thank a nun - Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Transcription

Celebrating the lives and
contributions of Catholic Sisters
March 8–14, 2015
THANK A NUN
Messages to the members’ of the
Sisters of Charity, BVM
www.facebook.com/bvmsisters
2 | THANK A NUN | NATIONAL CATHOLIC SISTERS WEEK
Dear Sisters,
The following THANK A NUN messages for BVM Sisters were received as part of a promotion created
by the Catholic Sisters of the Upper Mississippi Valley for National Catholic Sisters Week 2015. Individuals submitted responses to: “Did a Catholic Sister help you in your life? Thank her now!” Photos,
notes and videos will be shared on social media (www.facebook.com/bvmsisters) and in print during National Catholic Sisters Week and throughout the year.
Enjoy reading the messages describing the many ways BVM Sisters have impacted the lives of others.
It is truly a testament of living out BVM mission and core values. Through these people, the BVM legacy
will continue.
Gratefully,
Angie Connolly, Director of Communications
NOTE: These message are unedited. Email addresses are listed from those who provided them.
Please feel free to contact someone who may have “THANKED YOU.”
Videos:
Catherine Wyman - Xavier College Preparatory
[email protected]
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Thank Sister Lou Anglin: http://youtu.be/TtT1EOZhw50 Thank the BVM teachers who have impacted their lives.
http://youtu.be/v3v5tkIuu4c
Share how BVMs have impacted their lives and education!
http://youtu.be/MK3eQbHE2v4?list=UUEg88lZJr2EPdYks0Fsiz9Q
Catholic Sisters of the Upper Mississippi Valley
http://video214.com/play/GNTkX9AfFLZmM4J0ZjRp8w/s/dark
Thank a Nun: Mary Alma Sullivan, BVM
https://youtu.be/E54nGtDX9sE
BVM Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bvmsisters
Thank A Nun: Karen Herman DeMuro
Thank A Nun Shout Out: See who “ROCKS” at Mount Carmel.
THANK A NUN | NATIONAL CATHOLIC SISTERS WEEK | 3
THANK A NUN Messages:
Sandy Hobbs-Galyon
[email protected]
There aren’t enough words to express the love
and gratitude I feel towards Sister Ann Ellen
Quirk! She came to Wilmington, Ill., over 60 years
ago. I was in first grade when I met her. All the
girls in my class from first through eighth grade
were in awe of her. She was so kind and beautiful,
and so much fun! She taught us to sing, play the
piano, and dance. We learned how to square
dance, and, of course, how to do the Irish jig. We
all thought we were her “favorite.” She was my
teacher, my mentor, my friend. Through the years
she has become my best friend. No better friend
could anyone have.
I marvel at all she does. Thirty years ago she saw
a need in the community and started feeding
the less fortunate out of her classroom. From
there she has established an ecumenical mission
in Wilmington, called Kuzma Care Cottage, and
is currently feeding 539 families, totaling
approximately 1,300 people. She has pulled
together a town through simple acts of kindness
and giving. The Cottage has over 90 volunteers
from all of the churches and organizations in
town, and some not affiliated with any religious
group; however, everyone associated with the
Cottage is convinced that God is smiling on our
mission. My husband always said had she not
been called to religious life she would have been
CEO of a fortune 500 company.
She works nonstop, available to anyone who
needs her, regardless of when or how she is
feeling. She puts everyone else first. “No” must
not be in her vocabulary.
How blessed my life has been having her as
part of it. She is family, and yes, I’m sure I’m her
favorite!
Sharon Sullivan
[email protected]
I have had the absolute pleasure of having a BVM
for an aunt. My Aunt Mary Alma Sullivan has
filled my life and my family’s lives with constants.
Constant love, faith, support, encouragement
and the true gift of listening. By extension, the
Sullivans were gifted with two adopted aunts,
Sr. Mary Pat Haley and Sr. Ann (San) Harrington,
who brought kindness, compassion and a
much needed sense of humor to all of our family
gatherings. All three have been blessings. When the time came, in true form, my Aunt Mary
was there to champion my education, advising
me on the opportunities of attending Mundelein
College. It’s 20+ years since I’ve graduated and if
asked (or sometimes not), I have always said it is
the best decision I ever made; I received a better
education than I may have deserved from the
most intelligent people I›ve ever met, including
Sr. Paul Francis, Sr. Eliza Kenny, Sr. Joan Francis
(JF) and, of course, my aunts. I had wonderful
and inspiring teachers throughout my four years
and credit the Sisters of Charity, BVM for their
continued conviction of empowering women
through education. Luis y Lety Gonzalez
Azucena, Abraham y Ariel Gonzalez
[email protected]
Thank you to Grandma Judy. The endurance and
drive of a compassionate and intelligent woman
has no limit. I am forever grateful to Sr. Judy
Callahan. Since the 1990s, when I, as a young
20-year-old woman, had arrived in the USA,
in Kankakee, Ill., I had the blessing to meet Sr.
Judy through St. Teresa Church. When I arrived
I did not know any English. Sr. Judy supported
me through all the following years. I had the
opportunity to learn the language and finish a
bachelor’s degree in business and technology
because of her support.
Since 1990 Sr. Judy has been and still is part of my
family; it is an honor to have her as a grandma for
my kids.
Today I want to thank her for all she has done for
me and my family because without her help this
family would had no grandma and we are very
proud of her.
Erin Callahan
[email protected]
My aunt, Sr. Judith Callahan, one of 13 children,
spent the first 18 years of her life growing up on a
farm, tending to the duties and heavy demands of
a farm daughter and a very large and at the time
quite impoverished family. I believe she entered
the convent as soon as she had graduated from
high school, and has been a BVM since. Her life
within this community took her far from home
and us for many years. It was always an exciting
and special time when she was able to come
home to visit.
Over the years I watched quite a broad
transformation in her life as a BVM: Initially as an
advancing young convent school teacher covered
in full flowing black habit and large rosary beads,
moving into extensive missionary work in South
America, and returning to life as missionary to
Hispanic people in the United States. She is no
longer in habit or convent, but responsible for self
provision for all of her own needs; like the secular
population, with her salary. Recently retired, her
life seems to have changed little, as she continues
to devote much time and energy serving, loving
and caring for anyone in need: fellow BVMs,
family, Hispanics in need, the Catholic community
and more. I am always quite impressed with her
deep level of devotion, seemingly inexhaustible
energy and drive, and her incredibly bright,
positive attitude at all times, never revealing a
hint of her own stress or exhaustion.
I thank her for being her. God only made one
Sr. Judy Callahan, only one Aunt Bogie; she
stands alone in that she is quite herself, quite
an individual. I thank her for many, many things
I have learned and deeply respect; through her
personal life; through her deep religious and
community service; for her absolute support of
family at all times; for always being there for all
of us; and for being an interactive, fun, bright,
positive, strong and caring aunt.
Personally, I thank her for always bringing a
fun, happy atmosphere, whenever at family
gatherings—always creating games and activities
to play with us as children, to keep and involve
interconnection of family.
I am and will always be personally, deeply
thankful to her for the times she made heavy
self-sacrifices for family, and in my case especially
for the times she dropped everything and came
into our home to help my parents under truly
dire situations: caring for (including baking the
best apple pies and apple crisps in the WORLD)
seven rowdy children, when severe illness struck
my mother; while my grandmother (her mother)
also became injured while caring for us; and my
father needed someone to come to both care
for grandma, and to “mother” the whole clan;
enabling and providing my father relief, to carry
out his intense spousal, financial and career
responsibilities.
I am ever thankful for her always being there for
me, giving me support, at any time, under short
notice, despite her extremely heavy schedule,
whenever I called her throughout my father’s
last couple of years of life, and for the peaceful
respite she gave me and my husband in her home
when my father did pass. I am thankful for the
love, sister-ship, friendship, happiness, patience
and care she gave to my father during those
days (Uncle Claude’s too, along with being his
guardian). I am now thankful knowing she is now retired
and hope she will not have to live such a grueling
lifestyle, and hope it can be her turn to relax a
little.
And I am very thankful, and I find great comfort,
knowing she has been and always will be there
for me. And through her example, I hope she
realizes the importance and true impact her life
has made on me.
So—THANK YOU, Sr. Judy BVM- Aunt Bogie! LOVE
YOU! YOU ROCK! Erin
Name not provided [email protected]
I have several nuns I would like to thank:
Sister Barbara Kutchera, BVM
Barbara taught me so many things in high school
and college. She was the first person to really
make me aware of my own biases and prejudices.
She did this so carefully that I hardly knew what
she was doing. I recall one time in high school
complaining about another teacher. She told me
how fortunate I was to be so young and recognize
flaws in adults. What a great opportunity I had to
look at all my teachers and decide what kind of
person I would like to emulate. It hit me so hard
that I never forgot what she was telling me. What
a great gift she was to me. Sister Mary St. Jean Ward, BVM
She was the dean of women at my high school. For
me she was someone I could go to and talk about
anything. She was my spiritual guide. I loved her
dearly.
Sister Mary Frances Patricia, BVM
She scared me to death in the beginning. She
seemed so stately and severe. How lucky I was
to have the duty to clean her room. She became
my spiritual advisor, my director, my friend. I
found that she was brilliant, a woman ahead of
her time, clued into all that was happening in the
world as well as the church. I loved talking to her.
She was full of wisdom and love.
Sister Mary Lois Dolphin, BVM
Lois taught at my high school but I never had
her in class. She struck me as a woman who was
happy. Every time I saw her she was smiling. I
thought to myself, “That’s the way I want to be.”
She seemed so content with her life. I looked up
to her as my role model. I still do.
Sister Jackie Burke, BVM
This woman changed my life. As a Scholastic
leaving Mount Carmel for Clarke, I was not feeling
very good about myself. One counseling session
with Jackie changed my life. How could she give
me such self confidence in one meeting? I will
always be indebted to her for helping me see the
true me. I have never forgotten how she opened
my eyes. She touched me deeply. I am eternally
grateful to this wonderful woman.
Mary Jo Callahan Brown, Chicago
[email protected]
Sr. Josephine O’Brien from St. John of the
Cross Parish in Western Springs, Ill., was one
of my favorite teachers of all time. While a
wonderful educator, I can’t really remember
(30 years later) what Sr. Josephine taught me
in class. I remember her calling me out when I
was laughing at another student and making me
see how my behavior affected others. I remember
her telling a fellow student to be proud of whom
he was despite what some would consider a
handicap. I remember her as the conscience of
our sixth grade class. I remember her teaching
me about justice and fairness and hard work. She
was a force to be reckoned with, but she was
kind and gentle too. Making her laugh was great
fun. Sr. Josephine was special and just what sixth
grade kids (sixth grade girls, possibly the worst
creatures on earth) needed. She served as an
excellent example to us. I probably never showed
her how much I liked her. I wonder if she would
even remember me. I certainly remember her
and keep some of those lessons with me both as
a person and as a teacher myself. Thank you, Sr.
Josephine!
I’d like to thank my aunt, Sr. Judy Callahan,
BVM of Dubuque, Iowa. Aunt Judy taught me,
at a very young age, about going out in the
world and helping all kinds of people. Aunt Judy
spent a good deal of my youth in Quito, Ecuador,
and always brought fun and interesting crafts
home for me. These were made by the children
she worked with in Quito and this was a way for
me to connect with children from a far away and
«exotic» place. More than that, I understood how
much she loved these kids who were not her own
and how happy it made her to help others. Having
her in my life also «humanized» the nuns at my
school and helped me to understand them better.
Today I am a teacher too, and reflecting on it I
see the direct influence Aunt Judy had on my
becoming one. She is always so inspired by the
work she does and the people she works with; she
is continues to be a great example to me. Thank
you Aunt Judy!
Msgr. J on behalf of Joanne Callahan
[email protected]
I would like to honor the memory of my second
and third grade teacher at Our Lady of the Angels
School: Sr. Mary Terrencia, BVM. That was in 1930
and through many years I kept in contact with
her until her death. On my way home from Camp
Roberts, Calif., at the end of WWII, I was able to
make a stop in Arizona to see her. I never forgot
her. She was a wonderful teacher with a great
sense of humor. The children flocked around her.
That was the beginning of my education by the
BVMs, followed by the Sisters of Providence in
my last four years of grammar school. I joined
up with them again in my high school years at
Holy Name in Chicago. I will treasure the many
whose influence was immeasurable and the long
association with the Sisters of The Blessed Virgin
Mary during my priestly years in Dubuque.
One of my own stories is in remembrance of Sr.
Mary Sylvester. I recently ran across my old high
school physics notebook filled with formulas and
laws. In 1961 I had little confidence in my own
ability to grasp physics let alone succeed in the
class, but finding this notebook reminded me
of how she approached us with no nonsense or
fanfare but rather with a steady discipline she
somehow instilled in me along with a growing
confidence in my capacity to “do hard!”
Remember CPPRs? (Clean Piece of Paper Ready)
for a pop quiz? We never knew when they were
coming so had to keep up on a daily basis. Fast
forward some decades when my son (a bright
kid who was in an AP algebra class he found
“too hard” and wanted out), I must have been
channeling Sr. Mary Sylvester when I told him
to get extra help for ten days and learn to “do
hard” which was something new for him. He
succeeded! “Sylvester” was a bit intimidating
and inscrutable to me but she was never about
herself but all about us succeeding. What a gift!
Dennie McCollom Scott T
[email protected]
Dennie McCollom Scott
[email protected]
As some of you know, I became reconnected
with Mary Alma Sullivan (AKA Sr. Mary Robert
Emmett) about 20 years ago while taking a
seminar in Chicago as part of my master’s degree.
