Sister of Saint Francis Statue Dedication Commemorative Program

Sister of Saint Francis Statue Dedication
September 11, 2015
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School
Bethesda, Maryland
Commemorative Program
Sisters Who Served at Our Lady of Lourdes
1941 – 1979
Sr. Agatha
Sr. Christopher Marie
Sr. James Bernard
Sr. Marie St. John
Sr. Alice Joseph
Sr. Clare Michael
Sr. James Michael
Sr. Mary St. James
Sr. Alma Francis
Sr. Columbkill
Sr. Jarlath
Sr. Maureen Francis
Sr. Andrew Mary
Sr. Corda Marie
Sr. Jerome
Sr. Michael Kathleen
Sr. Angela Patrice
Sr. Denise Joseph
Sr. Joan Francis
Sr. Miriam Cecilia
Sr. Anita Mary
Sr. Edward Paul
Sr. Joan Mary
Sr. Philothea
Sr. Ann Dennis
Sr. Elaine Francis
Sr. John Casmir
Sr. Regina Mary
Sr. Ann Mercedes
Sr. Elizabeth Joseph
Sr. John Celine
Sr. Regina Pacis
Sr. Anne Thomas
Sr. Ellen
Sr. Junilla
Sr. Regis
Sr. Benetta
Sr. Ellen Eugene
Sr. Judith
Sr. Regis Mary
Sr. Bernadette
Sr. Ellen Francis
Sr. Kathleen Patricia
Sr. Rose Alma
Sr. Blanche Marie
Sr. Emma
Sr. Kenneth Anne
Sr. Romula
Sr. Blasius
Sr. Emmanuel Mary
Sr. Kyran
Sr. St. Dennis
Sr. Camillus
Sr. Esther Francis
Sr. Laboure
Sr. St. Helen
Sr. Carmel Joseph
Sr. Florella
Sr. Lawrence Mary
Sr. St. Monica
Sr. Carmelita Joseph
Sr. Francis Paula
Sr. Leona Marie
Sr. St. Richard
Sr. Caroline
Sr. Francis Philomena
Sr. Loretta Anne
Sr. St. Ursula
Sr. Catherine Agnes
Sr. Genevieve
Sr. Maria Crucis
Sr. St.Victor
Sr. Catherine Philomena
Sr. George Mary
Sr. Marie Concepta
Sr. Thomas Mary
Sr. Cecil Catherine
Sr. Grace Joseph
Sr. Marie Francelle
Sr. Theresa
Sr. Charles Francis
Sr. Gregory
Sr. Marie Gonzaga
Sr.Veronica Marie
Sr. Charles Helene
Sr. Guidetta
Sr. Marie Josephine
Sr.Vincent Marie
Sr. Charles Louise
Sr. Helen Regina
Sr. Marie Michael
Sr. Christolinda
Sr. Innocent
Sr. Marie St. Francis
A Recap of a Wonderful Day
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School
Pope Francis declared 2015 the Year of Consecrated Life. In this message the Pope stated that the aims of the year
would be “to look to the past with gratitude, live the present with passion, and embrace the future with hope.” As a
school and a parish community, these words unfold for us our orgins and our history cemented by the School Sisters
of Saint Francis.
On the morning of September 11, 2015, parishioners, students, alumni, and friends of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic
School and Church came together as a community to honor the School Sisters of Saint Francis. We were blessed to
have seven Sisters from the congregation make the trip from Glen Riddle, PA to join us for the day: Srs. Corda Marie
Bergbauer, Anne McFadden, Constance Davis, and Christopher Marie Wagner had all taught at Our Lady of Lourdes
School. Srs. Mary Farrell and Colette Gerry represented the leadership team and Sr. Helen Jacobson attended in her
role as archivist.
The celebration began with Eucharistic liturgy in the parish church concelebrated by Bishop Dorsonville and Msgr. Filardi.
Under the bright, late-summer sun, Bishop Dorsonville blessed and dedicated the beautiful bronze figure representing
the Franciscan sisters and a plaque listing the names of the 93 Sisters of St. Francis who taught at the school between
1941 and 1979. The graceful statue is a reminder of the outstanding service and education the dedicated Sisters gave
the children of Lourdes.
