New Administrative Assistant Begins Duties In Bishop's Office
There’s a changing of the guard in the Office of the Bishop. Lynda Provence, administrative assistant for Bishop Charles C. Thompson since June 2011, is retiring Oct. 1.
The new administrative assistant, Renee Werner, has served as the accounting information specialist at Catholic Charities since November 2012. At Catholic Charities “I did all the bookkeeping,” she said, “and I was Sharon’s [Burns] assistant.”
Werner said that Sharon Burns, director of Catholic Charities, recommended her for the job to Tim McGuire, diocesan chief operating officer.
She is originally from Illinois. She and her husband, Donald, have lived in the Evansville area for 15 years. They have two sons, Nathan, 16, and Brandon, 11, and are parishioners at St. Joseph Parish in Vanderburgh County.
She said she was “quite honored” to be asked to consider the job. She’s been training with Provence, and says, “I’m glad to have a couple of weeks with Lynda.”
She added, “I think it will be great.”
In an e-mail to priests, deacons and pastoral life coordinators, Provence wrote, “I'd like to share a few words by thanking each of you for helping to create such a satisfying and pleasant work environment during my tenure here.
“Your calls, emails and personal visits, through me to Bishop Thompson, occasionally have been sensitive in nature, yet more often than not, just business with a personal touch of Christ's love. It has been a joy, being with and for you, these past two years.
“My experience here at the Catholic Center has been a faith-filled one, and truly one that I will miss going forward. As I move on to the next chapter of my life, I can't help but be a little sad about leaving years of employment for the Church, so I will attempt to stay connected in some stewardship way.
“Know that I will continue to hold you in prayer as you provide ongoing support, leadership and guidance to the Catholics of the Diocese of Evansville. Our diocese may be small in size, but we are big where it matters . . . God's Word and love.”