Since then we’ve exchanged emails from time to
time and recently she asked me to respond to the
attachment below. Thinking you may have seen
this if you’ve donated to the BVM’s. Mary Alma
asked me to submit something and so I’m inviting
y’all to do likewise. “Your assignment is to interview John Raitt
after his next performance.” Yes, the star of the
musical “CarouseI,” and other Broadway hits,
and yes, Bonnie Raitt’s father (for those of us of a
certain age). In the fall of 1961, I was a junior at
Our Lady of Peace High School in St. Paul, Minn.
There was a new teacher at OLP that year, Sr.
Mary Robert Emmett, BVM (Mary Alma Sullivan),
who had just come from Chicago, relating to us
how she had some trepidation as the train backed
into the station in St. Paul, her new assignment.
In her journalism class, the John Raitt interview
was just one of many assignments I would be
given that year. I think that same year the town’s
news media became aware of the young women
in blue uniforms with gold insignias, blue oxfords
and bobby sox, who consistently seemed to show
up at major events, student reporters’ badge
in hand, press camera slung over a shoulder,
to catch a story for the school paper, PEACE
POINTS. We thought we were hot! We could
talk to anybody, and did. Some of us were quite
heady with it all. A stickler for facts and accuracy,
excellent writing, and awareness of the world
around us, she had us reading America magazine
and Newsweek on a regular basis. That, above
and beyond keeping up with American literature
on a daily basis. I remember becoming entranced
with Thoreau, Whitman and Dickinson.
“Robert Emmett” believed in pushing the
boundaries and seeing that just about anything
was possible and acceptable to do in the name of
journalistic accountability, including walking over,
with her, to Bober Drugstore and demanding the
owner take the pornographic “literature” off the
stands.
That junior year planted the seed for me to
eventually become a college English major and
high school English teacher myself. And most of
all, I credit my own discretionary eye for all things
literature, film and communication, to her.
Diane Molitor Palmer Clarisse
[email protected]
I am writing this note to thank a wonderful
BVM nun, Sr. Laurene Brady, for her wonderful
example of charity and devotion. I had the
pleasure of being reacquainted with Sr. Laurene
in March 2011. Sr. Laurene was in Wichita, Kan.,
in 1959-60 at Mt. Carmel Academy, where I was
a freshman boarding student and Sr. Laurene was
teaching math for her first teaching assignment.
She also lived in the dormitory with the boarding
students. I did not have Sr. Laurene for a teacher
and don’t remember her specifically but we
walked the same halls and prayed in the chapel
together. I graduated from Mt. Carmel in 1963. I
always admired the BVM sisters and cherished my
high school years at MCA.
Fast forward to 2010 when I was turning 65
years old and decided to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro
and raise money for five charities in Africa, one
of them being the BVM mission of a library in
Kumasi, Ghana, that Sr. Laurene spearheaded. I
had the good fortune to visit Sr. Laurene in Ghana
in March 2011 and spend several weeks with her.
I was able to volunteer at the library and became
aware of the kindness, talent and dedication that
Sr. Laurene uses daily in her work. She has a great
sense of humor and always displays a welcoming
attitude to friend or stranger. She enriches
thousands of children’s lives through her efforts
in building the outstanding library in Kumasi. Sr.
Laurene and I had a wonderful time reminiscing
about our experience at Mt. Carmel Academy. I
am indebted to Sr. Laurene for her exceptional
example of what charity means and I hope to
emulate her in my daily life. I feel blessed to know
her.
Betty Trudell
[email protected]
Hi, My name is Betty Trudell and I live in Fairview,
Mont. I would like to thank Sr. Ellen Morseth, who
was employed at our church, St. Catherine, in the
early 80s. Sr. Ellen became a dear friend and our
church learned so much from her. She had many
obstacles to overcome as there were many who
didn’t want any change. But she persevered.
We established ministries: We now had a cantor
and our music was made greater because we
were encouraged to sing along and did we sing.
New people who attend our church as well
as new priests who serve us comment on our
wonderful music ministry. She showed us the
ministry of hospitality and we became greeters,
welcoming everyone to our church. We have also
been complimented on our “friendly church!”
Our ministry of lectors and Eucharistic ministers
also improved and many more volunteered to
be in a ministry. Sr. Ellen had a way of asking
that was so gentle, you wouldn’t want to say no
and we usually didn’t. Sr. Ellen was instrumental
in helping us set up our renew program and
scripture sharing was established. Wow, did we
go to town on that. We were hungry for scripture
and we were being fed. We still have one group
who meets weekly with some original members
and many new members.
She was only with us for a few years but she
impacted my life in a big way. Along with more
blessings from others, I ended up employed as
parish coordinator at St. Catherine for 23 years.
I just retired a year ago. I also want to thank Sr.
Mary Frances Schafer who worked for our diocese
of Great Falls-Billings and was the coordinator
of the lay minister program called Tempus. I
was in the second Tempus and learned so much
from the many presenters we were privileged to
hear. Sr. Mary Frances had us study the Vatican II
documents each time we met. What a beautiful
document and I am so glad I was able to study it
with a person who understood it so well. She also
became a dear friend. I miss both of these special
women and still communicate with Sr. Ellen a
couple times a year. It has been a privilege to
know the sisters who came to help us follow God
more closely and personally.
Mary Ellen Meckley, BVM
[email protected]
When we moved to Arizona in 1946, I “tried”
Catholic school. I had attended public schools
in New York State. There were seven wonderful
BVM sisters. I decided to stay at St. Matthew
School. Then I attended Xavier HS. It was a very
small high school at that time. Again, there were
wonderful sisters. It seems that the sisters who
were sent to Arizona in the 30s and 40s were
pioneers, who were able to live without air
conditioning in overcrowded old buildings and
be happy. Several of the sisters, years later, told
me those were the happiest years of their life. I
entered the BVM congregation in 1953.
Bob Sammon
[email protected]
Another BVM who had an impact of my family’s
life was Gayle Brabec. I had long graduated from
OLL in Hempstead, N.Y. But my mother worked
as the secretary for Helen Garvey. Each week
when we still only had land lines during college,
she regaled me with her stories of Helen and
Gayle. I enjoyed the SALT article of Helen and
Gayle moving to the Motherhouse. I think my
sister Pat still has the plaque that Gayle gave her
about doing “’her works.” Gayle worked with
environmental sustainability in Kentucky and I am
hope Gayle is happy to return to Dubuque. I want
to visit to see so many BVMs who have influenced
my being an educator.
Bob Sammon
[email protected]
Another BVM sister I would like to thank on
behalf of my family is Helen Maher Garvey. She
was the last BVM principal of my home parish,
Our Lady of Loretto, in Hempstead, N.Y. Her house
was on Lincoln Road crossed by Crowell Street,
where I almost got hit by a car while on my
bike and my mother spanked me for it. Helen, I
believe, lived next door to the Brethels, and after
them the cousins, the Blighs. Jim Bligh was my
godfather.
So it was so unusual that later in life my mother
connected with Helen. I think my mother wanted
to keep our younger sister Sue in check and
she took on the job as secretary at Our Lady of
Loretto. I believe Sue’s science teacher Mr. Leary
stapled her to the wall. My mom agreed but
Helen did not. What Helen saw in my mom as
becoming her secretary was not the secretarial
skills but a person who could be welcoming of
people coming into the school. I remember so
many times Helen and Gayle Brabec were at
our house, especially when they lived down the
block and the convent closed. My mother stayed
another year when Gayle and Helen left OLL to
assist the new lay principal. But the school was
not the same; my mother always loved the BVMs
from when my brother entered in 1966. My
mother loved the contact with all the BVMs over
the years; I still have the graduation picture of my
mother and me with Mary McCauley and Jeanne
Granville (mom still had one of those now ugly
but stylish mink stoles).
But mom could not have been prouder than
standing by the BVMs. When dad retired I think
mom going to work helped her. It was also the
time that our dog died— Bootsie, who received
first communion when Mary McCauley was at our
house for a home Mass. The cremated box came
to OLL where Mrs. Bernstein was tossing it in the
air asking what is this? I enjoyed reading Helen’s
article in SALT this month and will send it to my
siblings. The week has been tough for us, as my
sister Mary’s home burned to the ground and all
but the cat survived.
As always Angie, I have a few more BVMs to
write about when I can—Jeanne Granville,
Annamarie Kane. Too many have either left the
BVMs or passed away. Mary McCauley said she
would send me a picture of the tree I asked to be
planted in Mary Wolfe’s honor.
Bob Sammon
[email protected]
How do I ever say thanks to Mary McCauley for
the role she played in my life and her constant
inspiration with what our country faces with
immigration?
As a teacher in my sixth grade social studies class
she brought European history alive and I loved
it in high school and pursued a B.A. in European
history. I taught world history from 1975-82 until
my principal asked me to study graduate work
in student counseling. Since that time, I always
tried to teach one religious studies class or social
studies class in Catholic high schools until 1997,
when my public school system said I could not.
I had been teaching NYS history and literature
inspired by Margaret McCullough for six of my
years at Holy Cross HS in Flushing, Queens.
I loved Mary’s teaching style which she shared in
sixth grade European history; she had a calming
and welcoming effect on me but also lighted a
fire in my interest in the subject matter. When
I had Mary as a homeroom teacher in eighth
grade, religion class teacher, geography and
science teacher, I appreciated all of her thoughts,
grace and skills. I remember in eighth grade I sat
near the window where the radiator was, and at
times I would doze, or I would talk to my longtime
friend John DeSretto. We were studying with a
new post-Vatican II textbook and I guess I was
dozing and she said to whatever question she
asked, that “the Holy Spirit can.” Mary inspired
me in geography as eighth grade was studying
different countries by different climate regions.
I remember always typing my notes as I loved
history and geography (no one in my family had
the math gene, sorry Margaret McCullough). I
remember doing a report on China and Mary
asked who typed the paper, and I said I did. I
remember the physical science section of science
I had so much difficulty with and she helped me
with. I remember we had to do a presentation
and I found an old telegraph my grandfather had
and brought that into the class. Mary, like so
many BVMs, was ahead of her time in educating
us Northeasterners!
I remember when Mary told us, I think before
Easter vacation of the changes that would
happen and the sisters would come back looking
different. Mary explained they were going back to
their baptismal names and the change of habits.
It made us wonder what was happening with
their hair; a few years later many were without
habits, as Mary was.
Bob Sammon
[email protected]
I went to a high school 16 miles away from OLL
but by my junior year I became president of the
CYO and asked Mary, Susan Offerman, BVM,
Deacon Tom and Father Bill Brisotti to be on our
advisory council. The times were remarkable
(1969-71) and to have these wonderful people
who understood young people and the changes
in society and church were wonderful influences.
I want to write about Sister Mary Suzette, (Jeanne
Granville). She was one of the coolest nuns I had
at Our Lady of Loretto; there was something in
her posture and grace. I enjoyed having Sister
for eighth grade English (learning haiku which I
never figured out) and for eighth grade American
history. Her BVM legacy gave clarity to the period
of 1865 to the present, which enveloped so much
BVM history—the dust bowl of the Midwest.
Sister had such a low key way of sharing stories
and history. She was also an excellent English
teacher. I was fortunate to have her as a junior
high school teacher, as I was to have all the BVMs.
I understand that she has also moved back to
Mount Carmel. I still have the picture of Sister
Jeanne, Mary McCauley and my mother at my
eighth grade graduation. Being as low tech as I
am, if I can scan the picture, I will try to do so.
I remember visiting Mary after she had finished
her master’s degree and helped to set up her
classroom where I learned more of her Midwest
background.
When I was a senior in high school and was
the president of my high school’s social justice
program, she came to my house for a “home
Mass”—remember them?
It was then that the crumbs from the homebaked bread from one of my fellow students
dropped on the floor when Father Brisotti broke
the bread around the dining room table and our
beagle received her first communion.
Our OLL parish was sorry to lose Mary but
she went to neighboring St. Thomas in West
Hempstead. Because of the BVM presence,
my family transferred their membership to St.
Thomas from OLL. It was the BVM difference
to them in the school. I think by the time my
nephew enrolled in pre-k, there was only one
BVM left, and that convinced my family.
I continually look to immigration issues as they
are Mary’s focus. She has been a blessing in my
life, in the BVM community, in the church’s life
and social justice issues. I was quite humbled
when she read my thoughts about Mary Wolfe,
BVM, as my sixth grade teacher. You all have to
know that the dynamism of Mary Frances Clarke
and how you evolved after Vatican II are so
important to our generation.
To Mary McCauley, and all my BVM teachers on
the Mississippi bluffs in Dubuque, know of my
fidelity and gratefulness to you all.
(I think I have covered Gayle Brabec, Helen
Garvey, Margaret McCullough, Jeanne Granville,
and Mary McCauley. I think I have only to write
about Annamarie Kane, who I never had but my
younger sisters did). My parents so loved the
BVMs and were heartbroken when OLL closed.
Bob Sammon
[email protected]
I do not have many memories of Sr. Annamarie
Kane except that my parents cared for her and
my sisters benefited from her as a teacher. I
remember her telling her students if they did not
complete their homework they could not watch
Batman. Annemarie and Anne Francine joined my
father’s political campaign to become trustee in
the village of Hempstead, N.Y., and the goal was
better integration. I remember them being at my
parents’ home for some discussions. As usual, the
BVMs were at the forefront of social and political
change in the 60s. I remember Annamarie coming
to stay with my family perhaps around 1970; I
was the youth club president and she chaperoned
a trip with my mother to Rye Beach. You must
know that our family is deeply grateful for
Annamarie (and Anne Francine) who so assisted
my sisters in their early educational years and
supported the values my parents believed in,
which I think are BVM core beliefs.
