3 10 108 https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/25d3dd9328625f9c3898496f36920ac2.jpg bec48ceaae19ccd943b27f48615ebfe1 https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/ced00b80ad088706dd5c11d604f1e09a.mp3 5d7e67b0a432be7a2ef71e0a424a152e https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/afadc5d2afd676cbac4a4512dbe5b25d.pdf 5d153251234da657aab6ccc8c8e60db3 PDF Text Text INTERVIEW WITH SISTER ROSA DALY CONCERNING THE VISIT OF DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATORS TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND CAPITAL ON MARCH 26, 1974 Interviewed by Sister Eleanor Casey July 7, 2005 Proofed by Scott Keefer, May 18, 2020 Sr. Eleanor: Today is Thursday, July 7, 2005. This is Sister Eleanor Casey with Sister Rosa Daly who is recounting her experiences on Capitol Hill in 1974, when she visited Senator [J. Glenn] Beall and Vice President [Gerald] Ford and also went to the White House. Sr. Rosa: Okay. As far as I can remember. Yeah, okay. We assembled in the White House to talk to—and the gentlemen's name is in your folder there [Dr. James H. Cavanaugh, Deputy Director for Operations of the Domestic Council for President Richard M. Nixon.], someone in charge of economy, and we were all assembled in a conference room in the White House. And then we went to Vice President’s, Ford's office and had our picture taken and met Vice President Ford, and then we went to Senator Beall's office and had a picture taken. Then he took us by the little car that goes from his office to the Capitol, and we had our lunch at the lunchroom for congressmen. The most thrilling experience was, he reserved a table right inside the door so that he would sit and watch the people coming in the door. As they came in, he'd say, "Oh, here comes [Senator John] Tower from Texas. Anybody here from Texas? What's your name?" And he would say, "Senator," he said, "got one of your constituents here, "he said. "We've just been meeting for so-and-so and so-and so, and she wants to tell you about that bill that we're contemplating." So sister would talk to him. Then he'd go, "Anybody here from Louisiana? Here comes so-and-so from Louisiana. Senator, one of your constituents here." It was really interesting to see the way he behaved to get his point across, you know. We read about these congressmen, and you say, "Oh, yes, they're, you know, big power". But really, he was so interested because he appreciated the number of hospitals we had in that time, and what this Taft-Hartley exemption was gonna' mean to our hospitals and to tell you the truth I don't remember what the outcome was, that’s the worst part.1 1 Research by Mr. Michael Riley, provincial CFO, shows that the meeting probably concerned whether hospitals sponsored by the Daughters of Charity might find it advantageous to administer their individual pension plans as a group. On September 9, 1974 congress enacted the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) which codified federal law pertaining to employee pension and welfare benefit plans. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Daughters of Charity, Province of St. Louise Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Casey, Sister Eleanor, D.C. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Daly, Sister Rosa, D.C. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Cassette Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 0:03:00 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Daly, Sister Rosa Interview Subject The topic of the resource "Daly, Sister Rosa, D.C.; Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul; Daughters of Charity National Health System; Ford, Gerald R., 1913-2006; Beall, J. Glenn (John Glenn), Jr., 1927-2006 Description An account of the resource Sister Rosa Daly, D.C. describes meeting with Senator John Glenn Beall and Vice President Gerald Ford in 1974, along with other Senators, regarding hospitals operated by the Daughters of Charity. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource "Daly, Sr. Rosa, D.C. Casey, Sr. Eleanor, D.C." Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Daughters of Charity Archives, Province of St. Louise, Emmitsburg, MD Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005/07/07 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Keefer, Scott (Editor) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Permission for any type of publication of archival materials, including text, photographs, video, or audio must be secured from the Daughters of Charity Communications Director before publication.ÿ Contact archvies staff for appropriate forms and contact information Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Audio/mp3; Application/pdf Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Daly, Sister Rosa Oral History Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1974/26/03 Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Healthcare https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/e515871b930ac059113a292876ffb868.jpg 33055efb910310c95dcfa1ba110198cc https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/f3cc7516c484063fb5b39f53cc107da8.pdf dce7ca48d900d5b275c3bfd9a5edf663 PDF Text Text Sister Eileen Marcinko March 30, 2017 Florence Marcinko was born on a cold wintry day, the second of February, 1928—the feast of the Purification-Candlemas Day—the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. Sister Eileen writes, “I was an answer to my mother’s prayers.” Florence, (Sister Eileen) was born on her mother’s thirty-fourth birthday. Florence was told that when her mother first held her, in her joy she offered her to God. God took her mother at her word and eighteen years later--- to her parent’s dismay, on the very same day, February second, 1946, she entered the novitiate of the Vincentian Sisters of Charity. Florence’s mother was Elizabeth Racho, born in1894, and her father was Paul Marcinko was born in 1893. Her mother’s birthplace was Hazleton, PA. Her father was born in Wilkes Barre, PA, was raised in Europe, and returned to this country in 1910. Her mother was Greek Catholic. Elizabeth had a first marriage at age sixteen and was a World War I widow at age eighteen. She had one son, Joe Dropcik. Elizabeth, herself, had family in the United States and came to this country in 1920. She was indentured to a priest. She was a professional housekeeper and worked for a Jewish family for two years. Florence’s father, likewise, had a first marriage, but his wife died after six years. Paul was left to care for his three children. A marriage was arranged between Elizabeth and Paul. (Today this is called a “blended” family with four children from two different sets of parents.) This beginning family was composed of Paul’s children, age four, six, eight and Elizabeth’s one, Joe, age eight. Paul and Elizabeth had three more children. The names of all are: Big Joe Dropchik, Helen, John, Joseph (Joey), Paul, Jr., Florence and Tim (Thomas) Marcinko. Sister Eileen grew up in a Catholic and Greek Catholic neighborhood in Munhall, Pennsylvania. She remembers her mother and the women of that neighborhood gathering to quilt and to share friendship and conversation 1 �among themselves. Her mother knew all the Jewish Holidays and what the traditions were. Elizabeth‘s life had certainly been enriched by exposure to different cultures. Her father was a rigger at US steel and cleaned the big chimneys. Sister Eileen said that they knew when the unions had represented the steel workers because her father came home cleaner. The union had negotiated the installation of showers for the workers. She and her mother still had to wash the dirty clothes her father wore, but her father did not have coal dust on his person. The laundry process started with soaking the clothes on Sunday night, Monday washing, Tuesday ironing. Wednesday patching and sewing, Thursday baking, Friday, clean the top of the house, and Saturday, the lower part of the house. Sister Eileen was introduced to the Vincentian Sisters in 1935. Her grade school, with eighth graders divided into boy and girl classes, was a very strict Catholic school. Sister Columba Mihalek, who later became Frances Louise, (Frannie Lou), was her wonderful eighth grade teacher. Sister Columba was not as strict as others and allowed the girls to wear knee socks and gave them more freedom in their dress. The eighth graders went to the Motherhouse for retreat and Florence was very impressed with the Academy girls. She decided that she wanted to go to the Academy. Her parents were opposed, but her big brother said,” Let her go.” He believed that she would not last very long and would come back home. Sister Eileen now remembers that being at the Academy was a hard adjustment. She was so homesick, but it did get easier. She began to enjoy the all girls’ school. In fact, it got so easy and attractive that she joined the VSC Community. She entered on her eighteenth birthday. The hardest thing she had to give up was her pretty clothes. She says, “wearing all that black” was so depressing. In her years as a Sister, she has gone through five changes of habit. She was grateful for the years of learning to sew, since Sisters made their habits and other clothing. After making vows in 1948, she taught elementary school for six years. During these years, she took classes from Duquesne University. She 2 �received her BA in Education in 1958; by 1967 she had her Masters in American History, also from Duquesne. During these years, she taught all elementary school grades and by 1968 she would begin teaching all high school grades. From 1963 to 1965, her ministry was in Montgomery, AL where she taught history, English, religion, social studies and was the liaison for the student council at St Jude’s High School (Catholic). St. Jude Educational Institute was a ​private​, R ​ oman Catholic​ high school in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. It was located in the ​Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile​, and was built as part of the ​City of St. Jude​ by Father Harold Purcell for the advancement of the Negro people. St. Jude was opened in 1946 and offered a full college preparatory program as well as basic skills and trade programs at night for adults. She was there during the famous Selma to Montgomery march to register voters in Alabama in 1965. The marchers stayed on the campus of the City of St Jude. The Vincentian Sisters allowed them to use the facilities and some of the marchers were treated at the their Hospital emergency room for injuries sustained during the 54 mile walk….walking for 12 hours a day and sleeping in fields along the way. The "Stars for Freedom" rally was held, featuring singers ​Harry Belafonte​, ​Peter, Paul and Mary​, and ​Tony Bennett​, and comedian ​Sammy Davis Jr.