by Maureen Geary OP
Recently, Sterling Smith was honored as an Eagle Scout, and he in turn honored Sister Margaret Thomas OP as one of his mentors.
Sister Margaret is a Grand Rapids Dominican Sister living in Colorado.
Here is an excerpt from Sterling’s speech:
“The third person I would like to award a pin to is Sister Margaret. Sister Margaret has known me since I was born. She was my mom’s boss at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church. She has played a very important role in my life and faith. She has supported me through a lot of activities including Boy Scouts along with getting all of my sacraments at church. She is in a lot of my favorite memories growing up. Some of these include decorating pumpkins of Saints for All Saints Day, Mass readings at church, participating in and volunteering at the Saint Joan of Arc Vacation Bible School camp, and so much more. She encouraged me to pursue the values and morals that enabled me to achieve this rank. She is an amazing teacher and I have never stopped learning from her. Her devotion to God is inspirational, and I aspire to have faith like her. Sister Margaret, thank you so much for all you have done for me and my faith.”
As Dominicans, we recognize that Sister Margaret is preaching with her life! What a wonderful young man. Some of you may remember Sterling’s sister, Natalie Smith, who graduated from Aquinas College several years ago and worked for us in Archives for a couple of years. Sister Margaret, thank you for your witness and thank you for bringing this wonderful family into our lives. Congratulations, Sterling!