Following the dedication, we gathered in the school’s library/media center for refreshments and to catch up with former
classmates, fellow parishioners, and school parents and families. Mr. John Ford, a 1956 Lourdes graduate, delivered a
touching and, at times, hilarious, tribute to the Sisters (please turn the page for the full transcript of his remarks). The
Sisters shared their stories and spoke about their time at Lourdes.
Sister Corda Marie was missioned at Our Lady of Lourdes right after profession and shared both her memories of
her days in Bethesda and her thoughts on the celebration. “When I went to Our Lady of Lourdes in 1949 to teach in
the primary grades, I was mentored by Sr. Alma Francis who became my friend thereafter. When I was transferred to
Bradshaw two years later, I truly left part of my heart at Our Lady of Lourdes--my first mission. When I went back for
this celebration, I saw that our faith continues to grow there these 66 years later with the dedicated pastor and the
beloved principal as well as with the parents and students. It was wonderful to be invited to the dedication of the statue
of a Sister of St. Francis of Philadelphia donated by a former student. It is placed outside between the church and the
school. What a wonderful gift for this Year of Consecrated Life!”
On behalf of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School and Parish, thank you for sharing this special day with us. We
are especially thankful to those of you who contributed to the contents of this commemorative program with your
pictures, letters, and memories of the Sisters and Lourdes. We dedicate this commemorative booklet to the priests,
sisters, alumni, and lay people of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and School who have gone before us, and whose
traditions, hopes, and dreams we are privileged to carry on.
God bless,
Patricia McGann
Principal
A Room Full of Memories
Remarks Delivered by John “Charlie” Ford, Lourdes Class of 1956
At the Reception Following the Dedication of the Sister of Saint Francis Statue
September 11, 2015
This was my eighth grade classroom in 1955. I sat back there in the corner and Sister Saint Victor sat up here on the right,
Between the two of us, there were 74 other pre- pubescent eighth-grade boys, the golden guys – (aka - the “smart ones”) like
John Morris, Mike Webb, Frank Stanley, Nicky Dawson, Pete Coccaro…each intent on breaking loose from this temporary
state of suspension to discover the unknown wonders of teen-hood. Sr.Victor was equally intent on ensuring that every one
of her 75 charges made it into a boys’ Catholic high school. Only the best would do and that was to be her mission, her
passion, her divine calling for the next nine months.
Downstairs, one floor away, was the cafeteria. It was in that hallowed hall, that hot table emporium, that I consumed nine
years worth of noon meals as a student here at Our Lady of Lourdes. It was so soon after the Second World War (you know,
the “Big One”) that rolled-up blackout drapes still hung on the windows. Hot lunches, purchased with weekly tickets, cost 25
cents, with further discounts if you had more than four children enrolled (we had five…a modest number for that time…(my
cousins, the Enzlers of Edgemoor Lane, had 13!). These weekly menus, such as they were, were printed in the church bulletin
– with item descriptions penned creatively by Msgr. Elmer Fisher, a master of culinary disguise… Spinach a la Franciscan,
Ringtumdiddee, Frr Frr Pots, Casserole Bethesda, Clerical Hash and Macaroni Pearl Street! That epicurean space in those
days was the domain of Reene White and Alta Poole who served Lourdes as supervisors of the cuisine (such as it was), while
the Sisters served as mistresses of discipline and lunchroom decorum, with Sister Joan Francis as the core Hawkeye.
We were patrolled patiently (and sometimes not) by at least two black-robed Franciscans, while two more managed the
choir rehearsals in the gym above – the space that had once served as our Church and where I was baptized and practiced
for my First Holy Communion under the tutelage of Sister Elaine Francis and her froggie clicker alerting us when and where
to kneel or genuflect. (One click meant stop talking; two clicks – line up; three clicks – genuflect; four clicks – move into
your pews)!
Out on that vast parking lot, which doubled as the weekday playground, four more Sisters supervised us…even on the
coldest days…with the flimsiest of knitted black wool shawls covering their shivering arms and shoulders. Other nonassigned Sisters would disappear into a mysterious cloister door at the back of the kitchen, passing through its small chapel
and on to their own noon meal until such time as their daily duty rosters were re-assigned in coming years. A lottery system
perhaps?
