History Moments
Sheila MacDonald R.Sc.P
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Sheila MacDonald to learn more of this remarkable woman's history and accomplishments. While the article is biographical, its theme is one that relates to our Center, and her close involvement in it for the last 32 years.
Sheila was born in Maywood, in the Los Angeles area, grew up with her younger brother in West L.A., and later in the San Fernando valley.
She had little experience with religion or attending church until at age 13 her mother surprisingly converted to Catholicism, and Sheila began her road to catechism and confirmation.
Her churchgoing didn't last however, and it wasn't until years later, at age 22, she paid a one time visit to the Hollywood Church of Religious Science, led by Dr Robert Bitzer, a past president of RSI. Then followed seven years of church absence, but it took a terrible tragedy, the assassination of Robert Kennedy, to hasten Sheila back to a Center. This time to a small church in Simi Valley - congregation about 40 - where a lady named Carolyn McKeown played the organ. Sheila attended there for the next two years.
It was 1975 that Sheila with her family moved to Paradise. Two of her three daughters, Tracie and Trish still live here, while Terri lives at Lake Isabella. She immediately began attending the church of Rev Harold Cameron (1973-1978), with its congregation of around 300 and two Sunday services. The next two years saw Sheila taking first, then second year classes, and then repeating them (1979-80) with Rev John McKeown who had become the new minister in 1978.
Sheila followed with third year in 1982, and in 1983 became a practitioner, the only practitioner for the next 15 years. She also prevailed herself of minister training for 15 months in 1983-84, but decided not to interview and complete necessary details to be a Reverend.
In 2001, Sheila began teaching classes. Remarkably, she is the only practitioner in RSI to teach these classes, which she still loves to do. This, following her being honored at Asylimar in 2000 as RSI Practitioner of the Year. The presentation at Merrill hall in front of one thousand people, was made by Dr. David J. Walker, then president of RSI and current pastor of the L.A. church.
In 2006 Sheila submitted a treatment to Creative Thought magazine and has been a regular contributor ever since. She's especially proud of her poem My Valley of Contentment.
Sheila is a strong proponent of spiritual mind treatment, or affirmative prayer, effortlessly doing profound and meaningful treatments, much as she did at the opening of the installation of Revs. Andy and Dotty last year. It was awesome! As Sheila says, she is absolutely convinced of her treatments truth, and can easily let go, knowing it is done.
She is happily married to her husband Thomas, and they will celebrate their anniversary in September. Incidentally, it was John and Carolyn McKeown who married them, here, at our Center almost 25 years ago.
Sheila MacDonald R.Sc.P has been a licensed practitioner at the Paradise Center for Spiritual Awareness since 1983, and was awarded “Practitioner of the Year” in 2001 by Religious Science International. She is serving for maybe the sixth time on the Board of Trustees, returning in 2006 after a four year absence, this time as Vice President. She first became a board member in 1981, and was President from 1982 to 1988, and at other times too.
Ministers Sheila has known in Paradise and who followed Revs. John and Carolyn McKeown were: Rev Jane Adams; Rev Francis Lee; Rev Alice Ross; Rev Judith Churchman; and now her all-time favorite, Rev Andy Torkelson. Yes! she honestly says and genuinely knows he is the best.
We are truly blessed to have as practitioner, teacher, and good friend, Sheila MacDonald.
In the next issue of The Pathway I’ll present part II of my interview with Sheila.
Art Dawe
Church Historian