Catherine MacLaughlin Obituary

Catherine Belt
Jacob MacLaughlin, great Schema nun Elizabeth of the Orthodox Church of America, passed away on October 14, 2013. She was born on November 18, 1945, in Houston, TX to Ruth Belt Jacob and George DeWitt Jacob, Jr.
Catherine attended The Kinkaid School in Houston, TX, Santa Catalina School in Monterey, CA. and graduated from The Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from The University of Texas at Austin, where she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority.
She went on to earn a Master of Arts in English at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a degree from Georgetown University Law School. She studied theology at St. Thomas University and earned a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from Our Lady of the Lake University.
A highly gifted individual who could easily handle any intellectual challenge she set her mind to conquer, her professional careers included; serving as an English teacher, a lawyer in the Texas Attorney General's office, a stockbroker with Underwood Neuhaus, an advising specialist at Austin Community College, and an academic advisor at The University of Texas School of Nursing.
Throughout her life, her spirituality and her theological and scholarly studies were her enduring and rewarding pursuits. In 2001, she joined St. John the Forerunner Antiochian Orthodox Church, through which she forged many deep and lasting friendships. In 2011, she was tonsured as a nun at the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Monastery in Kemp, TX, where she spent the last two years of her life in prayer and meditation, in the companionship of her beloved Mother Barbara and novitiate Svetlana. She also, undertook several inspirational pilgrimages to historically significant monasteries in Russia and Greece.
From an early age, Cathy consistently faced adversity with determination and resolve. When diagnosed with cancer in 2007, her courage in the face of her illness was a testament to her many strengths, her remarkable character, and her steadfast faith. She will be remembered for her endless curiosity and thirst for learning and meaning, her sense of humor, her love of discussion and reading, and her gift to others as the greatest of listeners.
Those who mourn her passing include her half-sister, Honora Desmond Jacob, her cousins, the priests, nuns, and caregivers at the monastery, and the many who were privileged to share in her life and whose lives were forever enriched by her presence.