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Your Catholic Neighbor: Lin Stoudt
Life of service despite difficulties
By Joyce Coronel, The Catholic Sun
September 20, 2007
Lin Stoudt truly loves children and has devoted her entire life to helping them.
The director of the St. Luke parish early education program and mother of eight is known about the community as “Ms. Lin,” a term of affection emblazoned on her car’s license plate.
“I had four children by birth and adopted four,” she said with a smile. Besides her work at St. Luke’s, she also cares for a 3-year-old granddaughter four days a week.
A native of Dayton, Ohio, Stoudt is a member of the Cherokee nation and holds a master’s degree in special education and sociology and a doctorate in both Japanese literature and early childhood education. When she moved to Arizona 21 years ago, she and her family joined St. Luke Parish, nestled north of Phoenix in Moon Valley.
Stoudt’s involvement in the life of the Church is extensive, and when you consider the fact that she does it all from a wheelchair, it is also quite impressive. She is a lector, a St. Vincent de Paul volunteer and runs the rummage sale for the parish’s annual Oktoberfest, as well as organizes the food for the Parishioner Appreciation Weekend.
She never seems to miss an opportunity to be involved in the St. Luke community. Stoudt is currently the vice president of the parish council and just completed four years as its secretary.
“I also run the Halloween party and the Easter egg hunt for the kids and whatever else Father asks me to do,” she said. All of this is in addition to her place at the helm of the church’s early education program.
After 17 years working a Sunday-only program, Stoudt convinced her pastor in January 2006 to allow a weekday curriculum.
“We were full when we started and we’re full now — we have a tremendous waiting list,” Stoudt said. “Within the preschool we have five students with special needs.” The special-needs children receive one-on-one attention from her.
Stoudt conducts herself with extraordinary grace and seemingly boundless energy, despite three bouts with cancer, a partially amputated foot and a condition which has paralyzed her stomach muscle. The illnesses have all taken their toll. At 5 feet 8 inches, she’s tall, but weighs only 100 pounds. That’s because she is unable to eat normally and is fed through a tube. Stoudt takes it all in stride, though, and manages just fine, thank you.
Her work at the preschool is strictly on a volunteer basis and her business card states that she is a “professional volunteer.” She was recently recognized by the City of Phoenix for more than 60,000 volunteer hours in the community working with children.
“I try to support what our parish does and they’re excellent at supporting me.” She also gets the parents of the children involved in collecting much-needed items for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. A colorful sign atop a box inside the preschool invites donations of goods for the charity.
Stoudt says the preschool is open to people in the community of all faiths and notes that it’s brought some non-Catholic parents into the RCIA program. “How do you expose people to Catholicism?” she asked rhetorically. “Through the kids.”
How does your work affect your faith?
Every day I’m praying more than I probably would. I say to the kids, “What do you want to thank God for?” I’m not sure we all stop and do that every day. As they say grace, in my head I say, “Thank you for the gift of the food You’re giving me through that tube;” sometimes it’s hard to be thankful when you’re not tasting anything.
What do you like most about being Catholic?
I think it is the community, that I can go anywhere in the world and be part of a God community… I get used to what is different in different countries but the Mass is still the same.
What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you at the preschool?
We were doing dinosaurs and that day we were also doing volcanoes in class. A student said, “volcanoes are what made dinosaurs stink.” It reminded me we need to say the word “extinct” clearly to them.
What’s your favorite quote?
“With each child the world is born.” That was from my grandmother.
What’s your favorite movie? Why?
“Nanny McPhee,” and the “Harry Potter” movies, but my favorite is “Sister Act.” Whenever I need a joke I put it in the VCR and if I’m having a down day it makes me laugh. Humor is a good thing in my life.
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