DIOCESAN NEWS
04/16/10
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Hall of fame diver volunteers at SHSM
By Kathryn Sponsel-Pauls
HOLLY SPRINGS — For Ronni Gilligan, the call to volunteer at Sacred Heart Southern Missions (SHSM) was no less than a sign from God.
“I honestly can’t tell you how I came to be here (at SHSM),” says Gilligan about her decision to come all the way from Long Beach, N.Y., to northern Mississippi to volunteer.
“But the Sacred Heart had something to do with it. I’ve been having a thing with the Sacred Heart for the last couple of years now. It seems to be around every corner. When I saw this was ‘Sacred Heart’ Southern Missions, I said, ‘Okay, you got to go. God, you win this round.’ Once I talked with Lois (Harrison, SHSM Volunteer Coordinator) about volunteering, the rest just fell into place.”
So Gilligan made the long trip from New York to Mississippi. For some, following God’s call to go alone to an unknown place far from home would be a daunting task — not for Gilligan.
But then, Gilligan’s never been one to avoid a challenge.
In 1968, Gilligan became the first woman to make the dangerous dive down to the Empress of Ireland shipwreck which, along with her other diving experiences, earned her a place in the Women Diver’s Hall of Fame in 2004.
The Empress of Ireland, a luxury liner that sank in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1914, took over a thousand souls with her to a watery grave after a freak collision.
“What makes the Empress such a challenging dive is that it sits in 140 feet of water that is bitterly cold year-round and there are roaring currents coming in and out of the St. Lawrence River,” writes Bill Beyer in his 2004 article, “Ronni Gilligan … Pioneer Diver,” in the Long Beach Boating World newspaper.
“The conditions are so tough that one of the commercial divers hired by the Canadian Pacific to recover bodies a month after the sinking died, as have five sport divers between 1981 and 2002.”
Gilligan’s historic feat was featured in the book, “Dark Descent – Diving and the Deadly Allure of the Empress Ireland” by Kevin McMurray.
Gilligan returned once again to dive to the Empress of Ireland in 2002 at the age of 62, with the help of McMurray.
Gilligan is modest about her historic dive and doesn’t bring it up unless specifically asked.
As a Maryknoll affiliate, a U.S. based Catholic mission movement, Gilligan has volunteered all over the world – in Thailand, Nepal, Albania, Bolivia, Cambodia and Native American reservations in North Dakota.
She usually volunteers with Maryknoll every year so coming to SHSM was a new step for her.
In February and March of this year, Gilligan brought to SHSM the same vigor and spirit she has shown in all her life adventures.
She spent the majority of her time volunteering in Holly Springs, tutoring students at Holy Family School, helping Elvira Stevens, social worker at Holly Springs Catholic Social Services office, complete medical check-ups, assisting with the weekly Garden Café soup kitchen and helping Holy Family School and the Holly Springs Catholic Social Services with any project as needed.
“Ronni is just wonderful,” says Sister Joel Curcio, manager of Holly Springs Catholic Social Services.
“She always shows up on time and puts all her effort into what she is doing. You couldn’t ask for a better volunteer.”
“I’d like to be able to truly help them more,” says Gilligan.
“Whenever you volunteer, you come away with the most gifts. I come away more blessed and knowing how lucky I am to be who I am.
“I’ve learned so much while I was here. I felt like I had talked with history at the Garden Café, about segregation and the dehumanization they lived through.
“I talked with one man about growing up during those times. He was an inspiration to me to have lived through such hard times and yet still to be filled with such hope and faith.
“I’m really impressed with everything Sacred Heart Southern Missions does. I’m impressed with the Catholic Social Services office.
“They treat everyone with dignity and Elvira does everything with such love and tenderness. I felt like I was at the Last Supper as I watched her working with her clients and washing their feet.
“I met so many wonderful people. And the children and teachers at Holy Family are so full of life and hope.
“As I was working with the children I thought, ‘This is the reason I came. There may be some way I can help them.’ They even gave me a surprise luncheon at the center and the students at Holy Family made me wonderful thank you cards.
“Sacred Heart Southern Missions is blessing the people and the area. I’m so grateful to have been able to be a tiny speck of it, if only for a little bit of time.
“I will miss the people I’ve met; the friends, I’ve made,” Gilligan says, as tears come to her eyes.
“I will keep you all in my prayers forever. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to be here. I hope I will be invited back.”
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