Judy Peckham
[email protected]
Bob Sammon
[email protected]
One of the BVMs I would like to thank is Sr.
Margaret McCullough. Sister Margaret was my
seventh grade homeroom, religion, and US
history/New York history teacher and my eighth
grade math teacher. She was very patient with me
as no one in my family possessed the math gene.
She also coordinated the altar boys. I remember
how understanding she was when I went through
eye surgery and how encouraging she was when
our family was taking an Easter vacation to visit
Williamsburg, Va. I was quite impressed when she
went on to become superintendent in St. Louis.
I do not remember how it happened in seventh
grade but somehow the statue of Mary broke
in our classroom. I took up a collection among
my classmates and replaced it, and she was very
appreciative. At that time there was an A&S in
Hempstead and that is where I purchased it. I
did not know the Walsh and Conley Religious
Goods Store existed in Hempstead. I remember
our class trip to a Mets game and she was excited
by it. Sr. Margaret was a BVM at the right time
during the post-Vaticaan II years who inspired
me to be a social studies teacher and a person
of faith. I heard from her at Christmas and that
she will be returning to Dubuque soon. I saw
an advertisement in Time magazine advertising
cruises down the Mississippi and Dubuque is one
of the stops. As Sr. Margaret mentioned, I have
friends there and would like to see about doing
so.
Lovingly, Bob Sammon, Our Lady of Loretto,
Hempstead, NY Class of 1967
Thank you for all you did to make so many young
women at Xavier High School into beautiful,
bright, loving Christian women. I can never thank
you enough for the deep, health roots you gave
me by your wonderful example! With Love, Judy
Hock Peckham 1967
Denise Ann (Franklin) Terry
[email protected]
This is a picture of three women who made an
enormous difference in my life—my father’s
sisters: Dorothy, Patricia and Kathleen.
My father was the oldest of nine children, and I
am his oldest child. When I was little, my aunts
and uncles were still in school, still at home, very
much a part of visits to my grandparents.
I chose this photo because it shows how lively
and beautiful they were. They were also brilliant
and fun, inspiring and loving.
In the middle is Dorothy, who became a BVM:
Sister Mary Robertelle. She chose her name to
honor her twin brother, Robert. Although she
eventually left the order and spent part of her
adult life married, Aunt Dorothy was a dedicated
sister who taught at all levels of education,
including math and Latin at Mundelein College
in Chicago. Because she excelled in these things,
I believed that I could. And so I did, taking on
courses in the classics and in mathematics in
college.
On the left is Patricia, who became a Visitation
Sister: Sister Marie Aimee. I took Patricia as my
confirmation name in her honor, and named one
of my own daughters Amy. Aunt Pat was deeply
spiritual, a contemplative, but she was also upto-date on world affairs. She was a dedicated
teacher and administrator. She wrote letters, and
never forgot my birthday, and to visit with her
was to bathe in affection and love.
On the right is the surviving sister, Kathleen, who
is still a BVM, living now at the Motherhouse
in Dubuque, Iowa. She was Sister Mary Joselle,
in honor of Patricia’s twin, Joseph; she is now
Sister Kathy Franklin. She and I have had such
fun together, enjoying Cape Cod and Long Island
(N.Y.), sharing family history, and having time
together. Aunt Kathy was also a teacher, working
into her seventies as a computer instructor.
She volunteered with an immigrant group until
very recently. I would not be the person I am
today without these remarkable role models
throughout my life. I have always been able to
feel their prayers. They were my teachers in so
many ways. I thank these nuns.
Joyce Mach
[email protected]
As long as I can remember, I wanted to play
the violin. We always had a piano in the house
but the violin seemed so sweet and beautiful
to me. Every time I heard a violin the desire to
play it increased. Then one day I met Sister Mary
Phileta, BVM. I had just begun attending St. Mary
High School in Chicago. It was Open House and
when my parents and I met Sister, my mother
mentioned my love for the violin. The rest is
history. Sister taught me to play and I joined the
orchestra. I even received a beautiful violin of my
own from my parents. I am grateful to Sister Mary
Phileta for teaching me how to play my favorite
musical instrument, and for providing me with
opportunities to play for the enjoyment of others.
Marlene Mangrich
[email protected]
My recollection of the BVM sisters goes back to
the years of 1949-50 when I was a sixth grade
student at St. Athanasius School in Jesup. It was
the opening of our new Catholic school and
the parish was thrilled to have the BVM sisters
teaching in our school. My husband and I each
had aunts that were of the Notre Dame order
in Mankato. The Notre Dame order taught at
Immaculate Conception in Gilbertville, where my
husband attended school.
Thank you to the nuns of all the different orders
who patiently taught by example and caring for
each individual at their level. May God bless
and reward each of them for being His faithful
servants!!
Maggie Shannon George, CPCC, ACC
www.phreshpective.com
Mary Alma Sullivan, BVM
Sr. Mary Alma Sullivan gave me the first failing
grade of my life. She expected more of me than
she saw in that first college freshman writing
assignment. Once I recovered from the shock and
tended my bruised ego, I took up the challenge.
I don’t think I used the verb “to be” or the word
“thing” for years. I can still hear her telling us to
use more descriptive, interesting words. Over
the course of my years at Mundelein, I knew
with each course I took from Mary Alma, and
there were several, that I would be stretched,
challenged and held to a very high standard. I
appreciate that Mary Alma push me to rise to
a higher potential. And rise I did! Thank you for
seeing me and knowing what I was capable of
achieving.
Lois Dolphin, BVM
Sr. Lois Dolphin was my high school science
teacher. One of my strong memories of her took
place when I received an extra assignment to
measure the sun’s diameter during each month
of the year using pictures taken from the same
location for 12 consecutive months. When I was
confused about the findings, she told me to go
ask my mother. This was at a point in my life when
I was pretty sure I was smarter than my mother.
So not only did I learn that the sun is closer to the
earth in the winter, I also learned that perhaps the
adults in my life did have some things to teach me.
I’m sure my mother is as appreciative of Sr. Lois’
influence in my life as I am.
Carole Jaroch
[email protected]
Thank you, Sister Dorothy Gaffney, for taking me
under your wings of prayers. It is so enjoyable to
hear your voice when you call to see how I am
doing and if there are any prayer needs. I feel
like you are my mother checking in on me. I have
enjoyed getting to know you. You have a beautiful
ministry. I pray that you will remain healthy in
2015. God bless you for your continued prayers. I
will also be praying for you.
Thank you to all the BVM sisters for all they do
and for those that have passed on to their eternal
life. God bless you. Love, Carole Jaroch
Rose Rita McMahon Sullivan
[email protected]
The Sisters of Charity, BVM have been a big
part of my life. It started for me the day I was
born when my mother selected my name. I was
to be called Rose Rita after her sister, Loretta
Considine, AKA Sister M. Rose Rita. Sister had
been professed just a few years before my birth.
I admired and loved her so. She was a beautiful
woman who always brought us holy cards.
Sister spent many years teaching in various
cities in Iowa. She also was assigned to a new
school opening in Chattanooga, Tenn., as well as
one in Carlsbad, Calif. My family, along with my
parents, visited her while she was in Tennessee.
We were quite impressed. It was always a special
occasion when she was able to come home
for a visit. Much preparation was made for
this big event. Sister M. Donata was her most
frequent companion. We looked forward to the
companions visiting as well.
We enjoyed visiting Sister at Chicago›s Holy Name
Cathedral Convent, always enjoying the company
of the other sisters, especially Sister Ann Marie
Dolan. While there were many Catholic girls’
high schools close to where I grew up, I could not
resist the familiarity of the nuns at St Mary High
School. I loved my time there as a member of
the class of ‹41. I was especially fond of Sister M.
Jeanne Therese. She was not only beautiful but
a great teacher. I was able to visit her at Mount
Carmel when both she and the then Sister Loretta
Considine were residents.
I am grateful for the BVM experience and the
effect on my life. The teachings of the good
Sisters of Charity, BVM reinforced the faith that
had been instilled in me by my great parents.
Sincerely, Rose Rita McMahon Sullivan
Madeleine (Gonnella) Licavoli
[email protected]
I am a graduate of St. Paul High School in San
Francisco. Sr. Ann Marie McNamara (RIP 6/4/08)
was my typing and shorthand teacher. Shortly
before graduation she sent me for an interview
in response to a call she had received from someone at city hall who was looking for a temporary
secretary. I began working two days after graduation, June 9, 1970, and continued to work for the
city and county of San Francisco until I retired 44
years later on June 30, 2014, as operations depu-
ty director of the Office of the Clerk of the Board
of Supervisors.
It was the excellent reputation of St. Paul¹s for
turning out graduates prepared to enter the business world that resulted in the call from City Hall
and my being hired. I recall during a school assembly that Sr. Ann Marie stated that in the twoyear business program at St. Paul¹s one could get
a job without the need to spend more time and
money to attend a business school. How true this
was in my case.
I am very grateful for the education and training I
received from Sr. Ann Marie and that she sent me
to that initial interview for a temporary position.
Pat Conway Parks
[email protected]
Both of my parents, my siblings, my husband and
his siblings were all educated by the BVMs. BVM
values are deep in the fiber of my being. These
dedicated educators were skilled at educating the
whole being. We learned faith, hope, love, critical
thinking skills, self-discipline, self-respect, selfconfidence, and the desire and willingness to make
a positive difference in the world. I could name
many BVMs to whom I am grateful, but I could not
name them all. Sister Michail, head of the Math
Department at Clarke University when I was a
math major there, was a mentor and friend like no
other in my life. We stayed in touch and I went to
Dubuque to see her until the day she died. Sister Marius, Sister Katherine Ann, Sister Sheila
O’Brien, Sister Peggy Nolan, Sister Judy Callahan,
Sister CIndy Sullivan, and so many other BVMs
who have participated in the CMT apostolate in
Quito, Ecuador, co-founded by my own sister,
Sister Miguel Conway, are all women whose
example has inspired me to work to help the poor
and to pass this legacy on to my own children.
Naturally, Sister Miguel is the BVM who has had
the greatest lifelong impact on my husband, our
children, and me.
Gwen Nilles
[email protected]
I have been gifted with the friendship of so many
good “nuns” in my life it is difficult to know where
to begin. I so appreciate all the wonderful religious communities we have in Dubuque. However, one nun story that I have recently thought of
is when the Sisters of the Good Shepherd were in
Dubuque (in full habit), I was in the hospital with
my sixth child. And of course, worrying about
the five at home since their father needed to be
at work. One of the Good Shepherd Sisters went
to our home, took over all the household duties,
and managed to make the kids happy playing ball
with them in the backyard. She not only impacted
my life, but the lives of my children. I will always
be grateful for this nun!
Jeanne Hochstatter
[email protected]
I am not sure to whom I should be addressing
this, but I would like the BVMs to know that
I certainly appreciated their talent to make
independent individual thinkers of us all, to
demonstrate that we could do anything a man
could do (and often better), and that their
influence could be felt for a lifetime. I thank
Sisters Adora and Lucilda for their Spanish
assistance and for their participation in making
me the person I am. It is their Spanish aid that
propelled me along the Spanish route of being a
language teacher, a translator, a court interpreter,
a principal of a Spanish Immersion School, a
bilingual real estate person, and a board member
of a Spanish/English School. There were other
nuns whom I admired also: Sisters Cresentia,
Mikhail, Phillipa, Francine and others. One could
stop and talk with them about anything, anytime,
anywhere. Jeanne Hochstatter
Donna Merwick (Dening) [Sr. Dorothy Ann]
[email protected]
Dear Sisters,
Thank you for the opportunity to “thank a nun.”
My thanks are of a lifetime of gratitude to BVM
sisters. But let me single out “a nun” who, with
others with whom she and I shared a life for six
months in 1956, deserves special thanks.
On March 19, 1956, I took my first vows at Mount
Carmel and was missioned to St. Callistus Parish
in Chicago. On March 20, I was met in the snow
at the train station by you, Sr. Mary Ann Kathleen, and our superior, Sister Mary (Something?)
Therese. Her outstanding kindness and yours on
that occasion (you were not on Retreat but the
others were) began six months that were among
the happiest times of my life.
Ours was a convent of 10 sisters: you teaching
first grade, Sr. Lucca second grade, Sr. Claire Marie
third, and up to Sr. Edmond, eighth grade. After
the hundreds of women at the Novitiate, the experience now was of a devout, happy, close and
rewarding Christian life and family life too. I never
wanted to leave the parish and school, though
I was sent to Immaculata High School (Chicago)
only six months later, in August—and came to
love it there. I often think of those months. I
could write a book about the joys of being at St.
Callistus.
So, thank you, Sr. Ann Kathleen. I know that God
would have blessed you and the other sisters.
Christ walked with us in that little Italian parish.
Judith Anshin
[email protected]
Sister Julia Clare Green, now deceased, was my
teacher at Xavier High School in St. Louis, Mo.
I came from a very dysfunctional family with
a physically and emotionally abusive mother.
Xavier was a refuge for me and Sister Julia Clare
was the rock on which I leaned. I never told her
any details, but she was always there for me and
she was the kind of mother I didn’t have. I don’t
know what my life would have become without
her support and encouragement. Our friendship
continued until her death, and I miss her so
much. Thank you for this opportunity to share my
love for her.
