Postscript
The original women involved in the origination of the Federation of Communities in Service had no conception of the long-reaching effects of the ministry they formed in 1967. Of the original 44, some stayed the course, some would serve from different venues, others would leave, but the ministry would continue and evolve to encompass a wide range of issues and organizations including but not limited to:
Appalachian Community Development Corporation
Appalachian Family Ministries
Appalachian Field Study Center
Clearfork Community Institute
Council of the Southern Mountains
Holy Cross Center
Model Valley Culture Center
Model Valley Folk Arts
Mohawk Improvement Association
Mountain People's Community Arts
Mountain People's Photo Center
Office of Economic Opportunity
Save Our Cumberland Mountains
Woodland Community Land Trust
While reflecting at a FOCIS retreat, Linda Mashburn was amazed when they started listing the different organizations that had come from the work of Catherine, Marie, Monica, Anne and Linda: "There were over fifty organizations, programs, and corporations. "
Involvement in social movements would include "religious, environmental, educational, health, civil rights, poverty-welfare, and peace and justice movements."
Thanks to their discipline and organization, the history is forever preserved in Archives of Appalachia.
Acknowledgements:
Some quotes in this exhibit are from the book entitled Mountain Sisters: From Convent to Community written by Helen Lewis and Monica Appleby.
Some quotes were taken from interview transcripts and documents.
A special thank you to Spenser Brenner, Exhibition Coordinator, Carroll Reece Museum, for providing photographs of the Margaret Gregg posters.