“For everyone to whom much is given, of him much be required.” ~ Luke 12:48

     “Everybody has a story, and they are all so interesting”~ Mary Ann Quigg

     I was born in Puyallup, Washington as Mary Ann Gosselin, the youngest of three children. My older brother, Larry, is a Franciscan priest, and my older sister, Therese, is a teacher like I have been. I attended Seattle University where I received a bachelor’s in education. I also attended University of Portland for my first year of college. I taught a total of four years in Phoenix, Bellevue, and at St. Mary’s School here in Aberdeen. Then after having my kids, I substituted at St. Mary’s up through 2011.

     I met my husband through mutual friends of ours. Mike had grown up in Hoquiam. We got married in 1976 and that is when I moved to Aberdeen and became a part of St. Mary’s Church. We have four children: Charlie, born in 1978, Neil, born in 1979, Laura, born in 1981, and Stevie, born in 1983.

     I came from a really strong Catholic background, with many family members being priests and nuns. My oldest son, Charlie, actually went to Notre Dame to become a priest, but changed his mind after one year. I find it comforting in our faith that it is so similar at the different parishes. It is neat for us to be able to hold onto that tradition. Unfortunately, a lot of people associate horrible things that have happened with priests with the Catholic faith. It’s just the ugliness of humanness. Look at teachers now and how they are targeted as well. In a way, I think that the Catholic Church is being targeted. I try to go to daily mass during the week. I love that it is so quiet and I don’t have the distractions that would happen with a lot of people there.

     “Ask God to place before you what to do.”

     I talked a couple of times to the youth group at the church, but I talked to the confirmation group just this past year. I talked about prayer. Prayer is such a balancing thing to have in your life. I think that there are three things to live by: You have to love, you have to forgive and you have to trust. But you really can’t do these three things unless through prayer. Sometimes it is really hard to love, even your husband, your children. At times you have to forgive and forget. And then you just have to trust. And all three of these things take prayer. I try to pray every day. I don’t know if I do. Kind of like my housework that doesn’t get done every day. Then I kind of build up a crescendo and then start praying. The minute you start praying it makes you excited to pray, but you can lose it so quickly. And I really think that’s the devil, I really do, or material world, or whatever you want to say. It’s easy to lose that desire to pray and that’s what we really need to have to love, forgive and trust. It is important in my life. It’s not like I constantly pray – it crescendos. Usually I pray when there is a situation – then I pray really hard. Then it gets better, and I back off. “Faith, Hope and Love: Love is the most important of these three.” This is something I live by.

     I tend to shy away from most organized volunteerism, but I do like helping the elderly ladies. It just gives me a good feeling to make a difference in their life. I started volunteering at Feed the Hungry in 1999, from being involved at St. Mary’s Church. I was hired as a part-time coordinator along with Judy Folden in 2000. After working as an employee for about three years, I stepped down and have been a volunteer there up until now, but I will volunteer there as long as I’m able (she says with a big smile). My four kids have even come to help at times to serve. Mike likes to help from time to time. It used to be that when someone would ask me about it, he would actually answer the question, telling the people about the Feed the Hungry Program.

     I’m glad that we don’t preach to them (the patrons of Feed the Hungry). I think that we can get just as much a message across to them by just being kind to them and accepting them. And see, a lot of them think that it is our church, because there is a big crucifix and such. They know where they are. “Preach the gospel at all times, but use words only when necessary” ~ St Francis of Assisi. I think this is how the Feed the Hungry program is. Because I think some people might be turned off from being preached to. I’m glad that we don’t turn away people if they have been drinking, unless they are troublemakers. I had this one man that had a bottle of beer in his pocket, and it spilled all over while he was in line. I just cleaned it up and I know that he was embarrassed.

     You don’t look at them as looking gruff. I just view them as people, you know, when you get to know them. Everyone is three questions from tears. Some of them don’t talk, but that’s okay. I just love them, I really do. They are the most real people I have ever met. They don’t have all the hangups that so many people seem to. Sometimes you can tell that they really are trying to preserve their dignity or something by criticizing the food. It’s about the only thing they can control. That’s when I say, “Get out of here.” No I don’t. Well, sometimes I do. There was this one man that asked if he could cook. I told him that we pretty much have our cooks every day. Then he said to me, “I don’t know how every day you can ruin perfectly good food.” I said “What?” Then he said it again, and I told him it was time for him to leave. I told him that these people come at 9:30 or 10 every morning to fix you a beautiful meal. I said, “It’s far better than I serve my own family.” But in a way, that’s just making them feel like they are in control. You know, that they are able to control something.

     Something I would like to see be improved at Feed the Hungry or possibly somewhere else in our community would be to have a place where homeless people could have a nice warm shower and get clean clothes without feeling like it was somewhere they would have to stay the night.

     I have a story to share with you today. I was in Bellevue in Nordstroms, and I found this really pretty bracelet. It wasn’t cheap. I thought I had never really bought something like that. I bought it and wore it twice. It didn’t mean anything to me, nothing. It didn’t bring any joy to me. The first day, maybe. I was kind of excited to be wearing it, so I took it back. It taught me that it is so much more fun, really seriously fun, to give something to someone that would like it. It was a good experience for me. Actually, a lot of jewelry kind of bugs me. It made me realize that material things have no value. What a shame if they do. I’m one to buy stuff, but that sure didn’t do anything for me.

     I really feel blessed in my life for all that I have with my family, especially love.

~Interviewed & transcribed
by Angela Bove