A Faith that Runs in the Family
This Mother's Day, we want to celebrate one of our parishioners, a woman whose faith isn't just something she professes, but something she lives. Every morning, before the world gets loud, Jean Donaldson begins her day in meditation and prayer. It's a quiet, steady rhythm that has carried her through life's hardest seasons and shaped everyone lucky enough to be raised by her and her husband, Tim Donaldson.
Jean’s eldest daughter, Shannon Schloegel describes her mom’s faith as: "Calm, steady, and full of quiet strength." Not the kind of faith that disappears when things get hard, but the kind that shows up because things are hard. When life got heavy, Jean didn't shrink. She leaned in, showed up, and carried others through.
That spirit was woven into her four daughters, who were raised right here at St. Thomas More. Schloegel remembers cheering at the very first Glory Days Tournament and witnessing her parents build the St. Thomas More School Booster Club from the ground up. And now? Her daughters are raising their children in these same halls, in this same faith, on the same foundation she built.
But Jean didn't stop pouring herself into this parish community once her children graduated. She helped create the Cyclone Circle, a beautiful ministry that “invites grandparents to be present, to be intentional and to be an active witness in the lives of their grandchildren at St. Thomas More School” says Schloegel. Its faith passed down, not just in words, but grounded in love.
Faith, for the Donaldson family, has never been confined to a pew. Mission trips to Guatemala have taken the whole family beyond their comfort zone and into the kind of moments that change you. Schloegel shares, “It left a mark. I hope to be able to take our children down to Guatemala, so they can experience the same sense of perspective, gratitude, and faith in action."
Her grandchildren know her voice, her laugh, and most importantly her love. And when her daughter looks at her own life, the woman she's become, the mother she is, she sees her mom's fingerprints everywhere.
"She has paved a beautiful path for us and showed her daughters what it means to be a good mom, to love unconditionally, to show up no matter what, to repair what is broken, and to lead with strength and heart."
“To my mom, our "Jeanie baby” thank you,” says Schloegel. Jean is proof that a life rooted in faith leaves a legacy that outlasts any single generation.
Jean's story is one of many woven into the fabric of our parish. This Mother's Day, we honor every mom, grandmother, and woman of faith in our St. Thomas More community who quietly, faithfully, shows up every day. Happy Mother's Day!
