Longest Serving Volunteers at Abbey Reminisce on Last 20 Years

If you have ever stopped by the Abbey Gift Shop on a Tuesday or Thursday, chances are you may have received assistance from volunteers Mal Phillippi and Charlotte Seeger. Volunteers at the Gift Shop for many years, both aren’t exactly sure for how long. But they do agree that they each started on the same day more than 20 years ago, which currently makes them the longest-serving volunteers at the Abbey.

Friends since 1986, both Mal and Charlotte have connections to the Abbey that precede their time as volunteers. Mal and her husband Steven became friends with Abbey monk Fr. Thomas Perrier (deceased), who served as an altar boy at their wedding in the 1960s. Mal and Steven eventually would attend Fr. Thomas’ ordination in 1979, and their connection to the Abbey has continued to grow. Charlotte remembers Saint Joseph’s as a child, serving as a camper and then counselor at nearby St. Gertrude Convent from where she and her friends would often ride horses down to the river at the Abbey. Abbot Columban used to visit the girls camp often and even gave Charlotte her first Benedictine medal.

Mal’s and Charlotte’s relationship with the Abbey also parallels a friendship they have shared. Both of their husbands were engineers, and the group often spent time together through their church parish.

Before her “retirement” from the Abbey last year, Yvette O’Rourke was at that time the longest standing volunteer, having served 28 years at the Abbey. Coincidentally enough, Yvette was the one who recruited Charlotte and Mal to volunteer in the Gift Shop. At the time, Mal and her husband were retiring, so it seemed like a great opportunity to keep busy at a place she loved.

“When we retired it made me realize that you keep growing, and the Abbey’s Gift Shop is as much a ministry to me as my time volunteering at the Food Bank in Covington. It’s not just selling stuff; rather, it is sharing God with people. You meet really interesting people which is a blessing,” Mal said.

In addition to volunteering, Charlotte has been a Benedictine Oblate for many years. Through this ministry, she met another Oblate, Fred, whom she would later marry, after her first husband passed away. They have been married for five years now.

When asked what she would say to someone who is interested in giving their time as an Abbey volunteer, Charlotte stresses flexibility and kindness.

"You have to be personable and want to talk and guide people. A lot of times it is making suggestions for gifts for happy occasions. Alternatively, many people who come through may not just be celebrating a life event, but they sometimes have been in crisis. Whether it’s someone dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, COVID-19, or a death in the family, it’s important to help them no matter what may be happening in their life,” Charlotte said.

Many thanks to Mal and Charlotte for their generosity to the Abbey, 20 years and counting!