Fitzgeralds Find a Second Home at Pope Paul VI Institute
Deacon Tom Fitzgerald and his wife Marilyn
From the Fall 2014 Culture of Life newsletter
Deacon Tom Fitzgerald and his wife Marilyn share more than just a marriage; for the past 26 years, they have shared a common workplace, the Pope Paul VI Institute, where Deacon Tom works in the publications department and Marilyn works as an RN.
The roads which initially led them to the Institute are as different as their jobs.
Following the completion of her nursing studies in 1988, Marilyn was seeking a job where she could help people, and she was drawn to the Pope Paul VI Institute and the work being done by Dr. Thomas Hilgers. Tom, meanwhile, a Deacon at St. Margaret Mary Church in Omaha, took a part-time job with the Institute mailing out packets to students in the Institute Education Program — a job which would eventually grow into a full-time position.
Twenty-six years later, the couple has witnessed many changes at the Institute. Most notably, tremendous advances in technology have had a profound impact in their respective areas of publications and patient care. Despite the challenge of these ever-evolving professions, the Fitzgeralds have found a home at the Pope Paul VI Institute.
“It’s the people here,” shares Marilyn. “Dr. Hilgers, the staff, the patients … They are just amazing. It is a very supportive and positive environment.”
In addition to his responsibilities in the publications department, Tom also serves as resident Chaplain, where he assists with mass services in the Chapel.
As an RN, Marilyn has the opportunity to work with patients on a day-to-day basis and sees first-hand the impact the Institute has on these women and families.
“The methods developed by Dr. Hilgers are so effective, and it surprises so many women who have suffered without answers,” she said. “That is probably why so many of our patients later become educators: to help other women find true healing.”