Keith Kraft
[email protected]
I’d like to thank all the sisters that taught at St.
Thomas of Canterbury, Chicago, from 1944 to
1952. I’ve told many people over the years that
the Catholic education and discipline I received
over those eight years did more to make me who
I am today than anything else. By the way, that’s a
good thing. If all the kids today could experience
their first eight years of school being taught
by the sisters, this would be a far better, and
smarter, country.
Brother David Galinski, FSC
[email protected]
St. Patrick High School, Chicago I am what I am today thanks to the wonderful
BVMs I had at Blessed Sacrament in Chicago. Even
at an early age, I knew the sisters loved what they
were doing and loved us. I think the seed to be a
teacher was planted early and here I am now in
my 50th year of teaching as a De La Salle Christian
Brother. Like the sisters who got me started, I
too love what I do and love the kids I teach and
counsel!
I wish kids today could have the same wonderful
experience I had, but times are different and we
do the best with what we have.
class of 1954 in college. Bur I’m sure she would
have helped even a stranger to her. Two lovely
memories of the BVMs I have never forgotten.
God is Good.
My love and prayers go out to all my former BVM
teachers both living and deceased.
Thanks to:
Sister Mary St. Paul
Sister Mary Gracita
Sister Mary Joannes
Sister Mary Reparata
Sister Mary Francita
Sister Carl Loras
Sister Mary Antoine
Sister Mary Bernetta
Sister Mary Rosalind
I am eternally grateful! Love and prayers.
Ed Krolak
B.A. Loras College, 1954
[email protected]
When I was a student at Loras College I was a
fledging actor. Sister Xavier Coens was the Drama
Department director. I got a speaking role in
Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” She was helpful
to fledging thespians. About 20 years later she
came toward me in a hallway at Clarke. When she
looked up and saw me, she said, “Giles Corey!”
She remembered me from the part I had in the
play! I had no idea I was that good. I am vain
enough to think that my brief appearance had
been memorable enough that she recognized me.
I shall never forget her kindness in recognizing
me. And I had had some success on the stage in
college—five shows at Loras and two at Clarke
University over four years.
At a Loras Homecoming not too long ago, I was
caught in rainfall while in a wheelchair at the
entrance to a party in a private home. One of
the guests was Sister Bertha Fox (Dolorose). She
was assigned to dry my soaked head in a towel.
She knew me because we were both in the
Terry Miles
[email protected]
Here’s a link to a recent article in the Atlantic:
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/
archive/2015/01/joy-the-subject-schoolslack/384800/
I help in music programs in two different
neighborhoods in Chicago that use the local
school facilities, but are independent from the
schools in question. Both are Chicago Public
Schools, but one is a charter school. I think I like
the charter school better because there is order,
but using the article above, it cannot be at the
expense of love. There has to be balance.
I learned of this human, and yet divine, balance
by example from the BVMs, and I am grateful.
Make that very grateful, and I intend to make
good use of my training! www.chimop.org www.
musicchicagoinc.org
With loving kindness to everyone in Dubuque and
beyond, Terry Miles, SM Carolanne’s nephew
Coralia Rodriguez (now Diaz Salazar)
[email protected]
I want to thank Sister Mary Elizabeth Ann. She
was my guardian angel.
In 1954, I was a foreign student from El Salvador,
Central America, and when I arrived at Mount St.
Gertrude I did not speak, read or understand any
English, only my native Spanish language. I was
15 years old and missed my parents and friends a
lot. She helped me make the transition so swiftly
and lovingly, and I finally graduated speaking
English fluently.
I live in Miami since 1984, since the guerillas took
over in my country.
I feel honored and am so proud to have the
pleasure of knowing her and please tell her I
remember her fondly and I have always loved
her very, very much. I pray to God to bless her
abundantly.
Sincerely, Coralia Rodriguez (now Diaz Salazar)
PS. Please let me know how she is doing. I would
really appreciate. Blessings.
Mike Mulholland
[email protected]
was firm on the outside but soft on the inside and
a great teacher all around.
I also want to say that she was the kind of person
who stays connected to you and affects your
life long after you have graduated. My husband
died suddenly a few years ago and a classmate
of mine informed her about it. A few months
after he died, I got a call from her offering her
condolences. We had stayed in contact initially
through Christmas cards and a few reunions but
that was the extent of it due to our busy lives.
I was so touched that she reached out to me
during this devastating time. In addition to that,
I will never forget the advice she gave me which
helped me so much. She told me that I had had
a full life without him before we married and I
could still have a full (if different) life now. I could
build and draw on the life we had together. That
was so inspiring. I can never thank her enough.
God bless her and my other favorites: Sister
Patricia “Patty” Peach and Sister Mary Ann
Zollman, as well as all the BVMs.
Roberta Velez
[email protected]
Here is a photo of my aunt, Sister Mary Ambrose
Mulholland. My family and I made many trips to
Dubuque to visit her years ago. Mike Mulholland
Roseann Hughes
[email protected]
Sister Mary Frances was my Latin teacher at
Xavier High School for Girls in St. Louis in 1971
and 1972. I remember “some” of my Latin to this
day, even though I did NOT take Latin III (much to
her chagrin). This was only because I was getting
it confused with the Spanish I was taking! She
I attended The Immaculata High School in Chicago
from 1958-62. I was a nervous freshman walking
into room 100 and was greeted by Sister Mary
Josepha Carton with a big smile and bright
twinkling eyes. I was blessed to keep in contact
with Sister through the years until she died and
went to heaven. I visited her at the Motherhouse
many times and was always greeted by her with
the same smile and twinkling eyes.
On one of my visits I was blessed to meet Sister
Realino Lynch and we became friends. Every
Monday for the 15 years we were friends, I called
her and we spent many hours on the phone.
Sister shared many stories of her life especially
her teaching experiences. I was able to visit
with Sister at the Motherhouse several times a
year. I will never forget the last time we spoke. I
would always tell Sister to get comfortable in her
favorite chair. That night she told me that she
was going on hospice. She told me, “No tears,
my dear. I love you very much and just think how
much more my prayers will mean coming down
from heaven.” Sister died almost four years ago
and I still want to reach for the phone on Monday
night to call her.
Central Park. I am laughing now as if it were yesterday! But we made it there and back with a lot
of pushing, shoveling and mostly laughing. And of
course Sister brought cookies home for everyone.
Love, Eileen Crowley
James Rebman
[email protected]
Eileen Crowley
[email protected]
My Mom, now 82 years old (Therese Mary Flynn/
Rebman) went to Our Lady Help of Christians
on Leclaire Ave., Chicago. She graduated grade
school in 1946 and went on to high school and
graduated in 1950 from the Immaculata High
School on Irving Park Road. The love and knowledge given to my Mom through many BVM sisters
was passed on to me, her son James and my two
brothers, three sisters, her many grandchildren
and great grandchildren. I want to thank you all
so much! You all have a very special place in my
heart. Again, THANK YOU. God Bless.
Sincerely, James Rebman.
When I was a student at Mundelein College Sister
Mary St. George (Helen Thompson) talked me
into taking her “Inner City Education” classes. I
did so reluctantly. In this class we walked through
the city a lot. I remember walking down Kenmore
Avenue from Sheridan Road to Wilson Ave. noticing the changes in the neighborhoods: from garbage collections to street repairs to potholes . . .
you name it, Sister taught us how to be observant
of city services. Some neighborhoods were totally
neglected.
P.S. She turns 83 on Oct. 5, 2015. It would mean a
lot to her if you would send her a birthday greeting.
Her address is:
Therese Mary Flynn-Rebman
310 Osage Street
Apt. # 303
Wauconda, IL. 60084
Eileen Crowley
[email protected]
On Jan. 26, 1967 I was a new teacher at Blessed
Sacrament School in Chicago. The worst blizzard in history hit the city. This just made Sister
Macarius even more energetic than usual. Sister
decided to take a ride in the station wagon to pick
up a few essentials for the convent: bread, eggs,
milk, potatoes, spaghetti. Some of us were happy
to join her and it was a joy ride of a lifetime. Sister had no fear of the huge amount of snow, or
what would happen if we couldn’t get through.
There were stopped autos and even CTA buses on
This was 1965. Things have not improved. Sister
taught us social justice. Sister made us aware of
storefronts that dealt with runaway teens, battered women and children, the homeless, the
hungry, the aged. I had lived my life in Chicago
and had no idea we had these problems.
I also had a math methods class with Sister. We
taught math in a Chicago public school: Goudy
Elementary, an inner city school in Uptown. I was
hooked. My entire career as a teacher was in the
inner city of Chicago: 1966-2007. Sister opened
my eyes to life and I have had the best life! God
bless you, Helen Thompson, BVM.
Sister Ann Landers, CSJ
[email protected]
Danetta lived here at St. Therese Little Flower
Convent in Kansas City with me from 1998
until we moved her to Mount Carmel. She
was a wonderful spiritual and community
friend. We could tell each other anything and be
accepted. My years with her were a treasure! I
still miss my pal.
Rev. Walter (Wally) Helms
[email protected]
but the BVMs certainly made it that way. So, THANK YOU for such a wonderful four years
that led to an outstanding and long career
Thankfully yours, Pam Malkowski Kroll, Class
of ’ 68
Janet Stevenson
[email protected]
As a student at Regina High School in Iowa City
during the late 50s, I was privileged to enjoy the
ministry and excellent teaching of several BVM
sisters. They comprised a significant portion of the
faculty at that time.
Most memorable among them were: Sr. Mary
Maurine (Gearen); Sr. Mary Paula (Kelly) [biology,
geometry]; Sr. Mary Robert Emmett (Mary Alma
Sullivan) [English]; Sr. Mary Christiana (O’Connor)
[librarian]; and Sr. Mary Francile (Luking) [vice
principal]. I also remember Sr. Mary Ita [history].
Because they were excellent teachers, I felt that
my years of study at college were much easier.
My memories of their care have always been
warm and grateful. In recent months it has been
my thrill to reunite with two of these teachers,
Mary Alma Sullivan and Paula Kelly. Thank you,
one and all!
Pam Malkowski
[email protected]
Dear BVMs, All of the BVMs that I met during my time at
Immaculata HS during the years 1964-68 will
always have a special spot in my heart. My first
job after high school led to a wonderful career
in information technology which lasted 32 years
at the same corporation due to the fact that
the hiring manager lived across the street from
Immaculata and she was always impressed by
the way the Immaculata young ladies conducted
themselves. So, it goes without saying that not
only the Catholic school had good foundations
I have had the honor of being taught by two
wonderful nuns. Sister Mary Christella and Sister
Mary DeLourdes, my freshman and sophomore
teachers. Unfortunately, since I graduated in
1955, they are no longer with us, but I am sure
they know how important they were at that point
in my life.
[email protected]
All nuns who were assigned to Rock Island—God
bless you forever!
Brenda Bittner Stanislawski [email protected]
I graduated from Holy Angels Academy
in Milwaukee in 1958. All the wonderful
strong BVMs I had shaped my life. They were
feminist in every good way before the word was
ever used. They were great role models as well as
great academic teachers. They encouraged you to develop your talents,
be a leader and make the world a better place
by serving others. I received a B.S. degree in
psychology and philosophy. I went on to receive
an M.S. degree in educational administration. I
worked as a social worker, taught psychology and
became an executive director of a prevention,
intervention and referral counseling agency. None
of this would have been possible if not for the
BVMs instilling within me a love of education
and a strong desire to help others. For that I will
always be grateful.
My high school was combined with another all
girl school. It is now called Divine Savior Holy
Angels High School. My daughter attended high
school there. She was fortunate to have a few
BVMs as teachers. My granddaughter will also
go there. I only wish the BVMs were still there. I
know it’s a good school but it could be so much
better if the BVMs were still present. They were
the VERY BEST!
minister at our local hospital, co-chair of our
community Thanksgiving dinner project, and
board member and volunteer at our local food
pantry. Making the world healthier and holier
one soul at a time guides my days. I am forever
grateful for my formative years under Mary Leo’s
wise and watchful eyes.
Louise & Pete Saari
[email protected]
Margaret Plotkin
[email protected]
Sister Margaret was our mentor. Unfortunately,
she passed away, however, her spirit will continue
to be with us forever. God bless!
Sister Mary Faith at Holy Angels Academy in
Milwaukee gave me the first encouragement in
the field I ended up in, art education. My family
thought art was not very serious, like many
families. It’s been a long time since I was in high
school, but I remember her calm and warmth. Rosemary Fredrick Bergmann
[email protected]
As you can see, I am from the old age when
you start a letter with this heading. I attended a
school run by the BVMs back in the 1930s-40s
so I do not remember many of the teachers’
names BUT I had my godmother who was later
to become a BVM and she is who I want to
remember. Her name was Sister Mary Carolanne
Miles. She has since passed away a few years ago.
Srs. Mary Malakey, Clarence, Henrietta Frances of
Assisi(?), and Paul Therese are just a few more I
remember. BVMs are very special to me.
