Kaye F. Shinham

Name: S. Kaye F. Shinham, SSJ

Hometown: Greencastle, PA

Entrance Date: September 12, 1963

First Profession Date: August 15, 1966

Final Profession Date: August 8, 1971

Present Ministry: Clinical Social Worker Sojourners’ Place (Homeless residence) Wilmington, DE

What attracted you to Religious Life?

I grew up in an area where there was no Catholic School and I met the Sisters in CCD classes. My father was one of the drivers who brought the Sisters to the various mission churches and I loved being able to go along on those trips.  The Sisters would say their prayers and often would sing, too. I was attracted by their prayer, their joy and their dedication to the catechetical ministry.

What kind of ministries have you done over the course of your Religious Life?

I have had several ministries in the course of my Religious Life. I began as a second grade teacher in 1964 and taught until 1976.  I then began the ministry of Religious Education in Allentown, PA, Ocean City, NJ, and Cherry Hill, NJ. In 1996 I began studying for a Social Work Degree and completed the degree in 1999. I have been in ministry at Sojourners’ Place since graduating.  I have really enjoyed all my ministries!

Name a time when you really knew that you made a difference in someone’s life.

In my current ministry I have been blest to journey with two former residents who were suffering from cancer.  One man came into my office, sat down, took a deep breath and said “It still feels safe in here”.  The other man stated he knew he would die “clean and sober” because of all he learned about addiction while he was at Sojourners’.  The gratitude of both of these men, and many others, attests to the difference Sojourners’ Place has helped them make in their lives.