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Joanne Fedewa, SLW
This new ministry was indeed a
challenge – having gone from teaching, being Principal to learning the
administration of a parish and being Pastoral minister to parishioners
and those in need in the African American Community. It is a ministry
that she truly enjoyed and still does. The greatest challenge came when
she was asked to consider building a new church and hall – a dream of
parishioners for thirty years. This dream became a reality after many
years of planning, fund raising, and prayer. In 2004, Bishop Mengeling,
bishop of Lansing, dedicated the new Church and hall. To date, they are
still fund raising to pay off their loan.
To Christ the King - we give honor, praise and glory and try to live his command of welcoming the homeless, sick, imprisoned, hungry, and strangers - living his word “when you do all these kindnesses to others you are doing them to me.”
She is greatly supported by the parishioners, community, and family of five sisters and five brothers-two of who are priests in the Lansing diocese.
If there is time for play, Sr. Joanne loves to visit family, friends, parishioners, read, pray and reflect on the Scriptures, play cards, walk, exercise, do puzzles, cook, and enjoy God’s creation.
Joanne Fedewa, SLW throws a shovel of dirt at the groundbreaking for the new church building in Flint, MI
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In
1988 before going on a three month Sabbatical, Sr. Joanne received a
call from Bishop Kenneth Povish, then acting Bishop in the Lansing
Diocese. He invited her to consider accepting a new position of
becoming the first Pastoral Coordinator for Christ the King church in
Flint, MI. The parish had been without a priest for sometime and there
was a shortage of priests. Three persons had been invited to come for
the interview. Sr. Joanne was accepted and began her new ministry after
the completion of her Sabbatical in 1989.