Rosemary Fredrick Bergmann, Our Lady Help of
Christians and Immaculata HS, both in Chicago
Mary Ann Ceman Brauhn
[email protected]
Thank you, Sister Mary Leo, for your loving
guidance during my novitiate and scholasticate
years. Your Christ and Mary-centered spirituality
has translated into all stages of my life. Even
though I left the BVM congregation in 1968, those
core values that I learned from Sister Mary Leo
continued to guide my inner and outer lives. Now
that I am retired from my profession as a clinical
mental health counselor, I find my calling to
feed the hungry through my roles as Eucharistic
Maryanne Thacker
[email protected]
I still make a little money doing calligraphy, which
she taught. I spent 25 years as an art teacher
and she was one of the reasons why. Thank you,
Margaret O’Connor , H.A. ‘66
While Sr. Judy Callahan was in Kankakee I had
the privilege of sharing the joys of St. Teresa
Parish with her where she worked in the Hispanic
ministry and at whatever else was needed.
Time is one God’s most precious gifts and I have
always been in awe of the time that Judy gives to
those around her. She has been a role model in
teaching me to try and not be so selfish with my
time. I love her never ending, fun loving spirit and
amazing energy. It is an inspiration and a joy to
know her. The world is a better place.
Janice Godzicki Fleming
[email protected]
I am a 1970 graduate of Cathedral High School
in Chicago. I remember with great fondness the
sisters who taught there: Sr. Helen Jeanne Hurley,
Sr. Jean Gabriel, Sr. Richard Marie, Sr. Bertrand, Sr.
Mateo, our counselor Sr. Anne Marie Dolan and
others whose names I can’t remember but I can
picture them. (I’m getting ready to retire soon!) It
was a great four years. I can remember Sr. Helen
Jeanne Hurley quite expertly roller skating at the
Hub Roller Rink and Sr. Jean Gabriel’s endless
knowledge of all things historical and current.
We don’t truly appreciate them until we’re older! A note to Sr. Anne Marie Dolan: Do you
remember the whole crew that used to hang out
together? The Murrays, the Borschkes, the Bryks,
and me, Janice Godzicki Fleming. I’m sad to say
that Paul Bryk and Cathy Bryk and their brother
George passed away. Bob Murray (brother of Bill
Murray) passed away along with Pat Murray, their
sister. Hard to believe so much time has passed.
Blessings on all the BVMs and the great work
you do! Janice Godzicki Fleming, Cathedral High
School class of 1970.
Mary Ellen Reuter Schommer
[email protected]
A note of appreciation and gratitude to Sr. Coman
for being such a wonderful role model to the
young ladies at Our Lady of Peace High School
in St. Paul, Minn., in the 1960s. She was kind,
gracious and welcoming, always having a smile
on her face! High school can be a tough time
for some, but Sister made the experience as
wonderful as she possibly could! For that I will be
forever grateful!
Thank you Sister and God bless you!
Beth Horton Grigsby
[email protected]
Class of 1964 OLP: The nuns gave us a great education and showed us how to lead our lives. They
gave us pride in ourselves and showed us how to
be humble at the same time. I am grateful.
Sharon Bacher Kreisberg [email protected]
I was blessed to have Sister Mary Adele in my
life at Our Lady of Loretto in Hempstead, N.Y.
She enriched my life and was there to listen to
me during troubled times. I guess I saw her as a
friend and mentor, she was a real support system
for me. We did keep in touch for many years;
I have her picture in a heart frame in my living
room. People ask “Who’s that?” and I am always
happy to share that is Sister Mary Adele, an angel
from my youth! Sent with gratitude and love,
Sharon Bacher Kreisberg
Margaret Christensen Ferber
[email protected]
Special thanks to Sister Mary Angelita! I was
in her drama class for all four years and will be
forever grateful for all she taught me, and for her
inspiration and enthusiasm. All of my adult life I
have been attending theater of all sorts; it’s a big
part of my life and a great source of enjoyment.
It’s usually thought provoking and stimulates
great conversations as well. I will always
remember special times with her, including a
trip to the “new” Tyrone Guthrie theater! I’ve
introduced my three adult children to theater as
well.
I’d also like to thank the BVMs as a whole for
providing me with a great education along with
values of importance to me, such as a love of
learning, integrity, women’s rights, social justice,
spirituality and women’s rights. I’ve come to
appreciate my four years at OLP in St Paul, Minn.,
more and more over the years.
Margaret Christensen Ferber, class of 1960
Patricia Eastman Benner
[email protected]
To the BVMs:
I was fortunate to have Sister Ann Regina Doebel
as a senior prefect at Mount St. Gertrude
Academy in Boulder, Colo., during the 1963-
64 school year. I am proud to say that we have
become friends and are still in communication.
Sister Ann Regina is one of the strongest, wisest,
most encouraging women I have ever known.
She is the epitome of a woman of culture and
of a woman of God. She taught me to be a lady
besides teaching me academics.
I still remember my senior year asking her how
one decides a major in college. Her response
was “find something you love and you will find
a way in which to make a living.” For me, that
was the study of languages, and her prediction
turned out to be true as my career consisted of:
Spanish teacher, supervisor of foreign languages,
bilingual education, English as a Second
Language (ESL), elementary assistant principal
in a bilingual school, and, lastly, principal in a
bilingual elementary school.
I also credit her for helping me to strengthen and
expand my faith which has carried me through
life.
Thanks, Sister Ann Regina. You are the best!
Margaret Mathews Sankovitz – HAA ’51
[email protected]
Sr. Julia Clare Greene, BVM and Sr. Ann Regina
Dobel, BVM
Sr. Julia Clare believed in me enough to appoint
me editor of the school newspaper, and, at the
end of my senior year, she helped arrange a
scholarship for me to Marquette University. We
were in contact regularly until her death a few
years ago.
Sr. Ann Regina, my tall, beautiful sophomore
homeroom teacher, assured me that being tall
was not only OK but good. I was growing fast and
worried that I would be 6 ft. tall like my father.
Alas, I stopped growing and never reached more
than 5 ft. 2 inches! But I knew that it would be
good if I grew taller. I remain in contact with Sr.
Ann Regina—still tall and beautiful!
These wonderful BVM sisters were my mentors
at Holy Angels Academy, Milwaukee, where I attended 1947-51.
Camille Donaldson
[email protected]
Dear BVMs,
Without a doubt, Yes! The BVMs surely did make
a tremendous difference in my life. I was fortunate enough to have the BVMs as my teachers for
11 years and one summer session. They worked
tirelessly to get the information across to me.
They were forever available for questions and
clarifications. They taught me good study habits
and most importantly, how to be a good Catholic person. If you can believe this, I was from a
class of only 12 students in high school as Xavier
High School had only started three years earlier.
In fact, when I graduated from high school there
were less than 50 students in the entire school.
Now there are maybe 1,200 or more students.
When I got to college, I discovered I had been
very well prepared, possibly better prepared than
most of the students there. I had to study hard,
but I was able to do the work because I had been
given an outstanding education in grade school
and high school. I had decided I wanted to be a
chemist so the subject was not easy but still doable because of the work the sisters had done to
prepare me.
Another thing that I discovered much later was
that going to an all girls school meant that the
girls all had to be leaders because they couldn’t
sit back and let the boys take all the leadership
roles. There were no boys and the girls really got
to learn without the interruptions and distractions of having boys around. No matter the setting today, I am always asking more questions
than anyone else, because of the experience the
wonderful BVMs provided. I’m sorry to have to
admit that none of the sisters that taught me are
still alive because I am 82, but their influence on
me will forever leave me indebted to them. Thank
you, dear BVMs.
Gratefully, Camille Donaldson, Xavier High School
Class of 1949, and St. Francis Xavier Grade School
Class of 1945 Phoenix
Jann Ortega Phillips
[email protected]
Thank you, Sister Maureen O’Brien for all you
have done for St. Pauls High School, the alumnae association, and for all the hearts you have
touched. Our family is grateful for all you have
done for us.
Without the collective dedication of these
women I know I would not have developed the
confidence to first practice and now teach law. I
only hope I can have as great an influence on my
students as all of them had on me.
David Mc Grath
[email protected]
Nancy Lawler Dickhute St. Joseph Academy Class of 1970
[email protected]
Dear Sisters,
I would like to thank all the BVMs who taught at
St. Joseph Academy in Des Moines, Iowa, while
I was a student there from 1966 until 1970. The
education I received was outstanding: these
bright, dedicated women taught me so much
in such a wide range of subjects, all the while
helping me develop as a person and a woman of
faith. With their guidance I pursued my dream of
attending law school and now serve on the fulltime faculty of Creighton University School of Law
in Omaha, Neb. I also serve as the associate dean
for professional development at the law school.
Who to thank? Where do I begin? Sister Mira
Mosle was an excellent journalism teacher. Her
knowledge of effective, efficient writing and
page layout later helped me learn to write a
concise, persuasive appellate brief. Sister Jean
Byrne taught a class on communism in the 20th
century that piqued my love of both history and
government. Sister Mary Adelita was a great
guidance counselor and served as a role model
for what women in the workplace could achieve.
She taught me to be a true professional. Sister
Hortense Kelly was a terrific biology teacher who
was never afraid to roll up her sleeves and get
dirty in a science lab. While dissection was not my
favorite activity, her passion for scientific inquiry
was infectious (no pun intended!)
Here’s a picture of my lovely cousin, Sister
Rosemary Sage (Sr. Mary Michael David), on
the occasion of her diamond jubilee as a Sister
of Charity, BVM in September 2008 at Mount
Carmel. What a grand day that was. She was a
fine teacher and alumnae came all the way from
Saint Paul (San Francisco) to help honor her. I still
have the very sweet note and prayer that she
sent to my mother when I was born in 1942.
Susie Tilton North Catholic Grade School, Clinton, Iowa
[email protected]
I had two nuns that really stand out in my childhood. Sister Mary Immacula DeVleiger was my
second grade teacher and babysitter when my
parents went away. She was a great teacher and
opened my childhood tastebuds to a Pizza Hut
thin onion pizza. It’s amazing! We remained in
contact until she passed away. I came to Dubuque
and went to her grave. What a gorgeous final
resting spot. Sister Mary Ricardo taught me in
sixth grade and taught our class the Memorare.
We recited it every morning and it continues to
be my all-time favorite prayer.
Karen Herman DeMuro, Mundelein ‘80
[email protected]
I have so much love for the sisters from
Mundelein College, 1977-80! I am so very grateful
to the BVMs for the Mundelein experience, and
especially to these sisters:
Don Hauser
[email protected]
Sister Ann Ida invited me to a freshman philosophy
class which not only opened my mind to philosophy
and spirituality but to life! She took us to a presentation by Phyllis Shafley, and that day I became a
feminist!
Sister Jean Dolores was my academic dean. She
was always supportive and practical while being
compassionate and caring about me as a person.
From her I learned patience and that from a calm
heart you gain strength.
Sister Ann Harrington and Sister Mary Pat Haley
were favorite teachers whose good humor and
knowledge were infectious!
Sister Mary Cecile, who I did my work study with
in the LRC’s AV department (I showed a lot of
movies!), gave me her trust and respect which
gave me lots of confidence as I was learning to be
an adult.
My college advisor and teacher of all things film
in the communications department, and my
good friend for 35 years now, Sister Mary Alma
Sullivan, loved me and nurtured me and helped
me grow up!
Thank you, Sisters!!
Sister Margaret Rose Pollard, my teacher in junior
year of high school and history teacher in my
senior year at St. Paul Catholic Central H.S., Burlington, Iowa, had more influence in my life than
she would ever have known. She was tough, rigid
and knowledgeable and concerned for our future
as Catholics. I was susceptible to influence and
I thought her influence was good to follow. We
named our second daughter Margaret Rose after
Sister Margaret Rose Pollard. Not everyone in
my high school class of 1948 shared my feelings
about Sister.
Sister Inazetta was my senior year teacher and
specialized in algebra. She eventually went back
to Immaculata HS in Chicago and later left the
order. I was influenced favorably by her good example.
The influence of the School Sisters of Notre Dame
at St. John Elementary School, Burlington, and
the Sisters of Charity, BVM, St. Paul High School,
Burlington, made me want to be a good Catholic.
When I was 20 years of age I enlisted for four years
in the United States Navy. I visited port cities in
Asia, Holland, Scotland and the Mediterranean
Sea and was still a virgin when I married a girl from
West Virginia in August 1954 and we have been
happily married ever since. I credit the SSNDs and
BVMs and my father and brother with this (not
easy) accomplishment. In 1954, in a letter of commendation, my commanding officer confirmed
that my good behavior was an influence on others
when he wrote «his morals are absolutely above
reproach.» I always liked that line in the letter.
Attached is a photograph taken in October 2012
of an old man, now of 84 years of age, named
Donald G. Hauser, St. Paul Class of 1948.
Rosemary (Rustad) Stahl
[email protected]
All the good sisters who were at Our Lady of
Peace from 1957 to 1961 were a good influence
in my sister Theresa’s and my life. Theresa is now
deceased, but I’m sure she would agree with me.
Thanks to my parents who prayed for us to learn
all we could from them and the BVMs; we grew
to love Mass and Jesus more in our adult years.
May Jesus continue to bless all you are doing now
and in the future.
Michael J. Gaichas
[email protected]
As part of National Catholic Sisters Week, I am
writing you to thank Sr. Jean Dolores Schmidt,
BVM. She is 95 years old and still going strong!
I have known Sr. Jean since my days at Loyola
University Chicago where she is based. I used
to work with Sr. Jean at the 10:30 a.m. Mass at
Loyola’s Madonna della Strada Chapel, and she
and I have seen many Loyola Ramblers men’s
basketball games. She is the chaplain of the
men’s basketball team and offers a prayer before
every home game. Beyond all that, what defines
Sr. Jean is her unconditional kindness to everyone she encounters. That is the one thing that
really makes Sr. Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM the
wonderful person she is.
