Behind the Name

By Mandi Pitt-Reed

You’ve probably heard her name at the end of many mass announcements. “Please contact Mandi Pitt-Reed in the front office with questions” is a common line read at the pulpit before the final blessing. But Mandi is much more than just a name; she is a faithful woman working with purpose and poise and the heart of a servant, qualities she learned from her family’s legacy of faith and service.

Mandi’s work at Saint Ann began when she was a teenager volunteering as a Sunday School teacher’s aide. She remained loyal to that work for many years, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother.  

Mandi’s grandmother, Yvonne Sullivan, became a Saint Ann parishioner in the 1960s.  She was involved with the Ladies Guild and the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, and she began teaching Sunday School in 1993. Mandi’s mother, Cindy Pitt, has been teaching Sunday School for 17 years. Mandi says the faith-lives of these women and their presence in the Catholic community deeply inspired her in her faith.

“My mother and grandmother always had very strong identities as Catholic women.  I wanted to retain that identity they passed down to me,” says Mandi, who has her grandmother’s original Sunday School Teacher Application hanging proudly in her office.

In 2017, Mandi began working part time as Saint Ann’s Director of Religious Education. Now, as a Pastoral Assistant, Mandi handles a full-time load involving more than Sunday School: youth ministry, adult faith formation, RCIA, and sacramental preparation, to name a few. The full-time opportunity was daunting at first for Mandi, who thoroughly enjoyed her job in higher education at the time, but she eventually felt God calling her to work for the parish.

“I prayed about it a lot and tried to let go as much as I could, to leave all of it in God's hands, and to trust his divine providence in my life.”
 
Mandi’s Catholic faith and knowledge contribute a great deal to her current work, which requires a good understanding of theology. She attended Christian Brothers University, a Catholic college in Memphis, TN, where she received a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in religious studies. In 2012, she received a master’s degree in public history from Middle Tennessee State University and worked in museums for five years.

“I’m a person who identifies strongly with the idea of place; this is why I got involved in history. I’m interested in tradition and what places mean to different people.”

As a Saint Ann School alum, Mandi knows well the spirit and culture of our faith community and what that means to parishioners. “Growing up Catholic at Saint Ann gave me a love of ritual, of social justice, and of God in community. I believe Catholicism fosters not only a personal relationship with God, but a communal relationship with God. To me, we worship God best when we worship in community.”

Mandi stayed involved with the youth ministry while she attended public high school to help maintain her Catholic identity. It was a commitment that strengthened and helped her to grow in her Catholic faith.  

“Being involved in youth ministry gave me the opportunity to learn about the social justice tradition in Catholicism, to attend spiritual experiences for teens like SEARCH, the Youth Leadership Workshop, and the National Catholic Youth Conference in Houston. If I had not had all of these experiences, I do not know if I would still be Catholic today.”

Growing deeper in her Catholic faith as an adult remains very important to Mandi.  A few years ago, she attended RCIA classes to support her husband Jordan, who entered the Catholic Church on Easter, 2017.  

“As cradle Catholics, we take our faith for granted sometimes. It's very easy to become cultural Catholics. RCIA is a good way to understand more about your faith and really to see what it is about your faith that you appreciate and what really makes you a Catholic.”  

Mandi now supervises RCIA at Saint Ann, and she can truly speak to the importance of the program as she experienced it first-hand. And that is what makes Mandi’s work at Saint Ann so authentic; it flows from lived experience. Our Director of Religious Education was once a student at Saint Ann and also a Sunday School teacher. Our Youth Ministry Coordinator used to attend youth group meetings to deepen her own faith. The person handling many of the sacramental preparations and ceremonies was baptized, confirmed, and married at Saint Ann.  

With a life steeped in Catholic faith and service to the Church, you might consider Mandi’s current position the perfect vocation for her. While she loves her work, Mandi says her true calling is family. Whether being a loving daughter, aunt, sister, or spouse, it is in communal relationships that Mandi finds her true sense of purpose. And to Mandi, Saint Ann is also like family. “For me, Saint Ann is close to home. It is so ingrained in me, and I always want what is best for the parish.”  

Now, maybe the next time you hear Mandi’s name mentioned in the mass announcements, you will think of the devoted life one woman has poured into the church and the generations who did so before her. Mandi’s willingness to share her time and talent with our faith community has impacted many. We can also have that kind of impact. Please consider volunteering in any of our many ministries. Of course, you can call Mandi to learn more about our ministries and to find out where the real needs are in our parish. As Mandi knows first-hand, it takes many hands to keep making Saint Ann feel like home for all of us. 

“Being part of a church community is so much more than attending Mass on Sundays. It is about creating relationships, and growing together in community in our love for God. As Catholic Christians, we are called to imitate Christ on Earth, and to reflect his sacrificial love for us. Saint Ann is full of opportunities to serve, and servants from whom to learn! Getting involved in a ministry can feel daunting, but there are many established ministries here with leaders who are happy to share what they know.”

Originally published in the St. Ann 2019 Spring Newsletter