It was quite an innovation when a new PA system was installed in the school, allowing Sister Jerome, and later Sister Emma,
to interrupt our classroom work with a firm “Attention please, Attention please” – and a call for some unlucky student to
report to the Principal’s office. In the kindergarten class room, where I met my first nun at aged four (Sister Elizabeth Joseph),
the little ones would be having their milk and cookies and an afternoon nap atop their tables on home-brought blankets and
later allowed to play at the sand table. Before our Mommies came to pick us up, Sister would announce, “Now children,
go fetch your cloaks from the cloak room” (I had no clue as to what a cloak was!) But I soon found out, for – on special
occasions – like exiting the parish complex, the Sisters would don voluminous black cloaks and transparent choir veils – and
we would all marvel at how quickly they were able to transform themselves into our version of Batman.
Of course, we all knew that each Sister had eyes in the back of her head – (those two points at the crown of the veil weren’t
just a design feature!) and how we feared that click of rosary beads as she sailed down the aisle like Meryl Streep’s Sister
Aloysius in “Doubt” – to ensure that we were keeling up straight (and not whispering) during Mass. Sister Helen Regina
had prepped her altar boys well and God forbid that one of our celluloid collars and red bows snapped off of our cassocks
during the Consecration.
All in Latin and no girls on the altar in those days…they were relegated to the Children’s Choir under Sister Edward Paul,
with her skirts pulled up so that she could manage the organ pedals while directing songs of praise. Rail thin Sister, in her
classroom guise, was terrific with the girls (and there were 75 of them in her 8th grade class – average size of any Lourdes
class in the 50’s) – and she was as protective of them as a lioness of her cubs.
Meanwhile, in this very room, Sister Saint Victor reigned supreme over her boys, absolutely convinced that those girls two
doors away, were out to corrupt her special charges. Sister Victor was easily 6 feet tall and erect as a marble statue, the only
girl in a family of five brothers. She knew the boy thing, the masculine mystique, well…and would have none of THAT in
HER domain. Feared by the girls, she ruled with an iron hand – and a loving heart – absolutely the finest teacher I have ever
had. She labored to ensure that all of her boys made the mark, including extra after-school tutoring. Years later, I shared with
her that I was going to a secular state college. Sister assured me that she would pray for my immortal soul. We remained
friends for life.
To give you some idea of the age range in the convent, Sister Emma had actually taught Sister Victor in the first grade and
Sister Victor at that time had spent 27 years in the convent…while for many of the Sisters at Lourdes, this was their initial
assignment after first vows. Most, in their mid to early twenties, would spend years of summers to complete their college
degrees at Catholic University or Mount Saint Mary’s. Sister Mary Gregory was still a novice, 18 or 19 years old, when
Mother General Agnes – in the face of a personnel crisis – had her don a black veil and sent her to Lourdes with orders not
to reveal her age to parents who may have had children older than she was.
It is interesting to note that every member of Lourdes’ first faculty, those who accompanied Sr. Emma on this pioneer mission
to Bethesda in 1941, later became principals and superiors in their own right. A German widow founded the congregation,
but they recruited heavily from Ireland. As a superior, (Irish) Sister Emma Quinn was seen as a loving maternal figure by her
Sisters, while (German) Sr. Jerome was a stern disciplinarian in both school and convent. At its height in the late 1950’s, there
were 16 Sisters teaching two classes of each grade…along with Sister Charles Louise (also Irish) who managed the convent.
Some here may recall that we had to add a floor to the convent building in the 1950’s to handle the faculty overflow. Their
rule was stricter than most.
The Sisters did represent and play well to their German and Irish heritages. There was Sister John Casimir who could hit a
mean ball almost out of the park and who spoke enough German to help one or two refugee Austrian children who joined
us after the war. I was in the gym when I once witnessed Sr. Thomas Mary (she of the freckles and bright red eyebrows) and
with us today cop a terrific slam dunk with an errant basketball as she a was on her way back to the convent, unaware that
I was quietly cleaning up the gym’s loft above. And then nurturing Sister Jarlath, who baked a great chocolate chip cookie
and who once claimed that she must have cost the parish a bundle of money when, as an immigrant nun straight off the boat,
she couldn’t figure out American currency and just handed whatever change she had in her palm that looked right when her
students bought their requisite notebooks, pens and ink pots.