​ The campus was listed on the ​National Register of Historic Places​ in 1990, and is part of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, created in 1996. Sister Eileen wondered, “What did I know about segregation?” While attending a meeting of local student councils from St Jude’s, George Washington Carver, and Booker T Washington High Schools, she learned what is was to be a minority. Those in attendance, teachers, high school students, and high school staff were all African American, she was the only white attendee. All participants were very polite and she felt no discrimination from them. 3 �There was a one year stint as a Novice Director and then nine years as secondary school teacher. In 1969, she served as a Coordinator for the House in Johnstown, PA, and taught US history at Bishop McCort High School. She returned to teach at Vincentian Academy for six years. In 1984, she became Junior Directress and Vocation Director at the VSC Motherhouse for four years. Her first year as Coordinator in Johnstown was the first year that the Vincentian Sisters would have to take turns doing their own cooking. Before there were older sisters who would do the cooking for a house. Some Sisters knew how to cook, but Sister Eileen was not one of those. Learning to manage the cooking was a new experience and Sister Agatha Ferenchak helped with her new found chore. This new chore helped to turn Sister Eileen into a “gourmet cook.” Cooking for 10 Sisters was quite a challenge and making sure you did not waste any food or make meals unappetizing for the house was an even larger challenge. Each summer when returning to the Motherhouse campus, Sister Eileen would cook for the priests on campus for three weeks. She delighted in making meals for them and testing new recipes. Her motto has been, “cook simply and serve elegantly.” She still has a Redemptorist priest friend who remembers her good cooking and keeps in touch on holidays. Sister Eileen made the decision that it was time for no more secondary teaching for her. She served in St Lawrence Grade School in Monett, Missouri from 1988-1993. Altogether Sister Eileen served God’s people for forty years, twenty years in elementary school and twenty in high school. She had taught in all grades, one through twelve. Her next mission was to be a part of the formation team for five years. After that ministry she served for eighteen years as parish secretary and charity coordinator in Wauchula, Florida. Sister Eileen worked with the Redemptorist priests at St Michael’s, which was the only Catholic parish in the county. There were, however, two Spanish mission churches within the parish boundaries. At St. Michael’s she served with Sister Barbara Makar, pastoral minister, Sister Bernice Rechtorek, catechetical minister, and, and Sister Mildred Minosky. St Michael’s has a large congregation in the winter 4 �where there are twelve RV parks with the “snowbirds”, (persons coming just for the winter) swelling the resident parish attendance. . Sister Eileen reflects on her life missions, “As a child I went to St Michael’s School in Munhall, Pennsylvania, my first assignment was St Michael’s School in Braddock, PA and I feel I have come full circle: ending at St Michael Church in Wauchula, FL. It is with confidence and trust in the Lord that I rise to meet the challenges of each day.” Sister Eileen is also proud of her niece Eileen Marcinko, who as a Vincentian Academy freshman in 1966 and entered the Voice for America contest. She placed second in the State competition and won a full scholarship to University of Pittsburgh. Sister Eileen has retired to St Louise Convent….but still is active and interested in everything…… Sister Eileen will have been here at Lourdes Hall on May 12 for six years--she has read 115 books and pieced innumerable puzzles. She is currently reading a book on Woodrow Wilson--- 750 pages and loving it! ​(What else would a retired history teacher love to do?) Interviewed by Mary Gene Frank, SCNA Comments by the interviewer are in ​italics March 30, 2017 5 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Mary Gene Frank, SCNA Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Eileen Marcinko, SCN Location The location of the interview Pittsburgh, PA, USA Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Eileen Marcinko, SCN Oral History Subject The topic of the resource Marcinko, Eileen, SCN; Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource SCN Archival Center Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived SCN Archival Center Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 3/30/2017 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Permission for any type of publication of archival materials, including text, photographs, video, or audio must be secured from the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Archival Center before publication. Contact archives staff for appropriate forms and contact information. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MMC-EileenMarcinko Sisters of Charity of Nazareth https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/e440cbea2ed322aceaec3944ba827260.jpg 22d705eec3c1a25aeb67609ae4dc1806 https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/dfe894636ca7d20c030e19ceafe95ed6.pdf fd3f54bae62bf41d4fda0b485f3e093d PDF Text Text Sister Elaine McCarron, SCN September, 2015 (​This interviewer’s remarks/observations are in italics. Let me share with you the story of Sister Elaine McCarron. As I sat with this quiet , unassuming woman and learned her story I could only marvel at” What God has wrought “ in her life and her generous ministry for the Church.) Elaine was baptized Helen Elaine and had the SCN name Sister Michael Maria until January, 1968. Elaine ‘s father, James Joseph(Joe) came to Washington, D.C. from Farmersville, Illinois with his parents at age two. He was the oldest of eight children born to Elizabeth Jordan McCarron and John Francis McCarron. John came to D.C. in order to take a job in the U.S. Congress as a congressman’s secretary while also attending law school. Elaine’s father Joe followed the career path of his father and graduated from Georgetown University and Columbus Law School in Washington, D.C. Elaine’s maternal family (McNally) had migrated from Ireland to Canada, then to Chicago and finally to Washington, D.C. Jobs in the U.S. Government lured the McNally family and many others to Washington, D.C. Elaine’s mother, Mary McNally, was one of six children. The oldest, Viola, died at age six before the family moved to Washington. Next came three boys, George, Roland , and William , a soldier who served in combat in the Pacific during World War II. Elaine’s mother was next and the youngest was Vincent. All worked for the U.S. Government Elaine grew up in Washington with four siblings – Mary Dolores, Jimmy, Joan and Maureen. Even the briefest of conversations with Elaine lets you know the joy and closeness of her extended family. She remembers many happy family celebrations with grandparents, aunts, uncles, numerous cousins and neighbors. These are some of Elaine’s memories: 1 �” In those days my father would take us every Sunday to Maryland University. The ride was a treat and we had ice cream, too. Every Thursday during the summer my father would take us to a beach on the Chesapeake Bay to swim and picnic. My father was always able to wave in for free because he had won a court case for the grateful beach owner. We lived very close to Catholic University. Every year my parents would take us to services at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (now a Basilica) during the January week of Church Unity. We went to plays and to ball games, as well, at Catholic University.. My grandmother McNally took us on summer boat rides to Mt. Vernon, George Washington’s home and Marshall Hall, site of the home of Thomas Marshall, Revolutionary patriot. Every Sunday the McCarron children visited the catacombs, the gardens with beautiful flowers , Lourdes Shrine, the statues of the Franciscan monastery which was close by. After our visit there we would stop by some friends of my mother and grandmother for a visit. I am sure they had plenty to do but we were always graciously received. Some Sundays we would take the bus and visit historical sites in downtown Washington. Sometimes adults went with us but often we children went alone. Our sister, Mary Dolores, was designated the one in charge. We had to give an account of our visit when we returned home.” When Elaine was eight years old her father was killed in a tragic car/train collision.. Later a safety crossing was installed at the site but this was a terrible loss for a young mother with five children. Mary McCarron was fortunate to move in with her parents and to get a position with the General Accounting Office (GAO) through the kindness of a friend of Joe McCarron. In 1921 the GAO had been established to investigate and oversee the activities of the Government. One of its tasks was to take care of the President’s checks. Mary McCarron would tell her children sometimes “The President’s check came through today.” Mary always kept alive the memory of their father for her children. His law degree and other plaques hung on the wall in the dining room. She would say to them when something good happened in their lives, especially some personal achievement,” Your father would be so proud of you.” 2 �Elaine went to St. Anthony Elementary School for grades one through eight. She was taught by the Benedictine Sisters and holds them in high esteem. The school was just two blocks from her home and the McCarron children went home each day for lunch. For high school Elaine attended Notre Dame Academy in downtown Washington where eight McCarron girls – herself, her sisters, and four aunts –had been students. Looking back Elaine realizes the faculty, lay and religious, were excellent instructors .The curriculum included four years of Latin, three years of French, theater and music. Science and mathematics, although not Elaine’s favorite subjects, were also on the curriculum. The Notre Dame Sisters and the Jesuits staffed the entire complex which encompassed St. Aloysius Church and Grade School, Gonzaga High School, and Notre Dame Academy. After high school Elaine attended for one year Dumbarton College staffed by the Sisters of the Holy Cross . Then, in September of 1950, Elaine entered the Novitiate of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. (This thought came to me ,”How did this young woman come to know of the SCNs ?” ) Elaine explains,” I learned of the SCN Community from a priest when I told him I was thinking of entering the convent. He told me to visit the SCNs who staffed Georgetown Hospital and Nursing School , saying ‘They have a simplicity about them’.I did know that some of my classmates from Notre Dame Academy attended the Georgetown School of Nursing. This was helpful . I decided to enter the SCN Community after much discerning – go, do not go, back and forth, over and over. I told my mother, ” Just tell me to stay home and help you and I will.’ Her wise mother replied,’ You do what God wants you to do.’ Sister Moira Rose Marks, so kind and good, was my postulant director. There was a challenge for her and us in that she was sent to Bardstown to teach at St. Joseph’s plus her responsibility to guide us. She seemed to love her ministry with postulants and was probably a great teacher, as well.” For two years Sister Helen Frances Sheeran was the novice director for Elaine’s class. Basically very kind, Sister could come across as rather strict and severe. Above all, she wanted the novices to understand the rules and regulations of 3 �religious life. After she left her ministry in the Novitiate she kept up a very admirable work of continual correspondence with many in prison. After making first vows in March, 1953 , most of Elaine’s Novitiate class stayed at Nazareth for three months’ study, having such fine teachers as Sister Margaret Gertrude Murphy in SCN history and Marietta Grimes in Philosophy. Her first mission was a three year assignment to teach one of the first grades at St. Cecilia School in Louisville. The next mission was at Cathedral Grade School in Richmond, Virginia where she taught either first or second grade or a combination. This mission lasted eleven years and would be a highlight in Elaine’s remembrance of ministries. When asked “ Why so?” her answer was this.” Cathedral School was very interesting because of its diversity. There were poor children who had migrated from Appalachia, there were African American children, there were upper middle class children who had been bussed in from the suburbs” (What a challenge and a joy to show children of diverse backgrounds how to live and learn together!) She remembers ,”During this time, when Sister Mary Naomi Elder was principal and both of us taught at Cathedral, we were located near Monsignor Richard Burke, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Richmond. He came to ask certain educational questions of us and to listen to our advice on various school matters. Both of us had the advantage of having been in the Louisville Archdiocese and profiting by having a school supervisor and knowing many excellent teachers .” In 1966 Elaine was assigned as principal and teacher at St. Mary’s School also in Richmond. Elaine was grateful that this mission was hers for at least a year. At the close of this year she received a call from Sister Helen Frances, now the SCN Regional Superior in the East, saying that Elaine was to go to the Richmond Diocesan Office of Education the following year. This mission of supervisor would be hers for the next eleven years. She had the responsibility of visiting classrooms, giving workshops for teachers, speaking at PTA meetings, etc. At the same time Elaine began study for a Masters of Science degree in Education at Fordham University in New York City. She achieved this in four summers. 