Catherine M. Dix

Cathy was born prematurely on February 2, 1946 in Chicago, IL, the youngest of 8 children (by 6 seconds!) to John and Marion Dix. Cathy and her twin sister, Pat, were so tiny that until the age of 15 they were the smallest twin survivors in the state. That is one of the reasons her family called her ‘Penny’ as that was pretty much the size of her.

Her vision problems were apparent at an early age but she was treated like the other seven children. She had her share of ‘timeouts’ and scoldings. Cathy attended grade school and high school in Chicago and graduated from Rosary College. Choosing Johns Hopkins for graduate school she moved to Baltimore in 1968. With her Classical Languages Master’s degree she taught Latin and Greek at the Friends School of Baltimore. She eventually obtained a second Master’s degree in counseling and that is when her life changed.

She was a counselor for Social Security and also joined Christian Counselors. In the 1980s she was a regional coordinator for the Association of Christian Therapists. The contributions she made toward integrating spirituality and the healing arts were enormous. After leaving SSA she established a private practice in her home. She was available 24/7 to her clients, always answering the phone, in case the caller was suicidal. Countless clients credit her for curing them, bringing them to Christ, and even saving their lives.

In 1972 she consecrated herself to Christ as a virgin, committing to a celibate life of prayer and service to others. In her parish she taught 5th grade CCD for numerous years, served on the parish council, and lectored. In the community she counseled at My Sister’s Place, and was a key team member of both the Unbound Ministry Maryland and the Archdiocese Healing Services. She was a faithful member to various prayer groups including the Armshaws’ Lord’s Day group for over 15 years.

In Baltimore she was ‘adopted’ by many families and joined them regularly for holidays and family occasions. She lived with the Konizeskis for 5 years and would read to the children and have them read to her. Young Thom had ADD and once accompanied Cathy to Pittsburgh, and his mother, to her dismay, saw him leading her obliviously side-to-side as well as forward, while Cathy followed his steps.

She was a regular guest at Melkas; she spent Christmas Eve with the McCarthy/Zumbrun family and would read the Chronicles of Narnia to the children. (Patrick even named a toy figure ‘Miss Cathy Dix.’) Disheroons hosted Easter festivities for years; she dined with the Loomis family on her birthday (Beth once brailed a card with split peas), Christmas, and St. Patrick’s Day. To each she would bring her own family favorites of sweet potato casserole, strawberry rhubarb crumble, cranberry bread, or Irish soda bread. The frequent family reunions were very important to her and she recently took her broccoli salad on the plane to show her siblings she really did know how to cook!

We would often forget she was blind because she was so competent and engaging. She could navigate airports! She knew the layout of Shoppers as well as the streets of Baltimore – she would even give directions to cab drivers! Conversations were vibrant, encouraging, and humorous. She was an avid reader (viva la Book Club!) and historian who enriched our knowledge and fueled our prayers.

Her influence was far reaching–Terry Melka’s philosophy book was trashed when Cathy said it wasn’t good for spiritual life; she gave the go-ahead for Mary Pat to date Tim McCarthy; and, used part of her inheritance to support a Mount de Sales student.

This intelligent holy woman will be greatly missed, yet her faithful loving effects have been cast far and wide through her devotion to God and the Saints, toward all whom she loved and ministered.