I took reading in Third Grade with Sister Alma Francis, from County Galway, and developed a habit of sharing my new learning
with a fine Irish brogue until corrected by my mother. Poor Sister Guidetta had spent most of her career managing domestic
service in seminary at Emmitsburg and came to Lourdes to manage 7th grade boys who were dealing with raging hormones
and the knowledge that girls were “kind of interesting,” necessitating a serious and private class-wide all-boys conversation
with
Msgr. Fisher! We were all given a booklet, “Your Christian Bodies – for Boys.” Sister, who left the room wilting, was well into
her seventies at this point and clearly earned her place in Heaven that day! Over the years, I found out what MYOB meant.
I learned how to recite my Baltimore Catechism verbatim (no interpretation, thank you!). I watched as the Sisters carefully
pasted over Father Feeney’s poems in our little books after his defection from Rome. I noted that it was clearly against the
law to ever say no to a nun! Worse still, “she” or “her” versus “Sister”! The term, guys referred to ropes and “Hey” was
what you found in a barnyard! And woe to him or her who dared to use a ballpoint pen, clearly an instrument of the devil!
A stopover at People’s Drug Store after school was akin to Satan’s personal invitation to Hell. And chewing gum meant an
additional 200 years in Purgatory! Palmer method ruled…printing was clearly out after second grade. “Big Carm’s a comin”
meant that Sister Carmelita Joseph, all 4 foot 6 inches of her, was rounding the corner…she who insisted that we bow our
heads on passing, since she was – after all – a consecrated religious!
My grandmother had 45 grand children at the time of her death, and five of her seven children lived in Lourdes parish in the
1950’s (Fords, Crowleys, Enzlers, O’Connors) and we figured that at least 30 of Kitty Casey’s large brood were schooled by
the Sisters of Saint Francis at Lourdes in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. Today, those scattered cousins are doctors, lawyers, priests,
entrepreneurs, religious sisters, (and even a Monsignor), CCD and RCIA teachers, farmers, professors, artists, and a few
already retired. Their own children and their children’s children are indebted to this wonderful band of religious women who
taught us how to read, how to write, how to memorize, how to think for ourselves, how to pray and surely how to love God.
And for this and those other magic moments and for the life models that we witnessed in their classrooms – these
classrooms – we are forever grateful. Thanks, dear Sisters, for the lessons, for the memories, for the inspiration. Only a
handful of the noble ladies I mentioned are still with us and most in retirement at Assisi House in Glen Riddle. I visit them
regularly. They speak lovingly of their days in Bethesda…as do so many of us.
The statue is wonderful…but the journey and the experience – priceless!
Photos from the Sister of Saint Francis Statue Dedication and Reception
All photographs courtesy of Freed Photography
Lourdes Alumni Share Their Memories of the Sisters of Saint Francis
Mrs. Nancy Elbin Abell, Lourdes Class of 1962, writes:
My years at Our Lady of Lourdes were filled with many good memories of the sisters who taught us lessons that have
remained with and prepared me for life in myriad ways. My classmates were also a wonderful part of those years and the
experiences I hold dear. I am grateful to have had a wonderful education at Lourdes.
As with all students, certain memories are more vivid than others. Other graduates no doubt share some of them. Here
are a few:
One of my favorite memories was walking to Norwood Park, probably a little under a mile, with the nearly 1,000 students
for the annual picnic. We sang 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, as we marched happily to the awaiting 3 legged and sack
races, pie eating contests, and the sight of some of our sisters playing baseball or “flying high” on the swings!
Our playground was the parking lot, with boys on one side and girls on the other. It was forbidden to cross over onto the
side of the opposite gender. One day I was heavily involved in a tag game with some of my friends and found myself in
“forbidden territory”. I was immediately captured by the supervising sister and taken to the principal. I’m not sure if it
was Sr. Emma or Sr. Regis. I don’t remember what happened in the office other than a stern reprimand, but the experience
was punishment enough and not forgotten.
