February 6, 2003

Staff profile: Teresa Corcoran

Title: Business Manager at the Sheil Catholic Center

How long have you been at Sheil? How did you get there? Actually, my parents and my family worshiped here while I was in high school. My mother, Mary Kincaid, worked for Sheil as the associate director and chaplain for 18 years. She just retired last year. Occasionally, I’d be called in to help out. I started working at Sheil part-time in late 1989, answering telephones and helping the director. When Father Ken was appointed director in July 1992, my job developed into a full-time position. I have been working as the business manager for the last three years, and I have been working at the Sheil Catholic Center in some capacity for more than 12 years.

Do you still worship there on Sunday or do you have to work? I usually work Monday through Friday and worship on Sunday, but it’s kind of a difficult separation because often the only day of the week many people see me is on Sunday. So, it tends to be a mix. Sometimes I have to slip out the back door.

Where did you grow up? I was a Navy brat, and I lived in a lot of different places. We moved to Wilmette when I was in eighth grade. I went to New Trier High School and graduated in 1972. I met my husband Dan there, and we were married right out of high school. We now have six children and four grandsons.

Where are you living now? We’re still living in Wilmette. My husband and I just finished building a new house. We had a home in Wilmette, and it burned down three years ago. That’s not an experience I ever want to go through again. We decided to rebuild and we consider it an accomplishment.

What do you do for fun? I like to work out in the yard and in the garden. My specialty is growing tomatoes. We are hoping for a bumper crop this fall so I can can them. I got that from my grandmother who lived on a farm in West Virginia. I also love to read just about anything — poetry, novels — even self-help books.

Speaking of self-help books, do you have any New Year’s resolutions? Yes, we vowed to stay within our budget. My other resolution is not to stress out so much about not getting everything done in a day.

— Katharine Duke