| Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet | September 7, 2010 |
Ministry Stories
Sister Anne Stephen Wysocki, CSJ
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On January 24, 2005, I began a new job as Assistant Tax Receiver for the city of Binghamton, NY. After teaching business subjects for eighteen years and working in different secretarial positions in school offices for several years, I now had the opportunity to experience several aspects of business that I had previously taught to my students. I was embarking into unchartered waters, a place that had never been traveled by another Sister. I was a little apprehensive and afraid but also very excited.
For the next 21 months, my job involved dealing on a one-on-one basis with the city taxpayers as they came to the Treasurer’s Office window to pay school taxes, property taxes and water/sewer bills. They immediately knew I was a Sister because of my name plate,“Sister Anne,” at the base of my window.
As the months passed and I interacted with many of the same taxpayers on a regular basis, they began to confide in me about family situations or illnesses. Many would return at a later date to give me an update, and most leave my window asking for a remembrance in my prayer.
In September of 2006, the city transferred all of the tax collections to the county, but I still collect water/sewer bill payments and other miscellaneous bills such as parking tickets and building permits. In addition, I continue to interact with the public on a daily basis. Occasionally, I see some of my regular customers, and they are always quick to fill me in on their lives. One of the greatest feelings I have is walking through the corridors of City Hall every day and hearing someone, some place, call out, “Hi, Sister!” In the beginning, I had no idea who these people were. I knew they were city employees, so I would wave back at them and say hello. Today, I can call most of them by name, and that feels so very good.