Kara.E.Rainey
[email protected]
Sister Mary Ellen Schulte touched our lives. My
husband and I met Sr. Mary Ellen when we went
through the Pre-Cana classes in Chariton, Iowa.
We remained in touch even after she moved back
to Dubuque. She was a very special person. I
think of her often and feel very blessed we were
touched by her.
Bob Goodwin
[email protected]
Yes, from Sr. Mary Hortense through eighth
grade, when I had Sr. Mary Roberte—they
instilled a strong faith in my life and I thank God
every day for all the dedicated women that
taught me at St. Philip School in San Francisco.
God bless the BVMs.
Margaret McCann Pike, OLP 1967
[email protected]
Thank you, Sister Mary Stokes, for being a career
mentor as well as a model for being. In your
French class, I found humor right along with
deep regard for other cultures. I have adopted
both. I worked as a French teacher and an ESL
teacher, but my respect for people has played
out in all areas of my life. I’m also grateful for
how faithfully you stayed in touch for close to 50
years!
You made a huge impression on me. I feel
gratitude.
Jackie De Francis Hostetler
[email protected]
I was taught by the BVMs in Phoenix at St. Francis
ES; in sixth grade in 1957 I was taught by Sister
Mary of the Angels; in seventh grade I had Sister
Mary Ehrentrude and in eighth grade I had Sister
Mary Norette. At Xavier High School in Phoenix,
I had Sister Mary Catherine Patricia, Sister Mary
Ralph, and Sister Mary Gertrudette, who became
my mentor. She ran the Glee Club at Xavier and I
was elected president of it in 1963. I sang solos at
concerts too. I entered the BVM congregation in
1963 at the Motherhouse in Dubuque, Iowa, but
only lasted 6 and 1/2 years. I owe my teaching
credential and college education to the BVMs
and some teaching experience which got me
jobs later on. Most of all I owe my closeness to
Jesus and service to him to the BVMs. Without
that, I don’t know where I’d be today. God bless
you all for what you did for me. Jackie De Francis
Hostetler (Sister Marie Therese).
Bob Rabbi
[email protected]
SEVERAL SISTERS TOUCH MY LIFE, THEY ARE:
Anne Marie Dolan
Julia Acosta
Helen Jeanne Hurley
Maggie McGinn
Diane O’Donnell
Kate Keating
Dorothy Gaffney
Marcella O’Rourke
Patricia O’Rourke
Ann Ida Gannon
Mary Sattgast
and many more!
Mary Ann Ludwig
[email protected]
I don’t think I realized it at the time but Sr. Mary
Florine, BVM had a big influence on my life. She
taught art at St. Joseph Academy in Des Moines
and I was in her class. She gave us experiences
with drawing, painting, ceramics, calligraphy,
sculpture, and helping with the sets and posters
for school plays. The atmosphere was friendly
and productive. I went on to major in art at
Clarke College and taught art for about 40 years,
while along the way getting an M.Ed. in art and
related disciplines at Loyola and then a Ph.D. in
curriculum and development at the University of
Illinois. I think it was her expertise and nurturing
that encouraged me and my fellow classmates
to develop our talents that led to fulfilling lives.
Another vote for keeping the arts in all schools.
Thank you, Sr. Mary Florine, BVM.
Dolores Becker, BVM
[email protected]
This is for Sr. Incarnata Gephart, BVM who taught
me in first grade at Most Holy Redeemer, San
Francisco.
She prepared my class for first communion and
I’ve celebrated almost every day since, but two
summers ago I said to her, “I wish you could
remember what I did in your first grade class to
merit my getting my mouth washed out with
soap.” Sister just smiled widely and we both had a
good laugh. Dolores Becker
Bob Wahlert
[email protected]
I was born with only two fingers on my left
hand and Sister Ricarda never mentioned it; she
treated me like any other kid and expected me to
do what she asked. She also guided me towards
pieces that minimized the left hand, but didn’t let
me know it—great lady!
One of my memorable sisters was Sister Mary
Ricarda, PBVM. She put up with me for almost 10
years of piano lessons. She was very patient, and
helped me develop a great love of music. Saw
her again late in life, but Alzheimer’s disease had
taken most of her memory.
Nancy Callahan Lohr
[email protected]
Last September I was diagnosed with lung cancer.
It came as a huge surprise to me and was discovered when I went I to the ER for an unrelated
issue. I am a very private person and wanted to
keep this news among my immediate family and
a select few friends and family. I really needed
prayers and reached out to my aunt, Sister Judy
Callahan. Within moments she had emailed me
back telling me that the Sisters would be adding
me to their daily prayers. I cannot tell you the
sense of peace and comfort I felt knowing I had
all of these amazing women praying for my reTHANK A NUN | NATIONAL CATHOLIC SISTERS WEEK | 27
covery. In addition to the BVM sisters, I also had
the Sisters of St. Joseph, an order of Cloistered
Nuns from our hometown, praying for me. I had
an upper lobectomy, lower lobe wedge section
in which they removed two malignant tumors on
Nov. 7. Today I am cancer free and so very grateful to all of these nuns, so from the bottom of my
heart, thank you so very much! God bless!
Karen S.
Sister Mary Ellen Meckley, on the road of life
you meet many people, some who know Christ
and show it in their life, and others who don’t.
You do! Keep your life shining. Thank you for the
mask and the card.
Coleen Tilson McKean
[email protected]
The sisters that I encountered while at Mount
Carmel Academy had a profound influence in my
life. I thought I was so tired of them that I enrolled
at West High, a public high school near my home
where some friends of mine attended. I went for a
day as a visitor to see how great it was going to be.
Boy, was I in for an eye opening experience. Had
to ask my friend how on earth did they learn
anything in all this noise and confusion? So the
next day I went to school with my cousin who
had attended St. Mary Cathedral in Wichita, but
dropped out and went to East High a few blocks
from her home. It was even worse than West
high. My cousin had to warn me to stay close to
her in a very crowded corridor where a student
had been stabbed a month earlier. I was so scared
I was shaking as we passed through this area.
There were no teachers to supervise that hallway
and so much pushing and shoving you could
barely hang on to your books.
I went back to Mount Carmel for a meeting with
Sister Mary Emily, our principal, who had the
year before told me not to come back to Mount
Carmel due to my forging my mother’s signature
on notes excusing me for sickness. Fortunately for
me, Sister Mary Emily noticed a slight difference
in the signatures so she called my mother, who
then verified she had not written the notes and I
had not been sick. So I was not nearly as clever as
I thought I was and was told I was not welcome
to come back. So with my heart in my hand, I
went back that summer before school started and
served six Saturdays all day in a classroom doing
math problems until I was blue in the face to be
able to come back to Mount Carmel. I learned it
was my safe haven and I was so glad to have nuns
watching my every move and making my wear
my skirt at the appropriate length and gave up
my makeup that I thought I had to have just to be
able to get back in school.
I graduated from Mount Carmel Academy the
first year in the new location and before they
united with Kapaun Boys’ High School. All
my life I’ve appreciated what I had taken for
granted for many years. Unfortunately, I was
never able to send any of my five children to a
Catholic school, as my husband of 47 years had
moved us to Oklahoma for a job advancement.
All five ended up graduating but never had the
education I had. Many people in my life have
asked me what college I attended so I am proud
of my educational advantage and the sisters who
faithfully stood by me through my teenage years
when I was at times unbearable.
Bob Meyer and family
[email protected]
There exists a “Sister” who to me was a gift of
God. She is Mary Nolan, a Sister of Charity, BVM.
She became my wife’s special pal and came to our
home weekly.
Sister Mary became a nurse, a maid, a cook,
and most of all a friend. Together they made
still life sketches and colorful paintings. Their
conversations included events of each life as
they recalled. This was of great importance to my
wife’s dementia prognosis.
At that time Sister Mary was learning to play the
piano, actually taking lessons from a gentleman
whom she was helping to recover from recent
hospital stays.
When it was known that at one time my wife had
knowledge of music and had played our piano,
presently in the living room. Sister Mary began
to teach Mary Jane. It was something to witness
Sister playing with the left hand and my wife with
her right hand.
My wife was suffering from the effects of a
stroke. She was diagnosed with dementia and the
beginning of Alzheimer’s. She utilized a walker.
Sister aided my wife in walking sans walker,
short distances in the house. I witnessed the
two friends as my wife improved physically and
mentally.
In April 2012, after lunch, my wife walked
unaided from the kitchen to the piano. While
waiting for her teacher, she began to play, with
both hands! A wonderful vision.
In May 2012, Mary Jane passed away after a twoweek hospital stay. Sister Mary was at her side
much of the time.
Thank you, Sister Mary Nolan. May God reward
you. Bob Meyer and family
Eugene R. Callahan
[email protected]
focused to the very last day of high school. That is
a rare talent, especially these days. I use the word
memorable because, 66 years later, I still often
think of her.
Nancy M. VanAnne – BVM Associate
[email protected]
March 8-14 marks the dates for the second
annual National Catholic Sisters Week (NCSW).
This is a time to “stop, think, and remember” to
give thanks to a nun who has had an impact on
my life.
I would like to extend my thanks to Betty Voss,
BVM for the years of friendship, love and
companionship she has given me in association
with the congregation.
Betty demonstrated to me early on what it means
to be a BVM! She LIVES the core values! As a
fellow educator I admire the way she calls forth
the gifts and potential of her students. She is on
the front lines when it comes to standing up for
justice issues. I have become more faithful to
myself because she has nurtured in me a deeper
and more profound understanding of freedom.
In summary, I enclose my sincere thanks to Betty
and to all the BVMs who have had a profound
influence on my life. I am deeply grateful.
Colleen Schumacher
[email protected]
Some I’ve known for years and others not so long.
They have listened to my fears and dried my tears.
They have shared my laughter and I’ll sing their
praises to the rafters. I only hope that we’ll all
meet in the hereafter. (But not too soon!)
I want to add Sister Mary Emmanual to the list
of memorable and really effective sisters. She
was the commandant of the junior and senior
homeroom at St. Martin, and while she would
remind you of a WWII battlefield commander,
she also could become a tender-hearted minder
of upper class potential adults and kept them
Rita Slater
[email protected]
I would like to take the time to thank all the
sisters in the BVM congregation during the
National Catholic Sisters Week. I would like to especially thank Sister Theresa
Caluori for her perseverance, dedication and
willingness to push things to the edge. A long
time ago, I was separated from my biological
father due to divorce and I lost contact with my
Dad. Sister Theresa spent many years searching
for my sister and me so we could reconnect
with my Dad (Ted). She spent quite a bit of time
convincing my dad to give her permission to
contact us. He was reluctant because some of
his friends had reconnected with their children
and the experience was not a good one. Hence,
he did not really want to take the chance of that
happening with him. I had no information on how
to contact my biological family.
The added benefit of reconnecting with my Dad
was reconnecting with that whole side of the
family. My cousin Cindy and I, since I have gotten
to know her, have become best friends. It is as if
we have always known each other. I also learned
I have a brother, Skip. We have gotten to know
each other by sharing stories of our childhood
and how we grew up. But my favorite part of
the story is Sister Theresa, for Sister Theresa has
also become known as Aunt Theresa. She is my
Dad’s sister and I love her dearly and will always
be thankful for the way the Lord used one of his
servants to reconnect me to my family.
I now have a family that I had not known before.
All this is due to Sister Theresa and her persistence.
If she had not done this, I would never have known
what a great father my Dad was.
Joanne C. Novarro
[email protected]
It’s not as if I had grown up without a dad, for my
Mom had since remarried and my Stepdad was
a great and wonderful man who had no trouble
raising us girls.
In the meantime, Sister Theresa was persistent
in trying to find my sister Sherrie and me. She
was visiting a friend of hers when her friend’s
son came over. She was telling them that she was
having no luck in trying to find us. Her friend’s
son told her: “Hold on, I think I can find them.”
Sure enough—he found my sister’s obituary
online and therefore found me. She sent a letter
(with a self-addressed envelope in case I did not
want to contact her) with her phone number to
call if I was interested. I called the number and
before I knew it, I was talking to my Dad every
day. It was like we were never apart. He told me
stories about his life and we got to know each
other very well. Before long, we were making
plans to visit him in Montana. This was one of the
greatest things I have done. I am so glad I had the
opportunity to meet and get to know him before
his death. We made a couple of trips to Montana
before his death, which we really enjoyed.
I have wonderful memories of the BVMs at
Our Lady of Loretto School in Hempstead, N.Y.,
and those dedicated women who taught me so
much remain in my prayers. In second grade, I
was chosen by my teacher, Sister Mary Martin
de Porres, and the school principal, Sister Mary
Bertha, to represent the school at the Diocese
of Brooklyn’s celebration of Mission Sunday. I’m
sure it was because I had a high forehead (they
pushed my bangs aside back to check it).
Attached are two photos: one of me and a second
of me with my classmate Mary Mulligan, who
was also chosen, taken before we left OLL for the
celebration at what is now St. Agnes Cathedral in
Rockville Centre, N.Y.
I am thankful in particular for Sister Mary Adele,
who taught me piano as well as welcoming
me into the Glee Club where I learned to sing
Gregorian chant; for Sister Mary Nicodema, who
taught me so many things, including memorizing
the prepositions (I can still recite them!) and how
to make pebble mosaics; and most particularly
for Sister Mary Michaelita, for her kindness,
compassion and sense of humor.