4 �Elaine would go on to St. Michael’s College in Toronto, Canada,under the Toronto School of Theology, for a Master in Divinity which included three years of fulltime study. Elaine’s direction in ministry would change significantly. She became a Director of Religious Education in Virginia Beach, Virginia. After that, she made the first of several trips she would make to Belize; she was the Minister of Religious Education at St. Brigid’s in Richmond, Virginia for one year. In 1990 she was invited to be the Representative for Catechesis and Multicultural Concerns for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in Washington, D.C. . The invitation came from Sister Lourdes Sheehan, RSM, who was the Secretary of Education for the USCCB. She and Lourdes had been in ministry together in the Diocese of Richmond. Elaine served in this position for eight years (​I wish there were some way to include all the positions, the publications, the travel that Elaine had in her various Church/ parish ministries from 1990 onward. It would take many more pages. I shall content myself with naming just a few. The complete and impressive listing is available in the Archives,) ● At the request of the USCCB Office to Aid the Church in Eastern Europe Elaine taught catechesis to seminarians, school teachers , catechists in Riga, Latvia with Fordham University Professor Gloria Durka (1996)’ ● Elaine was Adjunct Professor in Catechesis , Toronto School of Theology for Summers - 1984,1986,1990,1994,1998. ● She attended a conference at the Vatican with 200 international attendees for the inaugural presentation of the ​General Directory for Catechesis,​ 1997. ● She was a speaker at National Catholic Education Association (NCEA), Convention, at National Conference of Catechetical Leadership (NCCL) Conference, at the Los Angeles Congress for Religious Education, at the Diocesan Religious Education Conference in Jackson, Mississippi, at the Diocesan Meeting of DREs in Charlotte, North Carolina as well as a number of other meetings and conferences. 5 �● She has written and published articles / chapters for books such as Gathering God’s​ P ​ eople: Signs of a Successful Parish, Beginning the Journey :From Infant​ ​Baptism to First Eucharist​, Winner of the Catholic Press Association Award in Book Category 1994, ​Evangelization​ ​and numerous others. She was the writer for ​Becoming Disciples, a​ K-8 curriculum for the Office of Religious Education for the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware. In 1998 Elaine became a member of a parish ministry team of three religious Sisters for the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware (inclusive of the Eastern Shore of Maryland). The mission of the team was religious education and training for six parishes. Elaine chose ministry at two parishes -Sacred Heart Parish in Chestertown, Maryland founded in 1705 and Mother of Sorrows Parish, a farming community, in Centreville, Maryland. In these two parishes she continued to share her experience and expertise while working on the Religious Education Curriculum (K-8), ​Becoming Disciples,​ for the Wilmington Diocese. (As I finish Elaine’s short bio I am thinking of how proud and grateful her family, her SCN Community and the broader Church can be of this talented, generous woman.) Maria V. Brocato, SCN September, 2015 6 �7 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Maria Vincent Brocato, SCN Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Elaine McCarron, SCN Location The location of the interview Nazareth, KY, USA Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Elaine McCarron, SCN Oral History Subject The topic of the resource McCarron, Elaine, SCN; Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource SCN Archival Center Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived SCN Archival Center Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 9/1/2015 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Permission for any type of publication of archival materials, including text, photographs, video, or audio must be secured from the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Archival Center before publication. Contact archives staff for appropriate forms and contact information. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MMC-ElaineMcCarron Sisters of Charity of Nazareth https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/e4099316675f797bf8d463b70191bc98.jpg b04fdf72a8ab0cd9935591c38324ecc8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Elizabeth Boyle Hall Subject The topic of the resource Archives Architecture, Gothic Revival Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Description An account of the resource The archives of the Sisters of Charity of New York are located in Elizabeth Boyle Hall on the Mount Saint Vincent campus, since 1982. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource N/A Relation A related resource N/A Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Mount Saint Vincent (Bronx) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Permission for reproduction or quotation must be obtained through written application to: Director of Archives, Sisters of Charity of New York, 6301 Riverdale Avenue, Bronx, New York, 10471. This permission is valid only insofar as he Archives of the Sisters of Charity of New York, as owner or custodian, has any rights in the matter and does not remove the responsibility of the author, editor, and publisher to guard against the infringement of any rights; including copyright, that may be held by others. https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/2ad9a9ee4a43e328ae4b751c0555a7da.jpg 2491d443b583b7e8c544867f14c1a0ef Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Elizabeth Boyle Hall Subject The topic of the resource Sisters of Charity of New York Description An account of the resource Elizabeth Boyle Hall is the location of the archives of the SIsters of Charity of New York. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sisters of Charity of New York Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Sisters of Charity of New York Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022 Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of New York https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/e08744bc1ee837c449b2c3aae126d332.jpg 5106cc751a0095b657598dc76b01f58e Physical Object An inanimate, three-dimensional object or substance. Note that digital representations of, or surrogates for, these objects should use Moving Image, Still Image, Text or one of the other types. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Embroidery on silk of pandas Subject The topic of the resource Catholic Sisters Religious women Missionary activity Orphans Embroidery Chinese artwork Hunan, China Missioners Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth Convent Station, NJ Description An account of the resource In October 1996 Sister Mary Carita Pendergast, a Sister of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, received this piece of embroidery, framed in glass, from Agnes Chao, a Chinese woman living in Shanghai at the time. Sister Carita had been a missioner in Hunan Province, China from 1933 to 1951. The Sisters of Charity raised the orphaned Agnes from infancy and educated her to the level of a normal school (teacher education) graduate. Agnes then taught in the Sisters’ school in Wuki. When the Communist government interrogated Sister Carita prior to her expulsion from China in 1951, they turned to Agnes and demanded that she testify to the Sisters’ crimes, which she refused to do even with a gun pointed at her. In 1996 Agnes Chao was a grandmother, working in a factory; the cost of shipping the package to Sister Carita – a token of Agnes’s gratitude and concern – might have been two months’ salary. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unknown Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, New Jersey Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Permission for reproduction or quotation must be obtained through written application to: Director of Archives, Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, P.O. Box 476, Convent Station, New Jersey. This permission is valid only insofar as he Archives of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, as owner or custodian, has any rights in the matter and does not remove the responsibility of the author, editor, and publisher to guard against the infringement of any rights; including copyright, that may be held by others. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available N/A Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource ca. 1995 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Embroidery (under glass) Language A language of the resource English Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource N/A Relation A related resource N/A Type The nature or genre of the resource Physical object Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context N/A Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant N/A Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/bae16da8ca1cb07bbd64aa18fbe08757.jpg f4e1e8789b31a0394ab1a136d87995ba Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Figurine of St. Joseph Subject The topic of the resource Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum (San Francisco, Calif.) McEnnis, Sr. Francis, D.C. Maginnis, John T., -1864 Canal Zone Grant, Ulyssses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885 California--Gold discoveries Cholera Description An account of the resource This figurine was likely hand-carried across the Isthmus of Panama by the Pioneer Sisters traveling to San Francisco, California in 1852. It was among the contents of the corner stone from the original Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum (1852-1873). Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unknown Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Daughters of Charity, Province of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available N/A Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource ca. 1852 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource N/A Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The use of records taken from our collection (quotations, photographs, etc.), must be obtained through written permission from the Provincial Archivist (26000 Altamont Road, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022-4317). If permission is given to reproduce such records, the researcher is required to use our credit line which is as follows: Courtesy of the The Daughters of Charity, Province of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Marble; 2" x 5" Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Physical Object Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context N/A Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant San Francisco, California Isthmus of Panama Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/dd6d754554849681cb8b5dad0af72212.jpg a2e38f4af3101e2e349adfe726c33c58 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource First Conference of Mother Seton's Daughters Subject The topic of the resource First Conference of Mother Seton's Daughters, October 28-29, 1947, St. Joseph's, Emmitsburg, Maryland Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 28-29, 1947 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Emmitsburg (Maryland) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource N/A Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Permission for any type of publication of archival materials, including text, photographs, video, or audio must be secured from the Daughters of Charity Communications Director before publication. Contact archives staff for appropriate forms and contact information. Relation A related resource N/A Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Still image Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Description An account of the resource Photograph of the sisters from Communities represented at the First Conference of Mother Seton's Daughter, on October 28 and 29, 1947, Emmitsburg, Maryland.