By Georgiana Francisco | Correspondent

Administrative professionals who work in Catholic schools fulfill a wide range of roles and responsibilities, and are often critical to the overall effort of keeping things running.  But of all the functions in which they serve, the most important is the one least likely to be found on a job description – that of evangelist.

“You are the first person a parent, student, teacher or visitor meets at the gate,” Franciscan Father Gabriel Zeis, diocesan vicar for Catholic education, said during the Administrative Assistants Retreat Day held April 26 in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. “By seeing in each of them the face of Christ, you become evangelistic, because by encountering you, they, too, will be encountering Christ and will feel so welcome, they will want to become one of you, a Catholic, a follower of Jesus.”

Each year during the last week of April, National Administrative Professionals Day recognizes the work of secretaries, administrative assistants, receptionists and other administrative support professionals. Some 51 school administrative professionals and principals gathered in Freehold to get information and hear insights on why the role is important in Catholic schools.

Offering “The Administrative Professionals’ Survival Kit,” Deanna Sass, diocesan director of the Department of Pastoral Care, provided advice and opportunities, focusing primarily on the spiritual side of the job. She reminded the audience that they are in a ministry.

“You are there to bring people into a relationship with Christ,” she said, “and your mission is the same as those who work in Catholic hospitals or orphanages.”

“Your set of skills is the same you would use in the private sector, but because you chose to use them in a Catholic school, you are serving those in need of Christ all day, whether they are young students, faculty members or parents. You can influence them through your faith and by building the Kingdom of God, because everyone is looking at you and how you relate to others,” she said. “You have the opportunity to make a positive impact on a child’s life or the life of a family that will be remembered 80 years from now.”

Avita Kennedy, a teacher in St. Catharine School, Spring Lake, guided the audience through a half-hour of relaxation techniques meant to reduce mental and bodily stress, including some simple Yoga exercises that can be done sitting at one’s desk.

During a break, Monica Kinsel from St. Rose School, Belmar, shared why she enjoys her job.

“You have an opportunity to meet with all kinds of people – students, parents, priests – in the community,” she said. “It gives you a chance to share the features and benefits of your school and to just be a problem-solver for everyone, and that’s a very good feeling.

“In addition, working at a Catholic school gives everybody the opportunity to share their love of Christ, something that seems to be limited in our society today,” she said. “So whether you’re giving somebody a high-five, a prayer card, or just saying ‘I’ll keep you in my prayers,’ it is very, very rewarding.”

Sister of St. Joseph Catherine Maureen Larkin in St. Rose High School, Belmar, had spent 44 years as a high school business teacher in Philadelphia. Now she is a volunteer in the front office and feels “I can contribute my business skills to help others in the office, as well as teachers and students, in a way I had not done before.”

Judy Nicastro, diocesan associate director of school services/school data management, shared the many ways in which service to parents, faculty, students and principals could not only be enhanced but also embraced.

She used the Nordstrom and Disney organizations as prime examples of the epitome of customer service.

“We need to follow their lead and be the best in attending to the needs of our ‘customers,’” Nicastro said.