Stories from the First Cathedral 30: Eileen Hansen

I believe one of the mistakes we make in the Episcopal Church is marking time and organizing periods of history in a congregation by associating it with the clergy that was serving. The laity of Episcopal church recognizes the bishops, priest, deacons, and other ordained persons as being important. We mark times in our church history by saying this was the era of this clergy or this clergy served in this period. However, most of the lay people of a congregation are the real servants. Most effective laity are humble, hardworking, possess a deep faith and work hard for decades without being recognized.

I could choose many members of the laity who have graced the inside of the First Cathedral since 1862. One of the most deserving, of the top ten effective lay people, was Eileen Hansen who was the head of the altar guild for decades at the First Cathedral. Eileen served from roughly 1970 to 2011. Eileen was a widow, soft spoken, gentle, small in stature, polite, loving and expert in liturgical setup of every season of the church.

When I was Dean and a Bishop would visit the First Cathedral, I was not the first one greeted. They would make a beeline to the Cathedral sacristy to check in with Eileen and get instructions. The sacristy was well organized, clean, neat, and completely stocked with drawers of beautiful liturgical supplies. The purificators, fair linens and corporals were white pieces of perfection used in holy services and provided with pride by Eileen and her staff of volunteers. 

Besides having the ministry of supervising a top-notch altar guild, Eileen had another special ministry. She remembered birthdays with a card and a crisp $2.00 bill. I asked her once if she made these $2.00 bills at home. She responded, "If I could make these, I would make larger bills for myself." One of my treasured bookmarks is a $2.00 bill from Eileen given in a birthday card. Thank you, Eileen, for your dedication and care of sacred items at the First Cathedral.