Dear Holy Cross Retreat House Community,
                It is with mixed emotions I announce the retirement of our chef, Terry Orcutt. Terry has been part of the Holy Cross Retreat House community for thirty-eight years since she lived Cursillo # 173 in 1986. Since then, Terry, along with her husband Jim have become the very heartbeat of this Holy Ground we all love so deeply.
                In my short time working with Terry, I have had the opportunity to hear just a small sampling of the many stories of lives touched in faith that Terry has been a part of. Many of you know that shortly after living their individual Cursillos, Jim and Terry founded My Brother’s Keeper. Between the two service organizations, Terry has walked with thousands of people on their journey of life in the hardest of times and celebrating the most joyous of times. Terry was far more than the cook of the HCRH. She became the gentle soul in the kitchen that may be diminutive in stature but mighty in her ability to listen, console, and guide all the retreat guests and volunteers toward a deeper relationship with God.
                Terry cooked all-you-can-eat breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for our guests but was sure to include enough for the volunteers to break bread together after serving the meals. No meal was simply just food being served that left Terry’s kitchen. Every plate was filled with her deep faith and love for every person who called our Retreat House a home.
                Terry demonstrates to us all that each one of us is called by God to be a beacon of support and love for all that we encounter. Her “yes” to the Holy Spirit is a simple, quiet, everyday way of living that by example inspires others. If you ask either Terry or Jim, both will deny doing anything. They live their lives in service and love. It is simply who Terry is.
                We are happy that Terry will be able to join Jim in retirement and our prayers go with them, just as they have prayed for us for almost forty years of devotion to the Holy Cross Retreat House. Terry will be finishing up her summer cleaning of the kitchen on August 31^st. She will be an active part of our search for someone to continue the kitchen ministry work that is so vital to our retreat experience.