Mary P. Trotter
[email protected]
Dear Sisters
There is so much to share, so many memories. As
I began to reflect I realized that maybe Sr. Lucy’s
mission really said it best.
This is a reflection on the life of my sister, “Pinky”
and it was also a tribute to Sr. Mary Lucy and our
experience as children in Our Lady of Lourdes
School in the 1940s, there are so many stories of
this extraordinary time in my life with the sisters,
but I didn’t think I could improve on this letter.
Sr. Peggy Nolan called me to thank me and to
encourage me to write. I was deeply touched by
her personal phone call, her interest, and I truly
felt her presence and love. A few weeks later I
received a letter that Sr. Peggy had died and I was
one of the last people she had contacted. Over 60
years, now over 70 years, the Sisters of Charity of
the Blessed Virgin Mary are still touching my life.
The words of Sr. Peggy continue to speak to me
and encourage me to begin a new chapter in life,
writing. The sisters at Mount Carmel and their
example of continuing involvement in service to
others into retirement and advanced age is an
inspiration and model for all of us—continuing
education!
Their words from first grade are still embedded in
my psyche and feed my soul even to this day.
When will I die? When you’re work is finished
(first grade, Sr. LaSalette)
Faith is a gift not everyone will receive. God is
everywhere, unfolding in new deep experience
even to this day. And of course, one of my
favorites: Pray for a happy death! We grow into
all of the teachings.
A memory of each of my sisters and brother taken
in the grotto at Lourdes where the baptismal font
was located. After the baptism they would form
a “circle,” a sacred circle and consecrate this new
life to the Blessed Virgin. All very mystical.
So much, so rich—you are all a gift!
I love you.
Mary P. Trotter
[email protected]
Sr. Lucy was a BVM sister and teacher at Our Lady
of Lourdes Parish School, Chicago, in the 1940s. I
remember her on the playground as very serene
and round; the skirt of her black habit was so full
that Pinky, my little sister, would disappear in the
folds of the worsted wool. Pinky loved Sr. Lucy.
When she saw her during recess she would run
up to her and hug her around her legs. Sr. Lucy
responded with love, a pat on the head, and her
sweet and gentle smile.
We attended Our Lady of Lourdes during the
1940s, leaving in September 1951 when we
moved to California. The years at Lourdes
were the best years of our childhood and the
memories and experiences were indelibly etched
in our minds and hearts.
Those were wonderful years of ritual and rhythm
that formed and prepared us for our lives. The
life of the parish revolved around the liturgy
and school. The rectory was full of wonderful
assistants: Fr. Cletus O’Donnell (later Bishop), Fr.
Rogers, Fr. O’Reilly, and of course Msgr. Campbell,
who was very good to the school and the
children.
to guide and support her children and she never
gave up on her husband.
The May crowning was one of the most beautiful,
memorable events of the year and we all looked
forward to eighth grade when we would have
a chance to be the May queen and crown the
Blessed Virgin. 1951-52 would have been my
eighth grade year and I was so disappointed
when we moved. Eighth grade was a milestone.
She loved books and worked in the public library.
She could research anything and understood how
the poor were constantly taken advantage of because of their lack of education. She became a true
advocate for the poor and the homeless and for
the alcoholic and drug addict. Three of her sons
were destroyed by addictions; this made her study
harder and work harder to help those suffering.
Her daughter was diagnosed with diabetes when
she was nine years old and she immediately began
to study the disease, nutrition and medications.
She read and studied all the time.
She filed legal forms and would take on any
institution or system. She helped people in
the neighborhood understand their mortgage
documents and loan papers. On one occasion she
called the lender directly to complain about their
tactics, then obtained an honest loan broker and
helped the woman refinance her home.
In those days Our Blessed Mother was a very
important part of our life; the music, novenas,
the rosary, and of course our personal altars.
Interestingly enough, all the ecumenical spiritual
movements and retreats today honor the Divine
Mother and incorporate altars, candles, flowers,
ritual, chant—all the things we grew up with as
children at Our Lady of Lourdes.
But this is about Pinky.
She met her husband right out of high school and
was completely infatuated with his rugged Irish
charm. He was the son of migrant farm workers
and she was shocked by his poverty and lack of
opportunity. She thought she could teach him to
read and everything else she had learned in the
wonderful schools she had attended.
Innocent and naïve Pinky had six children.
Life was difficult. She went to work after the
third child and always lived in the poorest
neighborhoods, but she paid off her home and
saved money. She understood money and the
value of a dollar.
Her husband worked but did not contribute. He
drank and eventually became a drug addict. He
even introduced drug use to his own sons.
But Pinky never gave up and as she matured and
realized the reality of her life she attempted to
leave but she also knew she had a responsibility
to her children who were suffering the results of
her choices and naiveté. In spite of horrendous
circumstances she went back and did her best
Her wisdom, intelligence, tenacity and
compassion amazed me.
It was a hot July day when she buried her first
son, the effects of alcohol. After the funeral her
yard filled with close to 200 young people. Having
five sons, it was mostly young men between the
ages of 20 and 35. The demographics were Black
and Hispanic. These young men surrounded her
as she listened to their stories. She stood there
for hours in the hot sun and if I would try to move
her she would just tell me their stories. It was
always about their pain, their recent loss, and
their tragedy.
At one point I looked at her, and I saw Sr. Lucy in
the schoolyard.
Pinky stood out in the crowd with her red face
and red hair just as Sr. Lucy had once stood out
in the playground with her black habit and round
pink cheeks. At that moment I saw a sign over
her door, “Sr. Lucy’s Mission,” and I realized that
Pinky was in fact a missionary. She had brought
faith and understanding and compassion to
people that really did not know God. No one
could understand her gentleness, acceptance
and faith. No one could understand her strength.
Rather, they saw her gentleness and kindness as
weakness.
Up until that day I had seen her as victim, but that
afternoon I began to understand that Pinky was in
exactly the right place and always had been. She
truly was doing God’s work and at great personal
sacrifice.
With every assault on her gentleness and
sensitivity, she only grew stronger in her resolve.
Five years later she buried her second son and
again, everyone marveled at her resignation and
faith. She had fought hard to save her sons but
when I asked how she managed she simply said,
“Mary, they are in heaven now and they are safe
with their Father. After all, we are here to bring
souls to God.”
She continued to work to save her husband’s life
and eventually he went into treatment, stopped
drinking and drugs and has been clean and sober
for several years.
A third son still struggles and Pinky finally realized
that she had done all she could do.
Last summer she was diagnosed with lung cancer
and died three months later. Again she modeled
serenity, acceptance and surrender. She told me,
“Mary, there is nothing left for me to do. I am
ready to go home.” When I said, “Pinky you saved
Tom,” she opened her eyes, smiled her gentle
smile and nodded “yes.”
She died at home with her family around her.
Prior to her death, she witnessed daily to her
faith. She continued to engage the visitor that
needed to speak long after she told me that she
wanted to be left alone in peace and quiet to
pray—which I honored; we did not speak after
that. But those that needed to be heard were
comforted by her until the very end. She always
understood their needs and listened to their
stories.
Only after her death did each one realize and
recognize her tremendous strength, courage and
service.
After her baptism in the beautiful grotto, the
sisters dedicated her to the Blessed Mother.
Pinky learned her faith from our mother and
the BVMs of Our Lady of Lourdes and she never
forgot those early lessons. One of the things we
remembered was praying for a “happy death;”
this was lost on a small child but we did it and we
grew into the wisdom of this prayer. We talked
about this in those last days. She definitely had a
happy death.
What is important now is to honor the dear
sisters of those days that gave us the foundation
of our early years. They taught us our faith,
ritual and celebration, reading skills, personal
discipline, a sense of joy and wonder. In the
end these earliest years of our formation have
sustained us through all kinds of unimaginable
experiences of two little girls from the north side
of Chicago.
When I saw Sr. Paulito’s name in the last issue
of SALT I realized that there are few left from
those days but perhaps all the BVM sisters will
appreciate our gratitude and the fact that their
efforts were not unrewarded and even passed
along to our children and grandchildren.
Gabriela Orozco-Fulton
[email protected]
I would much rather send a handwritten note,
but I want to make sure this gets there in time. I
went to grammar school at St. Charles Borromeo
in North Hollywood, Calif., from first to fifth grade
in the early 1960s. I have beautiful handwriting. I
work today at an elementary school and it breaks
my heart to see the cursive skills that the children
have today. I try to impart to them as much as
possible what I have learned and I thank the Lord
every day for the skills I was taught as a child. All
of those loops and hoops and loops have paid
off. I didn’t see it then, but I see it now. It takes
practice. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, for
the patience and perseverance you gave so that I
could become who I am today. I was able to teach
my children to have good penmanship.
Stay well my old friends and remember the good
times we’ve had. I remember the last time you
saw my granddaughter, she was just a toddler and
now she’s 12-years-old and five foot four. She’s a
champion swimmer. Her brother Michael is soon
to be 10-years-old. Both go to Blessed Sacrament
School – no nuns. What a shame for them.
Anyway, take care of yourselves.
Joan and Jack Conley
[email protected]
I’m so sorry I didn’t get this to you sooner but feel
a need to share this with you now.
Pat O’Driscoll
Therese Frelo/Joan Stritesky
I am thanking the two nuns who are responsible
for me being a BVM Associates these past 15
or so years. I’ve always been proud to be an
Associate and it’s all because of our circle of
friends coffee group so many years ago. I really
wish there was something like that here. Madison
is a strange place in many ways. I never hear
anyone speak of nuns. I miss those days. I’m glad
I can get to Milwaukee for cluster meetings. It
helps to keep me in touch. I hope you two are
well and staying out of trouble. I’ve talked to
Nancy McCarville a few times and she seems like
a real go-getter who will bring more Associates in
the fold.
While living in Dalton, GA I had the privilege of
meeting a most wonderful Nun, named Sr. Irene
Lukefahr. Sr. Irene is one of the most caring, compassionate, loving ladies one could ever meet. In 1982 our 21 yr. old son, Kirk, was killed in a
drunk driving crash. Sr. Irene came to our home
to console us in our grief. The most memorable time with Sr. Irene was on
the anniversary of Kirk’s 22nd birthday which was
Oct. 4, the Feast of St. Francis. That prayer was
said during Kirk’s Mass in Dalton and in Cleveland. Sr. Irene was at Mass. Irene came up and asked
if I’d like to go have breakfast with her. Jack went
to work and off we went. We sat down at a table
and Sr. Irene asked “What did you do 22 years
ago? I was given the opportunity to talk about
our son, his birth, his life and his death. What a
gift Sr. Irene bestowed on me that day. Sr. Irene
allowed me to talk about our son, which some
people found this uncomfortable. However, I
firmly believe, if those people who suffer a tragedy of losing a loved one, are allowed to tell their
story they feel better sooner than those who feel
they can’t share their story. Our friendship has lasted for over 30years. I
thank God for bringing Sr. Irene Lukefar into our
lives and into my heart. Love to my dear friend, Sr. Irene.
Vielen Dank, Schwester Katrina, Joan Maas Holy
Angels Academy ’59
[email protected]
I would like to thank Sr. M. Katrina, my German
teacher at Holy Angels Academy in Milwaukee in
the 50s. Little did I know, when working my way
through the complexities of German grammar/
literature/composition/prayers/songs, how grateful I would be later for the excellent foundation
she gave us.
Barbara Bollinger
[email protected]
I did not share a picture but do remember you all in
prayers of gratitude. A group of women in Corvallis
OR was fortunate to become friends and faithsharers with Sister Kathy Carr some years ago. The
friendship and mutual prayers continue strong. Presentation. She guided and inspired us
through 7th and 8th grade in Farley, Iowa back
in the middle 50s. We were her favorite class...
hands up. She helped me with social connecting
with my teen clients...we didn’t get a class on
discipline in college...but after pondering who
might I use as a role model...it was her. I used
her way of connecting with people all through
my 30 years as an Occupational Therapy/art
mentor and mental health advocate. Be sincere,
be interested, have compassion and expectation
and have fun. Sisters deserve recognition...they
are wonderful women Helen Griffin Hartley, Two
Harbors, Minnesota
Mary Ann Krems
[email protected]
Helen Hartley
[email protected]
I would like to thank Sr. M. Katrina, my German
teacher at Holy Angels Academy in Milwaukee
in the 50s. Little did I know, when working
my way through the complexities of German
grammar/ literature/composition/prayers/songs,
how grateful I would be later for the excellent
foundation she gave us.
One of my best friends is a BVM--met her in
first grade...she was a true friend all these
years....1946-2015...her name was Carol
Spiegel. I used to help make cookies at her house
when we were teens. I was there the day she left
for Mount Carmel. I also have a wonderful cousin
who has come to our farm when we having
pumpkin patch...she is like a social and spiritual
harp to our family...she’s fun...she loves and stays
connected with us...She is respected more than
she knows...her name is Sister Patricia Griffin.
Another sister of great importance to many
of us was/is Sister Catherine Winegart, a
I would like to have Sister Gwen Farry honored
on our list. I have known Sister Gwen Farry since
her work at 8th Day and on our SEA board. This
gentle sister is so wise and is a formidable source
at advocacy for the poor and those in need. She has participated in School of the Americas
and Sarah’s Walk in Chicago. She protests for
those immigrants detained in Chicago and
being returned. She brings a wisdom to the
SEA board on investments with social purposes
and I have seen her converse with CEO’s of
Merkt and McDonalds among others. and she
is viewed by them and Interfaith Center on
Corporate Responsibility as a wise woman and
resource. She is also a lot of fun when we go
to ICCR meetings and knows the ins and outs of
getting around in New York. She has truly been
a mentor and a good friend. Mary Ann Krems
Associate (this is a picture of her and me at the
ICCR Meeting if you need one. It would be ok to
clip me out if you wish. THANK A NUN | NATIONAL CATHOLIC SISTERS WEEK | 35
Joan Simon Kuhn
her Facebook page, which made me think about
two sisters I had the opportunity to work with
during my five years at Mundelein College Rosemary Shaughnessy and Vivian Wilson.
