by Sarah Wells

When Bonnie Sartin finished tidying up the sanctuary of St. Francis Xavier Church and returned to the undercroft, a chorus of parishioners surprised her as they sang “Happy Birthday” in front of a huge cake. It was a simple show of their appreciation for her significant service to the parish community. Little did they know, this was the first birthday party Bonnie ever had, and she was in her 60s. She had walked into the church a few years prior, in 1993, during a season of deep grief.

“After my husband and my mother died, I was walking by, and I came in and started crying,” she shared. “This little priest walked over to me and said, ‘Honey, what’s the matter?’ I said, ‘My husband and my mother just died, and I don’t have a job, and I need money.’” When he asked Bonnie what she could do, she answered, “Absolutely nothing,” to which he responded, “That’s what God’s looking for!” She started coming every day and is now indispensable to the parish’s functioning, but even more, she’s a beloved member of the community.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Bonnie and her twin sister, Tomie Faye, were abused as children by their father. Their mother relinquished them to an orphanage in Covington, and they never saw her again. Bonnie eventually married and moved back to Lexington, where she raised her family of five children: Rose Elizabeth, Toni Lynn, Mary Jo Dulji, Teresa Rae, and William Thomas. She lost touch with her son, William, when he left home at 16, and her second-eldest daughter, Toni, passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2022. But she is proud of her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and she recently became a great-great-grandmother.

A traumatic assault Bonnie experienced in Lexington spurred her family’s move to Cincinnati, where she now volunteers at an organization that helps women in crisis situations. “This is my plan from God,” she said. “I go to a crisis center and talk with [the women there]. Sometimes I go to court with them. God’s got me through a lot.”

When she speaks of the tragedy and loss she’s experienced, there is not an ounce of bitterness in her tone: “God has me here for a reason. People ask me, ‘How can you be alive after what you’ve been through?’ I say, because God has my back, God has my back.”

In 2010, Bonnie added a part-time sacristan role at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains to her other roles at St. Francis Xavier. Coming from a Baptist and Seventh Day Adventist background, she joined RCIA classes at St. Peter in Chains and finished them at St. Francis Xavier, where she became Catholic. For 18 years, she was the wedding assistant there. Having stepped down from that role, she continues to assist with funerals, baptisms, marriage prep, janitorial duties, and anything else the parish needs.

She also sang in the choir for 16 years and has worked closely with the parish office staff, where she admits her weakness is answering the phones. “When the phone starts ringing, I go the other way!”

Bonnie gathers community wherever she goes. Since she doesn’t own a car, she often walks through downtown Cincinnati, offering a friendly wave to everyone she encounters and earning the nickname “The Waver.”

Bonnie has also exemplified Jesus’ command to forgive. In a pivotal moment, Bonnie forgave her father on his deathbed. “I had to go to release myself,” she said. “That was the hardest thing in this world to forgive him … [but] it took a lot of the burden off me.”

Now 84, Bonnie has run 190 races and hopes to make it 200 by the end of her life. She can be found traversing Cincinnati’s riverfront parks with her walker, connecting with fellow walkers and runners, who all know her by name.

Having previously suffered from suicidal thoughts, Bonnie attributes being alive today to the Holy Spirit’s intervention: the races she has run reflect a deeper determination to show her gratitude for the life she’s been given. When asked what she wants people to glean from her story, Bonnie refers to Hebrews in saying, “Never quit, never give up, always finish the race” (cf. Heb 12:1).

As for the church family she found at St. Francis Xavier, Bonnie says, “This place here has saved my life, this church here is my home.”