A few days after beginning her position as Benefits Manager for the Diocese of San Bernardino in July of 2004 Virgina Turner wondered if she was in the right place.
“I never thought I’d be working for a Catholic diocese at all,” said Turner, who is not Catholic. “I was hearing terminology that I had never heard before.”
Fortunately for the Diocese, Turner stayed on and, before long, became a key leader in the ministry of Human Resources for the Diocese. On December 31 she will retire from her position of Director of Human Resources for the Diocese.
“Over the years everything became normal. I felt like I fit right in,” she recalls.
Turner departs the Diocese with “a heavy heart,” she says, but is grateful to be in good health to enjoy her retirement.
“I want to be able to live a little bit, enjoy life,” she says.
After a few years as Benefits Manager, Turner was promoted to Associate Director of Human Resources and finally to Director in 2008. In those early years, she admits that the HR Office, which is charged with making sure the Diocese and its parishes and schools are in compliance with both State employment laws and Diocesan policies, did not have a close relationship. As she leaves, Turner says that connection with parishes and schools is much stronger.
“We’re much more proactive than reactive,” she says.
Still, those in HR ministry are often challenged by situations when enforcement of laws and policies may seem at odds with a more pastoral approach. “HR is not the rulemaker, HR is the messenger.”
Despite that challenge, Turner has been lauded for her humane and pastoral skills in difficult personnel situations. That was a big reason for her being honored this year with the Episcopal Amar Es Entregarse Award, given to those who exemplify Bishop Emertus Gerald Barnes’ motto “Love is the total giving of oneself.”
Turner, a woman of strong Christian faith, also notes that the Diocesan Pastoral Center community helped to see her through the untimely deaths of both her husband and one of her daughters. “This Diocese has journeyed with me through a lot of personal loss,” she acknowledges.
She seemed to sum up her emotional connection to the Diocese in her letter of resignation submitted last month.
“I am thankful for the support of all whom I have worked so closely with throughout these years and all of the many friends I have made along the way,” Turner wrote. “The Diocese of San Bernardino will always have a place in my heart.”