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.