Honoring Two Recipients of the Jack Cotter Leadership Award

Catholic Community Services awarded the 2020 and 2021 recipients of the Jack Cotter Leadership Award: Dr. Katie Hirschboeck and Sister Eileen Mahony.
 

Dr. Katie Hirschboeck

Katie, as she is known to all of us at Catholic Community Services, had a distinguished career at the University of Arizona as an Associate Professor of Climatology and currently holds the title of Joint Associate Professor Emerita in Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences.

Katie was nominated for the Jack Cotter Leadership award for her work at Sister Jose Women’s Shelter from 2017 until 2020 and as the Laundry Coordinator at Casa Alitas Welcome Center. In both roles she served with the utmost care and love. Katie says of her work at Casa Alitas, “As the laundry loads appear and reappear day after day after day, I like to refer to our work as the gift that keeps on giving! So many aspects of it can be spiritual: creating a clean start and renewing one’s spirit, it is not unlike a prayer.”

It is important to also mention the lifetime of service Katie has given to our Diocese and the Church as a volunteer leader.

Katie began her approach to incorporating faith in her professional life in 1982 when she published an essay for the Tucson Catholics for Peace and Justice regarding the need for compassion for our fragile earth.

Katie has been active since 2007 in various capacities at Our Mother of Sorrows Parish. The list of her leadership and participation is extensive. To name a few, the Christian Life Commission, the Haiti Committee, the Care for Creation Ministry, Liturgy Commission Chair and both a member and the President of the Parish Council.

Katie’s engagement in leadership in our Diocese extends to establishing a forum on Theology and Science; initiating a Blog, “Justice and Peace Shall Kiss” Holy Ground Common Ground blog which is currently active supporting the Climate Change Dialogue Laudato Si media event; the Cir- cle of Life Journey Program which is an 11-session overview on the respect for life; Just Faith Just Matters and other multi-parish programs regarding Care for Creation, Earth Day events, creation care retreats and a Care for God’s Creation Lenten Calendar.

Although this list is extensive enough, it is important to mention that Katie was trained for and ap- pointed a Catholic Climate Ambassador for the Catholic Climate Covenant as well as an Animator for Laudato Si. In these roles she has presented talks on Catholic teaching on the environment and Laudato Si as well as working with other faith communities in Tucson, California, New Mexico, and Texas. Tied to this work is also her work with the International Catholic Climate Movement, now called the Laudato Si Movement, which ties to the Vatican’s 7-year Action Platform.

Katie is an example of the Servant Leadership embodied in Jack Cotter—to work for the good of all people taking on the humblest tasks while exercising leadership that brings people together in faith and solidarity.

 

Sister Eileen Mahony

Sister Eileen is the daughter of an Irish immigrant mother, and a first generation Irish American. This fact about her life is important because her love of people who are immigrants or displaced from their home countries is in her DNA. Sister received her nursing degree in Wisconsin and joined the Sisters of St. Agnes in 1962. After working in the St. Agnes Hospital until 1971, Sister took on the role of the Director of the Clinica Santa Ines in Nicaragua and remained there for 11 years. She returned to the US and found Catholic Community Services in 1985. She was the first paid, full time medical provider for St. Elizabeth of Hungary Clinic, a role she continued until 2020. During this time, she served as a Regional Congregational Leader from 1986 until 1990 and then again in 2013. Sister never actually left her work in Nicaragua, where in addition to health care for the indigenous Miskito people, she had provided formation for health leaders, women leaders and the wives of deacons as well as supported a formation program for lay pastors and deacons. From 1995 until 2019 she made many return trips to the region to work on both formation and health assessments with the Sisters there.

When the call came to serve yet again, Sister Eileen added to her life of service to become a medical provider at Casa Alitas because of her commitment and love for the people who need her most.

Jack Cotter was a leader, like Sister Eileen, and like Sister he exemplified the role of leader as a serv- ant to others. Catholic Community Services is proud to add the name of Sister Eileen Mahony to our honor wall of the recipients of the Jack Cotter Leadership Award.