Missionaries of the Sacred

Lay service and volunteerism is a vital resource for religious communities such as the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC). Many friends and family members, give their time, talent, and contacts, to support the MSC’s mission and ministries around the world.

One way the MSC keep in touch with their supportive friends and family is through direct mailing programs from the Direct Mail Department.

The department started in 1937 with five mailings a year to 20,000 people. The priests and brothers handled the process manually in the basement of the monastery on Lake Street. As the MSC’s donor base grew, the process of mailings required more helping hands. Twenty men and women from the Aurora area volunteered to assist in the mailing process, stuffing the letters into the manually-typed envelopes.

Due to the significant increase in the number of mailings, the growth of the MSC donor base, and the rules and regulations from the United States Postal Service regarding bulk mailings, it became difficult and inefficient to handle the MSC’s mailing programs in-house. The congregation then hired a company to handle this process in 2005.

Though technology has enabled an automated and efficient mailing process, staff and MSC missed the community activity they had with the volunteers. Kathy Snow, the database manager for the department, offered the idea of hosting an appreciation luncheon for the former volunteers. MSC cooked for the luncheon, staff members prepared and decorated the dinning hall, and Fr. Peter Campbell welcomed everyone and opened the afternoon with a prayer. Five former volunteers: Joan Kluber, Laurie Minalga, Arlene Pierce, Shirley Sutherland, and Katherine Woodrick came and enjoyed a warm reception with staff and MSC.

Thank you, Joan, Laurie, Arlene, Shirley, and Katherine, for your outstanding volunteer service to the MSC’s Direct Mail Department! We hope to see you again soon!