Sister Carol Inkrott celebrates her final mass at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Sunday.

Serving since 2002, she is the senior pastoral leader in the local ministerial community, having served here 17 years.

Rev. John McLoughlin, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, becomes the parish full-time pastor on Aug. 10. His official installation by Toledo Diocese Bishop Daniel Thomas is Saturday, Sept. 20.

Reflecting on her vocational choice, Sister Carol said that the church – specifically the Franciscan order – has been her family since she was 13. “I love being part of that group and what they stand for.”

Explaining further, she said that means a love of nature, outreach to the poor, living a simple lifestyle, being mindful of the world meaning that we don’t have the right to amass things that we don’t need.

Rev. Jeremy Mann, pastor of Emmanuel United Church of Christ, president of the Bluffton Area Ministerial Association, said that Sister Carol serves as a wonderful guide into the heart of the community.

“(Over the years) she provided us with a picture of the Bluffton spiritual life  – what it is and what it can be,” he said.

“Her legacy is a full life of impassioned love and inspiration, care and joy,” he added.

The retiring St. Mary’s pastoral leader, jokingly says that her next decisions include “figuring out what I’m going to do when I grow up.”

She will move to Bascom, Ohio, and has several plans this fall.

“I am planning a trip to Maine to see the seasonal color changes. Then, I will be in El Paso, Texas, for two weeks welcoming refugees near the end of October,” she said.

She plans to do some serious reading of works by C.S. Lewis, writer and theologian, and Joan Chittister, a Benedictine nun, theologian and author.

Reflecting on her role as pastoral leader at St. Mary’s she claims to be the church “cheerleader,” explaining that the people in the congregation do so much of the work.

On further reflection, she point to several important events in the life of St. Mary’s meaningful to her. These include the 2006-07 construction project enlarging the church building, creation of the memorial garden, mission trip to Booneville, Family Promise participation and her two trips to Rome in 2011 and 2016.

As a recommendation to this writer, she encourages viewers to read “Francis: The Journey and the Dream,” by Murray Bodo, Franciscan priest.

Parishioners created a large two-panel display board highlighting events in the congregation during St. Carol’s leadership. Photos are below.