NOVEMBER 2020
VOL. XXVI, NO. 2
Couples bond serving together as Associates
W
By Dan Heckel, OSUA
hen the parish where John and Elaine Wood attend asked for volunteers to teach the Confirmation class, they both signed up. “We were informed that we both didn’t need to volunteer,” John Wood said. “Our answer was, ‘We are a team.’ We back each other up in all our involvements in church and community. And that’s fun.” That attitude is what prompted John and Elaine to become Ursuline Associates together. They are active members with the Western Kentucky group who made their commitments in 2007. They are one of more than 30 couples who continue to serve as Associates. “John and I are a team,” Elaine said. “We may do things differently, but when we are united, we are unstoppable. I’m reminded of the time when John attended a Cursillo and came home on a high. Yet he told me nothing. There wasn’t a sharing of his high or a feeling we could talk about. When the two of us work and play together, there is so much that we share and feel that makes us closer in our relationship and in our faith. This is such a benefit to us. “Anytime we are with people of our faith, we are enriched, blessed and grow,” Elaine said. “There is a peace when we leave Associates meetings and gatherings. I wonder if others experience this feeling of peace?” Like many of the Associate couples, the Woods discuss Associate formations and programs when they are at home. “The few times we are unable to meet quarterly with our group, we always read and share our thoughts on the lesson plan,” they said. “We love the Sisters beyond the black and white clothing, beyond their work titles. The programs open our eyes. They make us look at our hearts and then our relationship.” “Teamwork” is a word that Amy and Tom Payne use often to describe what caused them to become Associates together. They are members of the Owensboro, Ky., group. “As partners in life, when Sister Ann McGrew asked us to become Ursuline Associates, it was natural
John Wood visits with Sister Teresa Riley during the 2019 Saint Nicholas party in Saint Joseph Villa. BELOW LEFT: Elaine Wood and her husband John when he played Santa at the party. BELOW: The Payne family are all Ursuline Associates. Here they are gathered in 2010. From left are Amy, Sarah, Tom, Will, and Meghan.
to become Associates together,” Tom and Amy said. “We not only became Ursuline Associates together, we became the first family to become Ursuline Associates.” Their children Amy, Meghan and Will became Associates with them in 2005. “Husbands and wives benefit from doing things together,” Tom and Amy said. “A great benefit of having a spouse as an Associate is you are strengthening that bond in a spiritual way. “Our relationship with the Ursulines began long before we became Associates,” Tom and Amy said. “They are a part of our family and we pray for them and their intentions every day.” Martha and John Little are Owensboro Associates who believe serving together strengthens their faith. “While there are some things we enjoy individually that we do apart, we think that all important issues in our life should be shared,” the Littles said. “We agree that being an Ursuline Associate is one of those important issues, since it is part of our faith.” “We look for ways to grow spiritually and to be better connected as a couple,” Martha Little said. “We look forward to events that we can enjoy together. The Continued on page 3