|
Update: Sister Rita Scott served as an elected member of the Leadership Council from 2010-16. She continues as plant administrator. |
Sister Rita (r.) with staff administrator Christine Clayton.
“I love the Mount. I love the Ursuline community. I believe we need to provide a safe, pleasing environment for those who are residents here, for our guests, and for our employees. It should be a comfortable, secure environment. Many of the things I do provide for that.”
Sister Rita Scott, plant administrator for the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph, was asked why – after 20 years in education and 11 years in business administration – she made a most unusual career change, accepting the job of plant administrator, a “nuts and bolts” type position five years ago.
Even though she was happy with her work as associate business administrator in the Motherhouse business office, Sister Rita couldn’t resist applying for the plant administrator position when it was posted in September of 2001. “I have an innate ability – a gift from God – to see and work in construction and maintenance areas,” says Sister Rita. “I’ve always had it, probably got some of it as a child working at home helping my father and brother. I’m also gifted with an extreme amount of common sense. I served on committees that have to do with stewardship, buildings and grounds. I really started working in the construction area while I was principal at Blessed Mother School in Owensboro. The committee was formed and I was one of the members to work on chapel renovation here at the Mount. I served on that committee for two-and-a-half years. After I came to work out here, I got involved with some of the day-to-day renovation of the chapel, which was finished in 1992.”
Sister Rita can often be found “out on the farm” with farm manager Bruce Blandford.
Since 1992 Sister Rita has been involved with numerous construction, renovation and demolition projects at the Mount.
Sister Rita is a native of Louisville, one of two children born to Louisville banker Charles Scott and his schoolteacher wife, Louise. Her brother, Charlie, is one year and three days older than she.
As a child, little Rita Scott took piano and tap dance lessons. She has fond memories of tap dancing in nursing homes and for veterans in military hospitals as a little girl.
She attended kindergarten at Camp Taylor Elementary public school before beginning her Catholic education at Saint Thomas More for first through sixth grades. Her final two years of grade school were at Saint Agnes. Throughout grade school, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth taught her.
It was on to Assumption High School for four years where she played basketball, volleyball, softball, and ran track. During her four years of high school she was a member of the Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Program’s Choral Group. Taught by the Sisters of Mercy, Sister Rita graduated from Assumption in 1965.
While attending high school, Sister Rita received her calling to religious life. “There were two Sisters of Mercy I became close friends with and talked with quite often about religious life,” Sister Rita recalls. “I used to help them do their classroom work and one thing led to another. I visited five different communities. A friend of mine had a sister at Mount Saint Joseph. Her family knew I was interested in religious life and they started bringing me down with them when she had visiting days with her family. Almost immediately I felt called to this community due to the hospitality of everyone involved, the openness, prayerfulness, and cheerfulness of everybody I was in contact with.”