I can’t express enough gratitude to the sisters
who taught me and my kids. I started with the
Sisters of St Joseph in La Grange, IL and had
BVMs for 2 years at Mundelein, then 2 years
of Dominicans at Rosary College; my kids
had Franciscans at St. Louise de Marillac in La
Grange Park and IHMs in Westchester. They were
wonderful, all of them--well educated, professional, great teachers and role models, fun, even
friends. They made the Gospel come to life while
they prepared us for a tough world, and were so
gracious about the occasionally necessary discipline....God sent angels into our lives!
I just sent Rosemary an email - we haven’t been
in touch in several years but I think about her
often. I came to Mundelein to manage the
financial aid office in 1984 when Julia Marie
Green retired, and then took on the Weekend
College as well. Rosemary was a wonderful
colleague and a model for how to serve
students. I had not managed an entire operation
before and she was a huge help on many fronts.
53169 29 Palms Hwy, Morongo, CA 92256
[email protected]
Irvin M Nauman
[email protected]
I would like to thank all the BVM’s I came in
contact with at OUR LADY OF PEACE IN ST. Paul
Minnesota. I was in the 2nd class It was a new
school the Sisters were new to the city. It was
wonderful Sister Mary Adorinus was my favorite.
When I went to Clarke College sister retried to
there. WE had many long talks When I married
we went to see her And I brought our first child
to her to be blessed. There are many times I miss
her. Sister Rosina was my sewing teacher and to
this day I do a lot of sewing thanks to her. There
are many others. I went on to teach in BVM
schools. Then there is Sister Catherine Jean who
was a big influence on our daughter Sister developed A deep interest in science and Carolyn still
works today in an animal science field with her
husband. All the BVM’s I came in contact with
have had a part in developing my value system
so to all I say thank you!!
Susan Grogan Ikerd
[email protected]
I found the BVM website in a very roundabout
way - my sister posted the Thank A Nun info on
While working with the Weekend College, Vivian
envisioned and spearheaded an organization
for adult learners (REACh - Resources for
the Education of Adults in the Chicagoland
Area) that is still active 25 + years later. Her
energy, drive and enthusiasm was loved
and appreciated both by our students and
colleagues in the higher ed community in
Chicago.
I just retired after over 33 years in higher
education administration. Rosemary and Vivian
both inspired me to persist in this field and
focus much of my efforts on supporting working
adults, particularly women. For that I thank
them.
Andrea A. Raila
[email protected]
I just wanted to send you a thank you note
from myself and my family for the work and
contributions Catholic sisters have had globally.
I graduated from Catholic elementary and high
schools and even graduated from Mundelein
College one of the very few all women’s Catholic
Colleges in the country before it was purchased
by Loyola University.
I was a Fines Arts major for 2 years until I took
a course in public finance from Sr Paul Francis
Bailey. BVM and that changed my life and my
major to economics. I have operated my own
tax consulting minority firm for 24 years and
recently sold my firm to my sister, Paula Raila JD
(U of C) where I continue to work.
Catholic sisters continue to do great work. The
world is a better place because of their service
and sacrifices.
Posted on Facebook
Gerri Campbell
Today I give thanks to God for all the BVM sisters
who were a part of my faith journey during my
childhood. To all the BVM sisters who lived in the
Convent of St. Thomas the Apostle in West Hempstead, thank you for sharing your faith with me.
And for being good neighbors, putting up with
us kids playing football in your yard or cutting
through your driveway. Thank you to Sisters Ann
DeNicolo and Colleen, Dee and Bonnie for being
my first experience of seeing the richness of being a nun. Thank you for being a part of my early
church community experience. I remember with
fondness Sr. Ann taking my brother, myself and
other teens from the parish into Madison Square
Garden to see Pope John Paul II for his first visit
to the United States. Sisters Ann and Colleen truly
touched my faith life, blessings to them both.
Blessings upon all the living and deceased members of your BVM community.
Susan Deal Pedersen:
Sister Mary: Thank you for being there when I
had my daughter and also when she had surgery
right after she was born. Sister Agnes: Thank you
for being more than a teacher, for being a friend.
Mr. Phelps: Thank you for being there for everybody and caring so much.
Cherie Murphy:
I had Nazareth sisters in grade school, Franciscan
sisters in high school and BVMs in college! Yes,
they helped me be the strong independent woman
I am today! Anyone that thinks a nun is subservient
to a priest has never been raised by a NUN!
Connie Duncan Birmingham:
SO many great BVM teachers . . and my mother was schooled by them at Mt. St Joseph in
Dubuque (boarding school) in about 1919.
Tom Lynch:
I had two great aunts who were sisters. One a
BVM, the other a Franciscan. Both were genuine
good people with a heart of gold!
Jenny Porod
To the numerous Sisters that have been a part of
my life educationally and spiritually at Our Lady of
Charity and elsewhere I send a heartfelt THANK
YOU!
Sharon Helmer
My name is Sharon Helmer, former BVM, and I
want to thank Sr. Mary Margretine Smith for helping me to become a better Catholic, and a better
person. She was my mentor since 1957 and if it
wasn’t for her, I don’t know where I would be to
today...when I was a teenager when I first meant
her, she taught me values, integrity, more about
the Catholic faith...since I was a recent convert. I
kept in contact with her through the years, even
after I left the BVM’s, and have always learned
from her wisdom and gracious personality. I miss
her...but know she is still looking out for me;) I feel
very blessed to have known her. And in addition to
this and a bonus...she introduced me to her sister,
Mary Dixon, who was my very best friend for more
than 30 years. Both are deceased now...but I treasure their friendship and mentoring....still.
Mary Ann Krems
I am honoring Sister Mary McCauley who gentle
way and ready smile has given us courage to
stand up with the immigrants who are government doesn’t seem to understand and she does.
Thank you Sisters for all you lives and contributions you have given so many. As a friend who
wrote an article, you taught us all how to move
away from the “me” to a “we” society. From
Sister Mary Oramae who prepared me for First
Communion, Sister Mary Clarice who, as friends
with my mom, shared a love of music, Sister Catherine Fay and Sister Virginia Healy who helped me
become a mature responsible women to serve
others...I thank you. ALL
Felicia Moss Mayfield
Thank God for the selfless service of the BVMs of
St. Augustine in Memphis, Tennessee. Not sure
of the spelling...but, thank you Sisters Mary Bennetta, Mary Serelle, Mary Josanne, Mary Etienne,
Mary Rita, Mary Evangelest, Mary Killian...
Holly Vlachos Beaty
A never ending thank you to Sister Marie Greaney
for making the possibility of Misericordia Home a
reality for our daughter Dana....through her kindness, grace and love, she also made it possible for
us to meet Sister Rosemary Connelly and become
part of her Misericordia family as well...Gratitude
beyond words to Sister Marie...
Lourdes Guerrero
Thank you, Sister Shirley Kryczyk. You taught
my 8th grade class at Holy Family Catholic
Elementary, Chicago (now gone) from 1968-69.
You were kind and understanding yet demanded
the best from us. You made a difference to one
sad, skinny little girl who grew up to be a happy,
loving woman. Thank you.
Theresa Speciale
Thanks and prayers
Fran Kempster Britton
My big “thank you” goes to the late Sister Mary
Ann Evans, AKA Sister Mary Adelina, BVM. I was
lucky enough to have her for both my first and
third grade teacher in the 1950s at Christ the King
in Kansas City, Mo. Then I became re-acquainted
with her when I was an adult mom and grandma.
She called me on January 1 of the year she died
wondering how I was doing since Oklahoma was
having wild fires at that time. She was a gracious
lady who is part of the reason I am a life-long
enthusiastic reader today! (And a big reason I still
send money to the BVMs.)
Teresa Wilson
So grateful for the wonderful education and
guidance I received at St. Joseph Academy
in Des Moines. Sr. Mary Adeleita Healy gave
me the support and guidance that has helped
me my whole life. SJA was such a wonderful
environment. Thank you, always.
Jane OBoyle
Thank you BVMs I can’t thank just one of u. You
are All special for so many reasons. Love to u all
Vivian Jhonson
GOD GORY! Thank you all Nuns & Sisters : +)
Jean Hald Mammone
Thanks Sister Mary Helene....6th grade at Our
Lady of Loretto, Hempstead NY 1956-57....hope
you are well!
Melinda Thompson
Thank you all for the fantastic education I
received. Thanks also to the sisters that used to
come to our house in the summer to water ski
and in the winter to ice skate. Made you all that
much more reachable.
Barbara Ower
A big thank you to Sister Mary Claretta who was
my 8th grade teacher and principal of St. Philip
the Apostle school in Pasadena CA. That was back
in 1962, a long time ago. Thanks also to Sister
Mary Rose Petrine who was my 7th grade teacher
at St. Philip’s. Back then there were 90 students
in one classroom, and Sr. Mary Rose Petrine
taught every single one of us with no problem
whatsoever. God bless and keep you all!
Eva Nowakowski
Thank you - BVM’s taught me at Mary Quen of
Heven, Cicero, IL - St.Jerome, Chicago, Il - The
Immaculate HS, Chicago, IL - went to Loyola U,
Chicago but also took some classes from BVM’s at
Mundelein College.
Patricia Gale
Fantastic educators!!! I miss Sister Mary Lou
Larkin.
In 3rd grade, Sr. M. Pauline mentioned that “any
idiot can learn to spell.” I didn’t want to be an idiot
so I made sure that I became a good speller and
in 8th grade, I won the school spelling bee and
got a medal. This was at Holy Redeemer School in
Montrose, California - I graduated in 1954.
Grace Ellen Brecht BVM. She was allowed to
keep her baptismal names because she was
named for her mother. She was fun while teaching. My life was solid. Others in my class were
not so lucky. Decades latter they talk about what
she meant to them.
Mary Kay Dougherty
Oh so many k-12 but I will list Sr. Anne Marie
Dolan BVM formerly Cyrilita taking the name of
her brother Cyril. Principal at Gesu Grade School
Milwaukee Wisconsin. We started all school
reunions in 1980. She and many others just kept
attending and attending making us still feel special decades after we were taught by them. They
had to travel to Milwaukee to attend.
Anne Carr at Nundeline was the best teacher and
thesis director that I have ever encountered. She
encouraged me to be creative and to do my thing.
Awesome
Jo McIntyre
Sister Mary Brian was a big part of my life in Missoula, Mt. She taught 4th grade at St. Anthony’s
and I had just moved to Missoula. I knew no one
and started the school year late. She was SO welcoming and teamed me up with another student
and made sure I was okay with the new environment. She was young, vibrant and always smiled
or laughed. She loved baseball and would come
out to the playground and play ball with us, boys
and girls. So fun to watch her run bases! I feel
she was the best teacher I had up until college. I
was blessed to have her as a teacher again in 6th
grade. My class mates never forgot her either and
followed her through the years. Sadly she has
passed, but she is not forgotten.
Skip Kuriger Smith
Sister Isabella & Sister Leon
Mary Quirk-Thompson
Maybe close to setting the record for BVM
longevity was Sr. Mary Erigena Kelly, BVM who
lived to be 107. Her parish priest wanted her to
be named for the great Irish I’ll say philosopher
for lack of the right word. In an article in Irish
American(she was one of 100 Irish Americans
being honored that year), she said she got used
to the name Erigena. She taught me in 1st grade.
I imagine she was still teaching at Gesu Grade
School in Milwaukee Wisconsin into her 70s. It
closed in 1968.
There was my dear friend and 6th grade teacher
at Gesu Grade School in Milwaukee, Sr. Mary
Anabel Flaherty
How about my dear aunt, Sister Mary Isabella,
Georgia Toher. Also, Sister Borgia and Sister
Helen Ann for my love of English.
Michael Lawlor
hello Sister Kathryn Lawlor it is 7 above in
Soldotna,Ak. snow likely
Francie Cutter Sullivan
Shout out to Sister Mary Frances Schaefer, BVM,
from the grateful Vicars family from Pontiac, Illinois.
Teri O’Brien
I must thank Sr. Maureen O’Brien. She has been a
guiding light to me since 1972, at St. Pauls High
School and beyond. She believed in my abilities, in my life became important to someone. It
is not an exaggeration to say that her steadfast
kindness and love saved my life. By the way she
lived her life, she gave us all at St. Pauls a model
of a life lived for the good of others. She is a
blessing.
Jose L Bayron
I thank all the BVMs who taught or administered
at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, especially
Sister Mary Barbara Ann (RIP), Sister Mary Magdala (RIP), Sister Mary of the Rosary (RIP) and my
good friend Sister Frances Wohn (Alberic).
Thanks, Sister Julia, BVM Sisters
Note Card
Carol Walanksi Rossette
Mundelien ‘65
There are no words to describe my gratitude to
the Sisters who taught at Mundelein. Their dedication to the total development of us, the daughters of immigrants, created a world of possibilities
that we didn’t know existed.
March 8–14, 2015
Celebrating the lives and
contributions of Catholic Sisters

thank a nun - Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Transcription

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