My sixth grade year, Sr. Ann Dennis chose me, one day, along with a few other classmates, to wash the sisters’ new station
wagon during recess. She was the designated driver in the convent. I remember the car as a royal blue Chevy with fins
that marked the style of the day. We went to the back parking lot and with her supervision, washed every inch of it until
it sparkled. We all felt so happy to have had this chore. Our reward was a cake that Sister “liberated” from the convent
kitchen! I can still envision a group of nuns in their full habits, veils flapping from the open windows of that car, with Sr.
Ann Dennis at the wheel, as they drove through Bethesda.
In 7th grade, I had Sr. Jarlath. When a student was disciplined for something considered to be particularly bad, she made
him (I can’t recall this happening to a girl) sit, bottom down legs up, in one of the round, metal wastebaskets, that was
about 18 inches high. I don’t remember for how long they remained in this position but long enough for it to have an
impact!
Sr. Bonagratia was a supervisor who came to visit at least once a year. The sisters appeared anxious about her arrival and
we were told to be on our best behavior. You could feel the tension as we prepared for her to step into our classroom.
When she finally arrived, we stood and said, “Good Morning, Sister”. With that she would pull her pitch pipe from the
folds of her voluminous skirt, blow a note, and then sing, “Noo Na Noo”, while using her hand to demonstrate the musical
scale. We parroted her and then she would get a little trickier with a “Noo Na Noo Na Noo”. This went on for a few
moments, I guess until she felt we had good pitch. She would then depart and we would sit down. I don’t ever remember
singing a song with her and just assumed that this was what supervisors did!
Mr. John Hoyle, Lourdes Class of 1946, writes:
As a car-pooler from Holy Redeemer in Kensington, and as a Lourdes student for only the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, my
fading memories of my time with the Sisters at Our Lady of Lourdes are somewhat limited. I have no trouble, however,
remembering that Sister Emma taught my 8th grade class during the 1945-1946 school year. She earned a lot of respect
from her students with her no-nonsense approach to our daily routines, and from the whole student body as Principal
of OLOL. After graduation, with Sister Emma’s guidance and support, I entered the St. Charles minor seminary in
Catonsville, MD. Although I later chose not to continue to the priesthood, I credit Sister Emma with putting me on the
pathway to an excellent education and a very positive spiritual formation. I’m sure that Sister Mercedes had a strong hand
in it too during my time with her 7th grade class in 1944-1945.
Mrs. Jacqui Coan McCloskey, Lourdes Class of 1980, remembers:
Grade 1 1973: Sr. Marie Josephine managed 2 classes of kids in her one classroom and was the kindest soul you will ever
meet. After that, the Class of ‘80 was split into 2 classes.
Grade 5 1976: Sister Francis Paula called my 4 brothers and sisters down to her office to tell us that our grandfather had
passed away. We thought we were in trouble but she was offering her condolences.
Grade 6 1978: Sr. Columbkill taught us that we could have zeros after the decimal all the way to Jericho. She kept her
handkerchief in her sleeve. No need for tissues.
Grade 7 1979: Sr. Michael Kathleen taught us how to properly diagram a sentence and we will all forever know the subject
and predicate in any sentence.
They dedicated their lives to teaching us and we will be forever grateful!
Lourdes Alumni Eugene Kelley, Lourdes Class of 1950, Paul Caggiano, Lourdes
Class of 1950, Carol Sue Smith Caggiano, Lourdes Student from K to 5th Grade
(1943-1949) and Nancy Bradford Ordway, Lourdes Student from 7th to 8th
Grade (1950-1952) remember:
The School Principals were: Sr. Emma and Sr. Jerome
Kindergarten: Sr. Elizabeth Joseph, head of the choir.
1st Grade: Sr. Elaine Francis
2nd Grade: Sr. Elaine Francis
3rd Grade: Sr. Alma Francis
4th Grade: Sr. Helen Regina
5th Grade: Sr. Emmanuel Mary. She had parties on St. Patrick’s Day.