<br /><br /> <p><em>Front Row (left to right): Sr. Estelle Baker (Daughters of Charity); Mother Maria Benedict Monahan (Seton Hill); Mother Mary Josephine Taafe (SCNY); Bishop John McNamara; Sr. Isabelle Toohey (Daughters of Charity); Mother Evaristus (SC-Halifax); Sr. Gertrude (SCNJ)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</em></p> <p><em>Back Row (left to right): Sr. Maurita (SC-Halifax); Sr. Mary Fuller (SCNY); Sr. Rosa McGehee (Daughters of Charity); Sr. Miriam Fidelis Guinagh (Seton Hill); Sr. Henrietta Neuhoff (Daughters of Charity)</em></p> <p></p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unknown Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived N/A Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available N/A Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context First Conference of Mother Seton Daughters Emmitsburg 1947014.jpg https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/c315b9c8b4b3a2ba229d4cabf46a6a4d.PNG 191ffefedb600320aa608953dfd838c3 https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/3fd1f86b8beaf362c183940296a11eb1.mp3 42e3635d6c2dce6b84609019505f2e1b https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/c07abc670d0075ff9d418b42f598ca92.pdf 1ca802a78aec10183893ca315c66be85 PDF Text Text Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 1 of 32 JK: This interview is with Sister Kevin Marie Flynn. The interviewer is Jane Kenamore. We're at the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth in Leavenworth, Kansas. We're at the Mother House, and the date is June 27th, 2017. So, Sister Kevin Marie, thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed. KMF: You're welcome. JK: I think you're the only SCL right now who was born in Ireland, though there used to be several. Am I right on that? [00:00:37] KMF: Right, yes. JK: Can you tell us about growing up there. Who were your parents? What are your early memories of County Longford and so on? [00:00:49] KMF: Ok. I actually was born on the border of Langford and Leitrim and our address… JK: And where is that location? [00:00:57] KMF: Leitrim, it's sort of close to Dublin. I mean it's about six miles east of Dublin. JK: Oh, ok. KMF: And it would be more central, I think, than any other county. You don't hear too many people coming from Longford or Leitrim. It's not as popular as Cork or Tipperary or any of those places that a lot of the Sisters used to come from, Limerick especially. I was born the ninth in a family, a large family, and we were born in the country. It was a countryside. It was a very popular countryside. It was at a crossroads, and we became very wellknown as the Flynns from the crossroads. It was very popular for sports, for gatherings, because it was at a crossroads. And my childhood, as I look back upon it, was a beautiful experience of growing in a large family and having lots of fun and being wild in a way, because we were always out in nature and doing beautiful things out. The stars and the sun and the sky, and all of that were all very important in our lives. JK: And you were the ninth. How many were…? [00:02:12] KMF: I was the ninth girl. JK: How many…? �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 2 of 32 KMF: I was the ninth, yes, and there were nine of us, as I said, nine. There were five boys ahead of me and two girls, three girls ahead of me. JK: Three girls. KMF: Five boys and four girls. JK: So, you were the baby of the…? [00:02:28] KMF: And I was the baby of the family. JK: Ok. KMF: There were three of us at the end that… there were probably six years, seven years between the three of us. The oldest of the three would be seven about maybe even… The next one was born and then I was born and she was three or four, the one ahead of me. JK: And can you tell us about your parents? [00:02:50] KMF: My parents were… I don't know really too much about their courtship, 'cause they didn't… We didn't talk about that that much. We took it for granted, I guess. But my dad was from the area, but my mother was from another country area, and she had large families and so did he. He was an orphan actually of a big family, and they were raised in an orphanage in Dublin—my dad's family. JK: Oh, they were? Oh. KMF: And there were five or six boys and I think a couple of girls but we never did know the girls because they died younger. So, I never met them, my aunts on his side. But his five brothers were very, very close to each other that I remember as we grew up they would come to visit. And two or three of them would go off visiting by themselves and have a good time together. So, they were very close, my dad's family. JK: Did he ever talk about growing up in an orphanage? [00:03:54] KMF: Not too much, no. JK: It must not have been… KMF: Never talked about it too much, no, but I don't think they were there that long. JK: Oh good. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 3 of 32 KMF: And I'm not even sure of how my grandfather died. That didn't seem to be very important history for them, I think. But just because I was the youngest they used to tell me as I was growing up that I was spoiled, but, of course, I never thought I was. But my bigger brothers and sisters, my brothers especially, they were in the working stage while I was young and they were very good to me. They owned cars for the first time and they'd be coming home from something or another and they'd pick us all up from school—you know, that kind of thing—which didn't happen to any of the rest of them in the family. And my brothers often gave me money, and they were very good, especially one of them who what my godfather. But later when I went home after I was a Sister—I went home for the first time after several years over here—he said to me one day, "Did you ever know why I was your godfather and not Francy?" (phonetic) who was the oldest of the crowd. And I said, "No. I just thought you were dying to be my godfather." And he said, "No, not exactly." (Laughs) He said, "I had to be because Francy refused. He did not want to have anything to do with having a baby sister." JK: Oh, how funny. [00:05:21] KMF: So, you know how older brothers are when the parents are still having children. You know they're thinking oh, my God, another baby. But I never saw that in their lives. I never saw that in their behavior toward me. I was always spoiled, and I always had a great time. And I do remember my childhood growing up was always full of fun. JK: Must have been. KMF: And one of adventure and play and just a good time. And faith was a very important… being Catholic was… We never thought of being anything else but Catholic, because everybody was Catholic there. But I think that my faith grew more from my home than it did ever from my church because the church was kind of thought about as the place where you receive the sacraments and the bigger or the most important part of being Catholic. But the way, we were raised was always very faith-filled. Like, for instance, we had always had the rosary at night and always as a family, you know, even as teenagers that had to kneel down beside the chair and said the rosary. The Angelus would ring in the middle of the day and everybody would stop and pray the Angelus. If there were men out working the field they'd take their hats off. If you had a drink of water like this you'd say, "Oh, blessings on the water. Thank you God." God was always part of our everyday life and the providence of God taking care of us. So, we lived that way. You know it was just very faith-filled, but we never thought of it as being faith-filled. We thought of it more as just the ordinary way of living. So, I think that's what has �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 4 of 32 stayed with me through the years is that faith that I saw in my parents and in my older brothers and sisters as I grew up, and not just them but in everyone around us. You know it was just a… JK: You mentioned earlier that your older…. yes, it had to be an older brother was a priest. KMF: Yes. JK: Which brother was that? [00:07:27] KMF: He was the third one from the top. JK: Ok. KMF: Third one down. And he had gone to a seminary over there. JK: And how did he decide to be a priest? [00:07:36] KMF: Bishops of that time went over there to… Well, he decided on his own, I suppose, to go to the seminary. Some other priest might have… He might have looked at somebody and said, "Oh, I might like to do something like that." But Bishops would go… How he got to the States—Bishops would go over to different seminaries and speak about the need of priests over here, and then he would offer them the last two years of their theology over here in the States. If they wanted to come to his diocese he would pay for their theology. And so that's how a lot of them are recruited to come over to the States. JK: And which diocese did he go to? [00:08:23] KMF: The Lincoln Diocese. He was in the Lincoln Diocese. JK: In Nebraska. KMF: In Nebraska. JK: Ok. KMF: So, the reason then… It was really through him that I got over here and, in a sense, because I went to a boarding school. It was called a finishing school, and I always smile when I say finishing school because people think, oh, you went to a finishing school? Like it's a big uppity. But it was just an ordinary convent school, boarding school, and it was over in County Mayo which is the west of Ireland. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 5 of 32 So, I boarded over there, and there were lots of other girls with me and everybody from different counties. And if you were from a different county it as like you were in another country. You're from County Longford, where's that? You know that type of thing even though it was all small. It was small. But Sisters used to come and speak to us about their missionary work, and they would be from Africa, Australia, England, France. They were all missionaries. It was the time in the church of missionary work, going over to a country, converting them to Catholicism and that type of thing. And so, it fascinated me, their stories about the people they worked with. And it also fascinates me to this day that Sisters then were able to do what they did, because these Sisters would talk to us. Now this is '88, and so these Sisters would… It would be a long time ago when they would be speaking to us. And they would tell us about their work and so many of them would go over to Africa or Australia or another place. They would start a hospital. They would have their own doctors. I don't know how they got educated as women, but I think it was because they were Sisters they could be educated as women to doctors and no one thought of them as women. That's the only thing I can think of. JK: So, the doctors were women? [00:10:29] KMF: Right. JK: That's fantastic. KMF: They were doctors from among themselves and nurses. All of the people who went over to do that missionary work were Sisters from among their community. And they would go over to an area, a poor area, and they would start a hospital in a very small area, and not much... It would be just like a little shack probably to begin with. They would train the native people in different hospital work, in different areas of the work. And pretty soon they began to educate the nursing and they began to get their own doctors and began to build within that community their own doctors and their own native people. And then the hospital would expand. And that's how they developed, the same as schools. JK: Interesting. [00:11:22] KMF: They started with themselves and they worked for the people. They didn't work for themselves. JK: What was that order that you're talking about? [00:11:29] KMF: That would be different orders. This one was…. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 6 of 32 JK: Various. KMF: They were the Medical Missionaries of Mary. That was their title and that's what they did. They did a lot of nursing. But a lot of different communities would speak to us. But that was the one that appealed to me—the Medical Missionaries of Mary. JK: So, why didn't you join that one instead of coming over here? [00:11:49] KMF: Well, this is the story. Then they left. I went home then at Christmas and I said, "Oh, yes, by the way, I'm going to go to Africa and join the…" It was kind of a nonchalant kind of thing, and you didn't make a big fuss over the different things. And so, my mother said, "Africa?" And I said, "Yes, these Sisters had come," and I told her the story, you know, how exciting it was and all that. So, then my brother came home in the meantime or maybe six months later or whatever because you couldn't do anything within a year. There was a war going on in the first place, and anytime you had to leave the country it took a whole year to prepare and to get a… So, anyway, he came home and my mother must have said to him, "Talk her out of going to Africa, and maybe she could go to the States." So, he said to me one day when he was there, "Well, why would you want to go to Africa?" And I said, "Because those Sisters were from Africa, and that's…" And he said, "Why don't you come to the United States?" And I said, "Sisters never came and talked to us about the United States. I don't know anything about it. I don't know any Sisters there." And he said, "Well, I know Sisters," because he had our Sisters in his parish. The Sisters of Charity were, and they were also attached to a hospital. It was Falls City, I think, Nebraska. And they had a school, and they had a hospital there. So, I said, "Well," I said, "oh, well, all right. What's the difference, Africa or America?" And it really wasn't to me at that time. So, I still have a kind of an inkling for Africa, but I wouldn't think of going there now. That's for sure. JK: (Laughs) KMF: It was the missionary aspect of it that attracted me. JK: I see. KMF: The adventure. Let me say the adventure. JK: So, you decided on the adventure of the United States. [00:13:45] KMF: So, yes. I was finishing school and so then I said… He said let me write to the leader. Let me write to the superior of the Sisters of Charity. And at that point the mother superior was Mother Francesca O'Shea. She was from Ireland. So, of course, that didn't hurt, you know, the fact that she was from Ireland. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 7 of 32 So, it didn't take very long. I came sight unseen so to speak. They didn't know who they were getting. They knew him, and he had a good reputation among the Sisters. So, when I arrived I stayed with him. I think I stayed with him a week or so before I came to the community here. JK: Other than The Wizard of Oz, what did you know about Kansas? [00:14:29] KMF: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. JK: (Laughs) KMF: Nothing at all. It's sight unseen for them and for me. JK: What were your first impressions of the Mother House and Leavenworth in general? [00:14:41] KMF: I had stayed with my brother at the rectory, and I was bored to pieces. You know I'd think, oh, my God, I want to get out of this place soon, because everywhere I went he'd say, watch when you go out there when you do… because I was the only woman around. The only girl around, I should say. And so, it wasn't that he was careful, but it was curtailing for me not to have any young people. So, the entrance day was September 8th, I think, '47, and so he brought me down to the Mother House and I was introduced to the people I should be first. And then I was brought into the novitiate, and this large crowd of young people my own age was there to greet me. There were 32 of them. And there were 32 just in my class alone, so I was just among young people again, and so that's what gave me life, to be truthful. JK: Oh, good. And there were other Irish Sisters there too, right? [00:15:43] KMF: There were other Irish Sisters but they were all a generation ahead of me. They were professed and they were middle age probably at that time, and I had no association with them that much at all because we were more on our own. Our schedule was not mingled with them for sure. Our schedule was to have classes and have training and have everything that we needed to become postulants and professed. And that would be two years time at least. So, I didn't really know. I might have met them but there was a generation between us. So, when you're at that age generation means a lot. JK: Oh, it does. [00:16:25] KMF: So, I associated a lot more, which was good in the aftermath as I look back on it, a lot more with the American crowd that I was in the midst of. And I made great friends and I loved it. I loved my novitiate. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 8 of 32 JK: Oh, good. KMF: I loved the different personalities and just being a part of them all. And being accepted, so well accepted. And there are people who still tell me some of the things that I said when I was there that they couldn't tell what in the world I was talking about. JK: Like, for instance? [00:16:57] KMF: Well, there's one Sister who tells me about… and I never remember saying it nor never do I remember but… and stories do change a little bit. But she said we were at table one day and I wanted milk, and it was a long table. And so the milk pitcher was down at the other end, and so I said to someone next me, "Would you see if there's any milk lurking in that jug down there at the end?" (Laughter) KMF: Now, she tells me that every time I see her because she's a little bit older than I am now. And I said, "Now, honest to God, Marcella, I don't think I remember saying that but whatever." So, there are lots that people say I said and all that, which I probably did. But we have lots of good stories about novitiate anyway besides just the stories I would… JK: Can you tell...? [00:17:52] KMF: I'll tell you this one story quickly. The Wren Day, St. Stephen's Day, is a big day in Ireland. And my first St. Stephen's Day here we were in the novitiate. Now, the novitiate is a place… Did anyone mention the novitiate to you yet? You know, being part of the novitiate? JK: Well, I would like more information. [00:18:13] KMF: It's segregated from the professed Sisters, and we have regulations of our own. We're in training so to speak. And there is a mistress of novices and a director over us. There are two people and they are our guides. And then we have each other. We don't mingle. We didn't mingle with the professed sisters. We had an area of our own and everything. It was our schedule. And that was to keep us from distraction and people who came because of their friends being there. They didn't see their friends that much. It was just different. But anyway, St. Stephens's Day in Ireland is a big day. They dress up. Do you know anything about St. Stephen's Day? No, you don't. JK: Not a lot. [00:18:54] �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 9 of 32 KMF: They dress up and they go out Wrenning. Wrenning means you go from house to house and you demand money and they don't know who you are, and you sing a song. It's just a tradition and it's the day after Christmas, the very day after Christmas. It's a big tradition with young adults and children over there and then, you know, it… So, I got a couple of my friends and they, of course, loved anything from Ireland. And so I said, "Let's get dressed up and"—this is St. Stephen's Day—"and we will go down to the community room," which was out of our area. The community room was down where the professed Sisters were, where we weren't supposed to go. JK: I see. KMF: I said, "They won't know us because we're all dressed up, and we'll ask for a box of… we'll ask for something, and Mother Francesca will know what it means because she was from Ireland." So, I don't know if we snuck out or if we had time, but we went down to the basement and we got boxes and put them over our head and put a face in front and two eyes so they didn't know who we were, and we went down to the community room. And they were all playing cards at different tables. And we went to the superior's table or the officer's, the most important table, and we sang, "The wren, the wren, the king of all birds, get up…" and whatever it went. And Mother Francesca looked at us, and I think she knew that I was the ringleader of it. So, she went to the closest and gave us a big box of candy, chocolate. So, back we came and we were delighted with the chocolate of course, and we presented it to our mistress of novices. And she said, "Where'd you get this?" And then the story came out. And they said, "Elizabeth brought us down to celebrate the Wren Day." And then they… well, they got more punished than I did. I got away with it because I didn't know any better. But the two of them—their deceased since—but they never let me forget how I got them in trouble. JK: (Laughs) KMF: And I didn't get in trouble but they did. So, that was one of the fun things about it. JK: That's funny. So, has the novice training changed over time? [00:21:17] KMF: Oh it has changed a whole lot. Yes, because there aren't as many. JK: So, how is it different? [00:21:20] KMF: It's so, so different. There's only one or two to begin with. JK: Oh, that's true. KMF: That's the thing. And so they're mingling with us all the time. It's different completely. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 10 of 32 JK: Yes, ok. KMF: It's a whole different ballgame, uh-huh. JK: What was the most difficult adjustment in your new home? [00:21:36] KMF: My most difficult… in coming here would be learning the culture, but it didn't bother me that much because everybody was so darn friendly, you know, and they took you in. I just became friends with so many different ones, so many different personalities that I felt at home being around young people. That was really what did my novitiate for me. I don't remember the praying part of it that much and all that. We also had lots of fun things that we… There were a lot of fun personalities among the Sisters. They just kept life going. We had lots of different rules but the fun behind the rules was what really, as far as I'm concerned, was really what kept us going and the camaraderie together of so many young people wanting to do the same thing in life. You know that kind of thing was kind of encouraging to me. But the hardest thing for me was the eating and the food, getting used to the food was so different for me. But eating because we ate differently. We used the fork. The fork was just used the opposite in our hands, and so I was always looking around and trying to look at the mistress of novices and she was eating very sedately, you know, and I was next to her because the youngest was always next… So, I let silverware fall just about every meal. You know I was picking up something off the floor. But pretty soon I got used to it, but I do remember that as being a big, big adjustment. JK: Right. What were some of the rules that you had that you either got around or dealt with? [00:23:19] KMF: The silence was a big thing. Yes, the silence was a big thing, keeping quiet at certain times when you weren't able to talk. Those are the hardest for me because when we were able to talk and communicate you sort of had fun. And if you didn't have fun, you know, a schedule of fun, you always had fun just interacting, doing something on somebody or whatever. JK: When were you not allowed to speak? [00:23:41] KMF: Three in the afternoon was a quiet time—3:00 to 4:00, or 2:00 to 3:00 or something like that. JK: But you could eat… dinners or meals were not silent. [00:23:51] KMF: Some meals were silent too. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 11 of 32 JK: Oh, ok. KMF: There were just lots of different things. But we never… There were five or six of us still, four or five, and we can still talk about novitiate days even though they were just two years, you know, but they were the beginning and so we kind of hang in together. But you meet all kinds of Sisters along the way after that, you know, through life which is the biggest part for me of a great community life, meeting so many different ones. JK: Your first ministry involved teaching in elementary school as had most of the other young Sisters. [00:24:37] KMF: Mine was in Leadville, Colorado, and it was at a very high altitude, but I didn't even realize that at the time. I was just getting so used to so many different things that the altitude probably didn't bother me. But I do remember getting the measles while I was there—measles. And the place that we taught had a hospital as well as a school, and the Sisters from the hospital worked… lived together and the school Sisters lived together. And we lived in a kind of a dorm. It was an old hospital, a very old hospital, and our dorm was almost part of the hospital. And so I remember being in a hospital room very close to where I was living in the dorm. The cure for measles was lying in the dark six to seven days without lights. JK: I know they believed… well, at the time … KMF: I don't know what it was. JK: … they believed it would help prevent blindness, 'cause I guess blindness was a… KMF: Right, or something to that effect. JK: …side effect of the measles. [00:25:37] KMF: I just vaguely remembered how did I survive those seven days or whatever, because the room was stark and bare to begin with. But I got over it. I guess I did anyway. JK: And you didn't give it to anybody else? [00:25:48] KMF: I didn't give it to anybody else. So, that was good. JK: Oh, that's good. KMF: But Leadville had… There were lots of other strange things in Leadville because of the Sisters in the hospitals living together, you know, at that time. I learned a lot there about school. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 12 of 32 JK: You feel like it's a frontier town. Of course it is. [00:26:10] KMF: Uh-huh. And the other thing, my biggest problem there was just learning the ropes as being a part of the school system, being on faculty, because our report cards, for instance… I had a mentor from among the teachers. One Sister was assigned to me to keep me abreast on what was happening so to speak. And I remember when it was report card time… Are you familiar with report cards? JK: Oh, yes. [00:26:47] KMF: There are six sections and you fill in the first one for the first six weeks, I think, or the first six something or another. They get grades even, six… So, they bring it home to their parents and then they bring it back and you keep to the next time. And, well, I saw one of the Sisters working on hers long before it was time. And I thought, oh, my gosh, maybe I should start working on mine too. So, I worked on them and I had four or five of them done. And we had been teaching now close to six weeks. And so I saw the six spaces, so I gave them a grade. I had made out four or five report cards, and I had given them a grade for every week. JK: Oh, no. (Laughter) KMF: I had filled in the whole report card until this mentor said… I said, "Oh, I have already some of my report cards done." And she said, "Let me see them." And she just laughed and laughed and laughed when she saw them. And I'm thinking what is she laughing at? So, she said, "These are given one space." She said, "You have to do these over again." At that time asking for five more report cards was a big deal, so I did get into a little scrap over that one—not to be so quick and to ask questions. Money was another thing. We were taking up pagan baby money, and I didn't know the difference. We didn't use money in the novitiate, so I never learned American money. I had to learn it then and there and so you get it mixed up kind of. So, we were missing money turned in to the pagan babies or something. I can't recall what it was. Maybe it was music money. Oh, I know. It was music money that this kid was supposed to be… He was taking music lessons from one of our Sisters and the mother was sending the money with him daily or weekly for the lessons to pay exactly then and there. And we had a contest between the boys and the girls at the same time about who was going to make the most money for the pagan babies whether it was the boys or the girls. And this little guy was giving his music money so the boys would always be ahead. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 13 of 32 And so the day came when the bill went home for the music and the mother said, "I've been sending money with him every week." And I don't know how much it was. So, the next thing you know I was called and said, "You know, Jimmy Irwin."—I remembered his name—"He takes music lessons and he hasn't paid for his music, and the mom says she's been giving it to him every week." And then I said, "No. Oh, my gosh. That's the reason why the boys are ahead all the time." JK: (Laughs) KMF: The boys wanted to be ahead of the girls so it was a competition between the boys… So, we had to cough up… and so I didn't … the principal said to me, "We are ten dollars short of music money," or something. And she said, "We have to make that up." And I'm thinking I have no idea where we are going to get ten dollars. I said, "Maybe you can write to my brother and ask him for ten dollars." JK: (Laughs) KMF: So, anyway, that was one money deal but it turned out ok. JK: Were your classes as large as other people's…? [00:29:57] KMF: Oh, yes, they probably were. I don't remember much. I just survived, I think. Leadville was just a year. I was only there one year. JK: Only one year. Ok. [00:30:05] KMF: And then I was moved to… I think I was moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and it was easier each year because I began to know more and more. But the kids were always… They were always reminding me of something. There would be a great… If I was saying something incorrectly in spelling words, they'd say, that's pronounced… They wouldn't pay any attention to the way I'd pronounce it. So, sometimes I found them my better teachers really. [30:38] When I went to St. Laurence in Laramie, that was the first time where I was principal, and I was there a year before the principal was leaving. And I'm sure that I was being shaped to be her replacement, but I didn't know it at the time. JK: Oh, you didn't. [00:31:00] KMF: No. But it was very… JK: Did you go to Laramie first and then Helena, I mean… KMF: Yes. I was in Laramie first and then Helena. Yes. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 14 of 32 JK: Oh, ok. KMF: And Laramie was Wyoming. It's a very small city really. It had a university. That was the big thing. And we had a wonderful staff there. We had a junior high. Not too many places had junior highs at that time. But we didn't have a high school there. So, we had them come to the ninth grade instead of having to go into junior high and then move again. So, that was about the… you know, in Laramie. JK: How did you like administration as opposed to teaching? [00:31:45] KMF: I kind of glided into it easily, I think. I didn't make a big to-do about it, I don't think. I had so many good Sisters, I mean companions there that were really good assistants and helped in so many different ways that I'm sure they took the burden off the principalship. I don't remember it being stressful to be truthful. JK: Oh, good. How long had you taught before you became a principal? [00:32:11] KMF: Oh, probably 14 or… 10 or 15 years, I'm not sure. Around in there. JK: Ok. So, where else did you teach then? [00:32:19] KMF: Then I went to… from Laramie I went to Helena, and that's where the schools closed. JK: No, I mean where did you teach after Leadville? [00:32:28] KMF: Oh. I was out in California for a year, and I was in Leavenworth. I was out in California for a couple of years. JK: Where in California? [00:32:36] KMF: It was called Visitation School in Los Angeles. JK: Oh, in Los Angeles. KMF: And it was a very big school too. And I got changed from there because some Sister there had to be back here close by for something or another. And it was just a good experience for me. That's all. I can't remember much about it. And the kids were very nice, very good kids. And from there then I went to Helena. That's where I went. And I was only there in Helena for two years when that school closed. And it was one of our first schools closing. A lot have closed since. Well, many of them have closed since. JK: And why did it close? [00:33:11] �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 15 of 32 KMF: It was the bishop's decision because a lot of the money was going into the Catholic schools system from the parish, and there were a lot of other students, a lot of other children not able to go and pay the tuition. So, he felt it was unfair to have a Catholic school going really and not having some good religious education programs for all of the children together because some families weren't able to pay the tuition. JK: I see. KMF: So, it was a hard decision at the time because not many schools were closing, but he was a very strong man. His name was Bishop Hunthausen. And he saw the handwriting on the wall and it was a very difficult thing for all the Sisters that were there because we were all without jobs. And that was the beginning of my other career which is the most important part of my life, I think, is the next career that I've gotten into. JK: Oh, good. Before we leave that when was it that that school closed? [00:34:18] KMF: Let me see. In '69, maybe '69 or around. It was maybe '68. I'm not sure. JK: Right. KMF: It was in the '60s, and there were nine of us teaching and there were nine of us without… You know when the schools closed we all wondered now where do we go. And so five, I think, of us stayed on to bridge the gap between the religious education program that we were going to work on and not having a school, to bridge the gap for the parents that had sent their kids to a Catholic school. So they would still see us and be familiar with us. And so then that was the beginning of pastoral ministry work in parishes. JK: I see. KMF: And then we began to work closer with the priests. And we became one big staff rather than the Sisters here and the priests there. JK: I see. And what did you do in your new position and where was it? [00:35:22] KMF: The next one you mean. JK: Your first position in pastoral care. KMF: Oh, my first there in Helena. I continued to work in pastoral ministry. JK: Pastoral ministry. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 16 of 32 KMF: I had marriage encounter groups, and I did some day retreat work for women. Then we of course had religious education for the children, but we did adult work too with adult classes. JK: Can you tell about each of those experiences? [00:35:52] KMF: No. I'm not sure if I have time, but let's see, the marriage encounter… JK: You've got time. KMF: Oh, I have lots of time. But I have a bigger story, I think, as I go on. My story gets… I have more to say about the last part of my story because I've spent longer in the last stage of my… I've spent longer in the ministry of AIDS. JK: Oh, ok. KMF: That was the biggest chunk of my… JK: Right. But we have plenty of time. KMF: But anyway… ok. I thought I could find a good excuse here of not having time, but that's not working. (Laughter) JK: If you want to pass onto the next one that's fine. [00:36:29] KMF: No, no, no. What was the question you asked? JK: I just asked… KMF: Oh, marriage… yes, yes, yes. JK: You had a few programs that you… KMF: Yes. Marriage encounter was one. JK: Marriage and…? KMF: Marriage encounter. JK: Oh, marriage encounter. Ok. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 17 of 32 KMF: It was a program and then you kept it going and married couples met and discussed their differences and their acceptance and whatever to make their marriage better. And that was quite an experience for me. JK: How so? [00:37:03] KMF: I wasn't ready for all of their discussions so to speak. JK: (Laughs) KMF: For all of their differences. And they were very talkative too. They were very outgoing people. And I think I might have had six couples if I'm not mistaken. But I do remember just one that just comes to mind. I said, "You know what? I think I have to leave." And it was a little sooner than I would. And they said, "Well, why are you leaving? The conversation is just getting started," or just getting fired up or whatever. And I said, "Yes, I'm leaving. Truly," I said, "I'm leaving because I'm so happy just to be going home to my single bed." (Laughter) KMF: Because it was all about their problems… well, I shouldn't say in bed, but anyway, it was that kind of a problem and so they all said, "Oh, chicken, chicken." (Laughter) JK: That's good. KMF: But they were fun groups to have, and the other one was a retreat, days of retreat I'd have for women. JK: And what did you discuss there? [00:38:28] KMF: There would be a topic. Maybe a topic about how do you feel about the church today. It would be a topic like that. It would be support for them in aftermath because they might continue meeting on a monthly basis or something like that. And there might be women that belonged to prayer groups, 'cause I did some prayer group work too for women mostly. I think I might have been on the women kick at that time. JK: It was the very beginning of the women's movement. KMF: Yes, it was. JK: Did that have anything to bear? [00:39:05] �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 18 of 32 KMF: A little bit. It did probably. JK: How so? [00:39:08] KMF: 'Cause I remember I stayed on in summertime giving retreats. We had a big convent and it was a mansion-y convent called 600 Harrison. And it had big rooms and gave itself very well to groups for retreat. So, I would always have day retreats there for women. JK: Did you discuss any women's issues? [00:39:34] KMF: Oh, yeah, very much so. Yes. You know it was mostly women's issues, you know, about leadership and how we could become more prevalent in parishes and support each other by small groups too. JK: You started the pastoral ministry in Helena, but then after six years you moved to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning, Montana. [00:40:06] KMF: That's right. JK: How did you like working on the Indian reservation? KMF: Oh, I loved it. JK: And what did you run into? [00:40:13] JK: There was one Sister up there. The reason I moved up there was there was one Sister… There were two Sisters working there, and they had just been there a year. That was their first endeavor. And one of them was leaving at the end of the year. She either didn't like it or she was moving to another area. And so the one Sister… There weren't too many others volunteering to go up there. I was still in Montana and so it was up farther in the state and so I thought about it. That would be a wonderful… I always liked adventure and I'm thinking that it was adventure that probably got me to the community to begin with, the adventure of doing different things. And so I thought, I don't know, I never worked with the Native Americans but I bet I could manage that and I really have had… What? It's not the prejudice I want to say. I've never had that much difference in discrimination. You know I remembered an incident when we had the grade school in Helena. I