Living on the South side of Milwaukee in the ’70s, Patricia Goodson decided to walk near Marquette’s campus, where she had never been before.
As she was walking, she found a priest and asked him if there was a church nearby. He told her that the Joan of Arc Chapel was a few blocks away and that he was walking that way if Goodson wanted to join him. She was in awe of the beauty and history as they entered the chapel. She told the priest that she would like to work in the chapel, and the rest was history.
Patricia Goodson has been a tour guide and sacristan through Marquette’s Campus Ministry for 35 years now. During that time, she found her calling to share the chapel’s rich history with others and practice her beliefs.
Goodson came from a very Catholic family and had a deep relationship with her grandma before she passed away when Goodson was seven years old. She recalled fond memories of going to church with her grandmother.
“I remember when I was little, we would enter the church on our knees all the way to the altar and say our reverence to him. And then walk back, sit down and do the rosary every day,” Goodson said.
Goodson explained that her grandmother was a role model to her and said she taught her how to find trust in God.
“Not only did she teach me to cook, but most of all, she taught me that there was a possibility of having a relationship with Jesus and, most of all, with our blessed mother,” Goodson said.
Having established this relationship with God, Goodson was able to find a place where she could practice her faith and still support herself and her family. She explained that her children were raised in the chapel as she would bring them to work and described it as her first home away from home.
“I find Jesus and Mary, especially when I’m here. Nothing can bother me here. Whenever we have adoration here on Wednesday, it is a true blessing for me. I just come here and leave everything here and come out a different person in the sense that I don’t have this luggage and this baggage dragging,” Goodson said. “I’m too old to do that.”
Goodson herself is Hispanic and explained that there wasn’t much representation when she first started working at the chapel. She gets excited to see other Spanish–speaking visitors and to connect with them on a deeper level.
“When I started, there were hardly any Hispanics on campus, you know. So that was hard for me, but whenever I did get somebody from Mexico visiting that they had graduated from here and had the alum experience, you talk to them in their language,” Goodson said. “They’re just like, wow, you really have this here?”
Goodson explained that even with language barriers, Catholicism brings people together.
“We have no barriers; we have nothing stopping us as far as language. We are still one group of people for one God, especially with Catholics. So, any language is welcome.”
Julie Baumann, along with Patricia Goodson, is a sacristan and tour guide who has been working at the chapel for 15 years. She found the job when her son was old enough to start going to elementary school and the chapel happened to be looking for someone to fill her position. She explained that Patricia trained her when she was getting started and described how they formed a bond.
“It’s sort of interesting here as far as the employment situation because you never really work with your co-workers. we decided that we should start getting together from time to time just to talk about different things happening around the chapel and comparing notes or any ideas about improvements,” Baumann said. “The more we did that, we just started a friendship outside of work.”
Baumann said that they celebrate birthdays by going to restaurants and being together over the holidays and explained that the friendship has been nice to have over the years.
Goodson has been a facilitator for some students. Whether they are deciding if Marquette is the place for them or if they just want to know a little more about the history of the chapel, she has always welcomed everyone with open arms.
“I think it’s important that you have someone who knows the history here, but also that you believe in order to sell this chapel,” Goodson said. “Everybody who has an interest in Marquette, this is one of those stepping stones.”
This story was written by Bridget Lisle. She can be reached at [email protected].
