednesday night speakers at the Cathedral.

“Hopefully, we can get some of those activities back soon,” Janie says. “Some of the other ladies in our ‘donut peeps’ group after Sunday Mass used to discuss some of the latest lessons we had learned together, too.”

Janie would like to thank the faith community of Holy Family Cathedral for their prayers and comfort when she and her family have needed them.

“Please enjoy our Cathedral, share your gifts and talents with each other, and keep the parish strong,” says Janie. “Always preserve and protect our beautiful Cathedral.”

Longtime parishioner Janie Sloan

Janie Sloan’s First Holy Communion, 1954

Janie Sloan and her brother, Fred Sloan, on Janie’s first day at Holy Family School, 1953