6th Grade: Sr. Cecil Catherine
7th Grade: Sr. Ellen Francis and Sr. Edward Paul
8th Grade: Sr. Jerome
Sr. Charles Louise was a cook and housekeeper. Srs. Emma and Jerome were remembered as wonderful
educators and algebra teachers. Lourdes always scored highest on standardized tests.
Photos from Ms. Janet Brown Gean, Lourdes Class of 1959
May Crowning, 1951 - Janet Brown Gean and Kathleen Rowe
First Communion, 1952 Janet Brown Gean
From Mr. Kevin Hymel, Lourdes Class of 1980:
I loved the Our Lady of Lourdes Nuns. I feared the Our Lady of Lourdes Nuns. They loved us back, but I don’t think they
feared us kids: the boys in our clip-on ties and the girls in their plaid jumpers. The nuns took care of us and kept us in a
semblance of order. But, most importantly, they educated.
I’ll never forget Sister Mary Josephine calling my first grade class “sheep” and how she trained us to fold our arms and put
our heads on our desks whenever she called out “Red light!” We could not raise our heads until she gave us the all-clear
signal: “Green light!”
I remember Sister Columbkill explaining the purpose of the decimal point by telling us, “You could put zeros after the
decimal point from here to Jericho and it wouldn’t mean a thing.” Of course, I figured Jericho was someplace north of
Rockville. I remember Sister Columbkill had a swath of brown hair that swooped down below her habit. I was always
tempted to pull her habit back to see if that was her natural hair or a wig.
Then there was Sister Michael, who wanted to be an FBI agent. Just for the record: she would have been a great one,
especially if she had been an interrogator. She had a no-nonsense attitude and did not suffer fools, no matter how young,
lightly. I remember one day in seventh grade she stared in my direction and said, “How dare you!” I had no idea what I
had dared. “Sit up straight!” She demanded. I did. “Put your legs together!” I did. “Fold your hands on top of your desk!”
I did. Only then did I realize she was talking to the girl sitting behind me.
And she was disciplined. I recall her leading the entire class to the front of the church to rehearse our upcoming
confirmation ceremony. She lines us all up next to the altar and explained that with Confirmation we would be openly
deciding to be a member of the Catholic Church, since we were too young to chime in during out baptism. She then told
us the priest would ask us during the ceremony if we chose to accept Christ as our savior and we were to say yes. We
then rehearsed. Sister Michael loudly asked us, “Do you choose to accept Jesus Christ as your savior?” And we all said,
“Yes!” No one would dare say no in front of Sister Michael.
I also remember having to give a talk in front of the whole class on a topic of my choosing. I had been out most of the
week sick and tried to back out, but Sister Michael insisted. I stood in front of the class and spoke about UFOs –I had
just read a book on the topic. When I was done she complimented me and told me what a great job I had done. I never
feared speaking in front of large groups again.
But one of my funniest memories comes from the sixth grade, when Sister Paula came into our homeroom to reprimand
us for roughhousing on the playground, which was the school parking lot. She was holding a roll of papers in her left hand
and was using her left hand to point at us. But because of the roll, she could only use her middle finger to point. I knew
we were in deep trouble, but everyone around me, as well as myself, were stifling the laughter of seeing the principal of
the school flicking us all the bird. She had no idea.
We were all sad when we learned the Nuns were leaving Lourdes, which occurred in eighth grade. The nuns made me
a better person and good citizen. They started me off on the right path, eager to do good, and fearful of doing wrong.
Whenever I think back to those days I always smile because being taught by the Sisters of Francis was a positive experience.
A family story regarding Sr. Victor and Charlie Flott,
Lourdes Class of 1962, a remembered by his sister,
Harriet Flott Smiley, Lourdes Class of 1956 –
There is a family story regarding Sr. Victor and my brother Charlie. The summer between sixth and seventh grades,
Charlie was in a bike accident and lost his two permanent front teeth. He wore a dental appliance to replace them. By
the time he got to eighth grade, the appliance needed to be replaced as he and his mouth were growing so rapidly that
the dental appliance was loose. As a nervous habit, he used to click his teeth in and out. Sr. Victor had a reputation for
being very strict and so when she noticed my brother with something in his mouth, thinking that it was gum or some such
other forbidden object, she asked him what it was. He answered “My teeth, Sister” so she asked him again and got the
same answer. She thought he was being smart, so she asked him to come up to her desk and put what was in his mouth
there, which he did. She was quite embarrassed when he placed his dental appliance with his two front teeth there and
asked him to put them back in his mouth and return to his seat. Later that day she called my parents to apologize. My
brother Charlie was killed in Vietnam just before his 24th birthday so this story has lived on with our memories of him.