got a call—this is going back to grade school. I got a call one time from somebody from Washington who was moving to Helena, Montana, and he wanted to know something about the Catholic school. And he was going to come a week ahead of his family just to stake things out. And he wanted to �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 19 of 32 know if he could come and look at the school because he didn't know for sure whether he'd send his kids there or not. So, I said, "Sure, give me a call when you come and I'll show you around." So, he did. He came and he gave me a call and I showed him around the school. And as we were walking around the school he said to me, "Do you have any African American people?" And I thought "African American people." I said, "No, no we don't." We were still walking around. And then we passed a classroom, and there was a teacher who had good, loud voice and she was teaching, and he looked in and he said, "Oh, but you do have African American teachers." And I looked in and I said, "Oh, yes. Mary Alice." So, it dawned on me. Now, Mary Alice had been there when I went to Helena and she was… her husband was the assistant coach at Carroll College, I think. They were a stable family. I never thought of her as being African American because she was there when I went there and she was just stable. And then I remembered all her kids were in school. You know, she has five or six kids, and they were all in different classes. I said, "Oh, yes, Mary Alice." And then I said, "We do have her children here too." So, it was like… You know, he never sent his kids to our school. JK: No, really? [00:43:08] KMF: No. So, that's way back there too. The side of the story is that I would have never seen the difference. So, going up to Browning to the Indian, Blackfeet Indian, I didn't think I would have any difficulty with their culture if they didn't have any difficulty with mine. JK: Right. KMF: That kind of thing. So, because of the vacancy I volunteered to go up there because I felt that I had done enough in Helena and that somebody else could… some lay people now could replace me. So, I joined that Sister for two years, three years up there, and she left and then another Sister came and joined. And we were there six years and we promoted a lot of leadership among them. And the kind of missionary work that was beginning in the church and that we did at that time was not the same as the old missionary work of going to a country and saying this is what it means to be a Catholic. But you take their culture and you work with and say, "You are still African American, and that's the most important aspect. Here's how you can bring in the Catholic culture to it. You don't change your culture. You bring the Catholic faith into it and work it from your culture, and that was the whole completely opposite of missionary work. Missionary work in the past and in the beginning when missionaries went to Africa people had to become like them in schools and boarding schools, and all that the kids were taught white. White is the thing. But that's not… JK: And the Indian reservations at that time, how are the students taught? [00:44:58] �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 20 of 32 KMF: At that time there were some… Now in Browning they had no grade schools, no schools. They would have vacation schools which meant Sisters would go in for two or three weeks during the summer and prepare them for sacraments but it was not a longtime term thing. So, anyway, that was my reason for going, for developing leadership among them themselves so that they could become the leaders of their own culture from the Catholic point of view. And so I learned their culture and fit it into their culture. JK: Oh, I see. KMF: Yes. And I think that being Irish did help me in that area. JK: Did it? [00:45:46] KMF: It did, yes. I have a funny story to tell that I sometimes tell the Sisters about. I would try to learn their, what do I want to say, their characteristics, their beadwork and their handiwork, and I would try to learn things that would be important for me after I left. And, anyway, we were sitting around and we were having beadwork. Now, I would meet with a group of them every Wednesday, I think, and it was a chat group and beadwork, but they do a lot of other things including a little bit of gossip, you know, periodic. So, one of them said to the group one Wednesday, "Oh, I have to go to Missoula."Are you familiar with Montana? JK: Somewhat. Yes. My daaughter lives in Billings. KMF: "I have to go to Missoula next weekend for a wedding." And they all said, "Oh, poor Wilma." They were all Indian, Native Americans around me. And I didn't know for sure what the wedding was about. But the next Wednesday someone said, "Wilma, how did the wedding go? How did the wedding go?" And she said, "Ah, you know those white people." That's us. "You know those white people." So, I'm the only white person around so I said, "Wilma, I'm here, you know. I'm here." And she said, "Oh, no. You're not white. You're Irish." JK: (Laughs) KMF: So, I said, "Ah, good, good, good, good. I'm saved." So, I felt like maybe that interaction… I mean… I loved being on the Indian reservation. I loved it, and I loved the interaction with the people. And when I was leaving, both the other Sister and myself, we wanted to leave because we felt that as long as we stayed there they wouldn't do what we had trained them to do, because they'd say, "Oh, the Sisters can do it. The Sisters would do that. They'd know how to do it better than we do." So, we both decided to leave at the same time. And then we both naturally… JK: Did you ever check back and see that they followed through? [00:47:57] �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 21 of 32 KMF: Oh, yes. Oh many times, many times. JK: Did you? KMF: Many times, yes. I still hear from some of them. JK: What was the result? [00:48:02] KMF: Well, now we have Sisters up there too. We have a Sister teaching grade school up there. JK: Oh, you do. KMF: Yes. And then there was another Sister who followed a few years later than that, and she was there for 30 years, I think, or 20. Yes, yes. I feel like they got a good… You know that they were used to doing their own thing kind of thing which is the best thing for them to do. JK: Were there any challenges at all dealing with…? [00:48:26] KMF: Oh, there were lots of challenges. Yes, there were lots of challenges of... JK: …different cultures? KMF: Yes. We had another very successful ministry for men that really changed a lot of the men there. Men didn't take much responsibility about their faith or anything. And there was… I don't know if you ever heard of a Cursillo, but there was a men's Cursillo, and I asked about seven or eight of them if they wouldn't mind making that Cursillo. It was a weekend. There was a lot of dedication, and they came back just full of the spirit, full of life and faith. It was a renewal for them. And so to this day I do think that they go to other places performing and giving lectures on that Cursillo, on being with the Lord and taking responsibility of your family for the Lord. And it was the first time in a way they seemed to be awakened to that kind of a discovery. So, it was a very successful… And I know that long after we left they were traveling to other reservations and they were traveling to other places to put on the Cursillo. Cursillo —did you hear of it? It was a very successful movement within the church in the '70s or '80s. JK: Would you say it again please? [00:49:51] KMF: Cursillo, C-U-R-S-I-L-L-O, Cursillo, I think. JK: Ok. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 22 of 32 KMF: I'm sure there are Sisters who would have gone through it here many times. But it's a wonderful lay thing. And then we would also attend a Tekakwitha Conference. Tekakwitha is the saint, the Native American saint. She was canonized, and all the Native American tribes from around would meet once a year some place, and so we would raise money and send as many as we could to that conference. And that was also a great revival for them, because they were meeting with other Christians who were active in their churches, other tribes. It would be a good weekend, long weekend where they would revive their own culture within themselves. JK: And you wrote an Indian family prayer book. KMF: Oh, yes, I did. I did that… JK: Why did you do that? [00:51:02] KMF: I did that because I wanted their artwork. I wanted them to see their own artwork around common prayers, so that they'd recognize… JK: So, you incorporated… KMF: The prayer wasn't really Indian as much as the artwork. JK: Oh. It was from the reservation. [00:51:23] KMF: Yes. And they would recognize the artwork and then they would pick up the book and they'd say, "Ah, we know these prayers. They are our Father." It wasn't prayers that they weren't used to. JK: Ok. KMF: I used ordinary prayer with it, I think. I can't remember. It was so long ago, but I do remember definitely their artwork, their Native American artwork. JK: That must have been very pretty. KMF: Yes. JK: And you moved from Montana to a Native Alaskan ministry. KMF: Yes. JK: With the Archdiocese of Anchorage. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 23 of 32 KMF: Right. JK: But did you stay in Anchorage? [00:52:01] KMF: I did. I stayed in Anchorage, but I used to go out to the bush area. JK: Oh, did you? KMF: And my reason, I was asked by the community to go up to Alaska. We had a Sister up there by herself, and she was a midwife and she lived with… Sisters are few in Alaska and few meaning they are from different communities, maybe one or two or three. And we were all one when we were up there because we needed each other. So, she was living with six or seven other Sisters from other communities. So, when I went up to join her we got a little apartment for the two of us because there wasn't room for me in the bigger one. But we had a great camaraderie with all the other Sisters there. That was the biggest boost to me, to get to know so many other different religious communities and meet each other. We needed each other because we were so far away from all of our own communities. JK: Right. KMF: And we had lots of fun and lots of good community. And so much so that when we would be doing… you know, where we all met in parishes, we were working, we were meeting together the Sisters would all try to sit at the same table so we'd have fun and visit. And the bishop would come along and he'd say, "You Sisters are supposed to all spread out among the people. (Laughter) KMF: So, I worked with the Eskimos and the Indians there. I kept my work to Native Americans. JK: Oh, you did. [00:53:32] KMF: And the Eskimos are the natives. They are two completely different… Eskimo. I always felt that they were all the same. No. The Eskimo has a heritage of their own and the Athabascan Indians were the other famous Indians who are up there. And the Eskimos, they were the fish herd. They would catch the big salmon and do that kind of stuff. And the Athabascans were bead workers. JK: Oh, really. Ok. KMF: Beautiful beadwork. But I worked with the two and it was called Native Alaskan. And so when you referred to Native Alaskans you were referring to Eskimos and the Indians and all the �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 24 of 32 other different tribes. But there are so many white people up there now the Native Alaskans are fewer. JK: And where did you have to go? [00:54:27] KMF: Anchorage. I worked out of Anchorage and a lot of the native… from the different islands, not islands—what do they call it? —bases (phonetic) from around Alaska, all the different, small places in Alaska, they would come in for some reason, and maybe many of them came to stay in Anchorage. And so to keep their culture again and to… my job there was developing native leaders, Catholic leaders. JK: So, an extension of your Montana experience. [00:55:05] KMF: Right. And also it was important for them to be able to live their native culture in Anchorage because Anchorage was white as well. So, they would put on native Masses, for instance, and they would have their own culture, and then other native people would want to come and see their culture, you know. So, it was saying Alaska belongs to the natives. This is who Alaska is in a way, 'cause that's who they were. So, all the different areas that… There are so many little, different sections that different ones come from. They're all different tribes and all different languages. So, it's like a little country to itself—Alaska. But it was a wonderful experience for me. And the reason I left… I was there for seven years and I had