Sister Francis Paula at the Lourdes School Picnic,
BCC Recreation Center, May 1955
A letter written by Mr. and Mrs. Allan Flott in 1974 to
Msgr. Gingras, Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church,
on the night his last child, Matthew, was set to graduate from Lourdes.
All thirteen of the Flott children attended Lourdes
and eight of the children were married in the church.
Mr. Flott had his funeral there in 1986.
A Christmas card from Sr. Mary Regis to Joe Czajkowski,
Lourdes Class of 1963 –
Veronica Shaffer Yeatman, Parent of Three Lourdes Alumni
and Lourdes Parishioner –
Having been a parishioner of OLOL for 51 years, I remember so many of the Sisters of St. Francis and their wonderful
presence and teaching service to the OLOL School. My children attended and graduated from OLOL School - Kathy
Shaffer Dooling (Class of 1978), Gerry Shaffer (Class of 1980) and Father Greg Shaffer (Class of 1985) and were privileged
to know and be taught by the Sisters of St. Francis.
Margaret Cecilia Reddan, Lourdes Class of 1959 remembers…
I have been a parishioner at St. Jane de Chantal since 1952, and I attended Our Lady of Lourdes School from first grade
in 1951 to graduation in 1959. The Sisters kindly taught the children from our parish while de Chantal built its school by
adding a grade each year, starting with the class two years behind me.
It’s hard to imagine how difficult that must have been for the Sisters. I understood at the time that I graduated, the Sisters
taught approximately 60 children per classroom, 120 per grade. My homeroom teachers were:
1st Grade: Sr. Elaine Francis
2nd Grade: Sr. Francis Philomena
3rd Grade: Sr. Regina Mary
4th Grade: Sr. M. St. Richard
5th Grade: Sr. Joan Francis
6th Grade: Sr. Carmel Joseph
7th Grade: Sr. Regina Pacis
8th Grade: Sr. Mary Philothea
I tried my hardest for Sister Joan Francis, who challenged us by saying in the beginning of the year that she
didn’t believe any of us could do work that deserved a grade of 100. In seventh and eighth grade, boys and
girls were taught separately. In the girls’ seventh grade, Sister Regina Pacis explained to us in the beginning of
the year that her name meant Queen of Peace, but how much peace we had would depend on our behavior. I
remember we eighth grade girls were a real handful for Sister Mary Philothea, who was somewhat older than
the other Sisters. I remember how kind our Principal Sister Emma was to me, inviting me to use the library
in her office.
So many Catholic schools have closed, and it encourages me that Our Lady of Lourdes is still flourishing. I miss
the Sisters who taught me throughout my education.
Sr. Jean O’Conner (Sr. Maureen Francis while at Lourdes)
shares her photos:
Bethany Beach. Top: Srs. Ellen Eugene,
George Mary, Maureen Francis,
Lawrence Mary, Joan Mary
and Charles Helene
Sr. Ann Dennis celebrating her Jubilee in 1968
Convent Kitchen, 1969.
L-R: Srs. St. Monica, George Mary, Charles Helene,
Joan Mary, Maureen Francis and St.Victor
Srs. Charles Helene, Joan Mary and
George Mary, 1968
Sister St. Monica and Sister Maureen Francis
taken outside the Convent in 1969
Sr. St.Victor
Sr. Loretta Anne
Sister Charles Francis
Sr. James Bernard
Sr. Joan Mary
Sister Benetta
Sister Ann Dennis
Sister Therese Kane
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School
A 2015 Blue Ribbon School
7500 Pearl Street
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-654-5376
bethesda-lourdes.org