committed seven years to that program. And so the community, I think, knew that my seven years were coming to a close and so they were probably thinking, oh, let's see. What can we have her do? So, I got a call one time that said would you come back to the lower 48—that's us down here— and do this program for the candidates, formation director? And that was new candidates, first year candidates. So, I did that for a year, and it was only two and I think two lasted and went onto the next realm of it and then they went onto to the next. And then my second year was beginning. I had only one, and she left in February. But I then got into my most, do I want to say, the area that I got the most out of myself as well—the AIDS work. JK: And when did you enter the AIDS work? Or when did you begin the AIDS work? [00:57:12] KMF: It was in, let me see, '86 or '87. JK: Oh, that early. KMF: Yes. '87 or '88. JK: Oh that must have been… �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 25 of 32 KMF: And the reason I got into it was actually by coincidence because after that candidate left I had no options for much jobs because it was February, and we needed to have a job and we needed to be bringing in money here in the community at that time. I was told that. And so, I thought, well, let's see now and I can look… So, I called lots of parishes to see if they needed any… and February's not an easy time to find a job. JK: Right. [00:57:53] KMF: But one of the candidates that had—I think she died since—but she had some connection with AIDS, or with AIDS, and she used to attend something, an AIDS support group or something. I wasn't sure I knew what it was all about. But she used to mention it to me about AIDS. And so I thought I'm going to check out that AIDS business. It was just beginning. I knew nothing about it and knew everybody was afraid of it. But I checked it out and I heard at the right time that there was a training. And I'm thinking, well, my gosh, this just fits right in. I'll do the training and it'll give me a chance to find out more about it. So, I did the training. It was a week's training, very intense, and at the end of it I went down to Good Samaritan. It was just beginning to… It was an organization for AIDS, daily organization not a live over or whatever. JK: And this was in Kansas City. [00:58:56] KMF: Kansas City, Missouri. And so I went there and I did the training, and then I went down to Good Samaritan after the training, and it was just beginning and there were only two people on the staff, maybe three, and the one that interviewed me, she said, "Now, what would you like to do?" And I said, "Well, the only thing I'm really qualified," I said, "is for something in the spiritual line, and I don't even know enough about how I would fit in or whatever, but that would be my forte," I said. And she said, "We never have any calls for that. We just never hear about that." They didn't because they were so caught up in the disease itself. There were people dying. And it was just the beginning of AIDS. It was the first or second year of the AIDS epidemic in Kansas City. And so I said, "Well, you know what, that would be my first preference," I said, "and I don't know that I'd be useful in any other area." And the areas that they would want would be transportation, taking them around from place to place, but I knew I couldn't do that. And so I said, "Well, you know what, I'll have to try again," or something I said. "I'd try some place else."And she said, "No, just a minute. Just a minute. You know," she said, "we have had about 15 clients come here to Good Samaritan." And she said, "Would you mind just calling them maybe and asking them if their service was complete or if they need anything else and just to see where they are with the disease?" �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 26 of 32 So, I thought I could do that but I don't know any answers for their questions. But I decided I'd take that anyway. So, I called and my experience was that the person would say, "You're who? Who did you say you were?" And, you know, Sister Kevin Marie. It's sort of a, "Kevin Marie?" Now, some of these wouldn't be Catholic. Some of them would, but you could tell those that weren't. And they said, "Who are you working for?" And I explained, and I made the training. I'm a Sister of Charity and I'm volunteering, and I'd explain who I was. And then after a bit they'd say, "Oh, would you ever mind calling my mom and telling her that you called me?" And I thought, "Sure. Give me your mom's name." And so that would be his… Then another would say, "Now, tell me again who you are." And so I went through… you know I explained who I was. But if they were Catholic they knew right away, Sister Kevin, and they'd say, "What are you doing here?" because they would get the shaft from a lot of people already. And so I would explain to them that I was trying to work at Good Samaritan and I was just beginning, and then they would say, again, it was connect with my family. Tell them who you are and tell them that you are in my life. It's like saying if you are in my life I'm ok. So, it was my calling card to say this is where you belong. If you don't do anything else but call this is where you belong, because they were asking for spiritual help and for support. I found the support needed badly. JK: Right. [01:02:37] KMF: And so that's why I said after I finished… I didn't do it all the first day because it probably took a week to go through… But that's what I was getting. And then I was getting requests like… because many of them already had a partner die of AIDS, and no one wanted to bury the partner, no church wanted to—no one. So, they would say would you do my memorial for me if I die. I mean they were dying right and left at that time. And so that's how… Then I said I belong here. So, I came back and said… oh, I think I said to her, or did I tell you the part where I said, "I can only do a spiritual thing and she said we don't have any… So, when I came back with the results of my calling I said, "They're all asking for something different, for some spiritual thing, some need." And so, when she heard my story then they were putting out a new pamphlet, a new format, and so there my name was saying spiritual support. And that was how I got into it. JK: That's wonderful. [01:03:44] KMF: So, it was my greatest, my most rewarding type of work. JK: It must have been so difficult. But maybe it wasn't because you were… [01:03:56] KMF: It was difficult in a sense that I felt so good among them because I felt so accepted among them that I was somebody that represented the church to them. I represented their parents to them. I represented so many people that had rejected them. So, they thought, well, here's this one �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 27 of 32 person. She's in my life. I must be ok if she sticks with me, because at that time it was devastating for them. Devastating. JK: Yes. KMF: So, I lasted there for almost 20 years. JK: Twenty years. KMF: Twenty. I was on my twentieth. JK: So, you lasted until the cure came in. [01:04:46] KMF: Right. And until people stopped dying actually. They're not dying now at all of AIDS, and they can get a long-term… If they're on medication… And I know many of them that are still living, and they live as long as anyone else because medication has so improved. But it was devastating because we would have 30 to 40 a month. And this is why I brought this along to show you. This is only a portion of them, but I kept a picture of these. JK: Oh, really. KMF: And that's just a portion of them. JK: Oh, my gosh. KMF: And each one of those has a story. JK: Oh, I'm sure they did. That's really nice. [01:05:46] KMF: But these are what I would do for actually the memorial if I could, if I had time. I didn't do it for everyone. But I called it "Blow gentle breeze. Carry memories of our loved ones." And then I would have a little bit about each person. This would be the first one, Norbert, that I had. JK: Oh, really. KMF: Do I have time to read it to you? JK: I'm sorry? KMF: Do I have time to read it to you? JK: Yes. [01:06:24] �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 28 of 32 KMF: Ok. "In memory of Norbert. [And this was '89.] Norbert, frail in limb and body but strong in spirit. My fragility from fear and experience was made strong by Norbert's welcoming spirit. Baptismal waters bonded us spiritually. And a large rosary draped over his bed made our conversation flow with ease. Norbert recalled the nuns who taught him, and I recalled the Norberts that I taught. Was it this connection that brought a glint to Norbert's eye? I will never know. Our encounter seemed so fleeting. In so short a time an empty bed announced his resurrection and fleshed angels told the story of his peaceful dying. I will never know for sure about that glint. I only know I longed to take him in my arms and speak pietà to a world of AIDS." This is the picture of the pietà. So, as kind of a grieving sometime after, I composed a verse in their memory. JK: I'm sure that helped. [01:07:53] KMF: It did. Yes. And I have it as a memory, you know. JK: Right. KMF: This man was Jewish, and I was gone when he died and I was very sad. But we had great discussions even. "I sat stunned as I saw your obituary. I read it over and over again convincing myself it wasn't you, Michael, my friend. But denial gave way to acceptance and my heart bore a great pain, pain for the loss of a good friend, pain that I was not with you in your final exodus. I was aware that your life was often battered by the winds of depression and finding shelter in the midst of the storm was difficult for you. In contrast there were days when peace dwelt in your heart, the bright moments when your Jewish belief carried you through the Red Sea of pain. I will remember our long conversations intertwining the best of both of our faiths both respecting and believing in the goodness of the other. And when you sent me your email on June, 2001 you ended with the following manner. Now I will repeat it in your memory." �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 29 of 32 And he has something in Jewish that I don't know but it's like "May the Lord always be with you and bless you," but he said it in Jewish. JK: Oh, that's beautiful. Thank you. [01:09:31] KMF: Yes. Alex was a very funny guy. JK: You know I wonder if the archives could make a copy of that. KMF: Oh, I'm sure they could, yes, because I have several copies that I've given people. JK: Oh, do you? [01:09:47] KMF: Yes. Not several left but it might well be in the archives already. JK: Oh, ok. But let's check, because it should be. KMF: Yes. And let's see now if there's anything else. JK: Well, copies of that also. KMF: I'll put that in the archives too, I think. These are all Alaskan pictures of different Sisters that were there, you know, in the time. JK: Oh, yes. KMF: We're having a good time. JK: Yes, right. Well, that's good. KMF: So, let's see, was there anything else? JK: So, thank you for sharing them. [01:10:37] KMF: Oh, I guess maybe the last few questions I… What makes the SCL community work? Can I do that? JK: Yes. If you met your younger self and she was debating whether or not to join the SCLs what would tell her? [01:10:51] KMF: I would say, yes, yes, yes, do, do, do. JK: (Laughs) �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 30 of 32 KMF: Go and enjoy it. Enjoy it and say give it all you've go. And use your natural gifts to the hilt. JK: Great. Yes. [01:11:08] KMF: I think for me, like for instance, working with AIDS I found that they gave me more myself than I gave them, and they accepted my naturalness. They accepted my gifts, and they turned them into something that I didn't even think of them as gifts. Like when they would introduce me to their parents or something, they would say, "Sister Kevin is with us." Or like one fellow said, "She was the last one I saw before I went into surgery and the first one I saw when I came out." Well, what would you expect that I sat there in the (inaudible)? I didn't. I went home and had an eight-hour sleep, you know. And when he saw me the next day it was probably 11 o'clock. JK: (Laughs) KMF: But they would say that to their parents and they would make you believe… And I'd let it go, you know. I would let it go. I don't know if you know Catholic statements or not, but one day I went into a hospital, and I went to say goodbye to the young guy because he was going home. And when I got there his friend was leaning over him, and when I knocked on the door the friend was so delighted to see me. He said, "Come in, come in." And he was really anxious. And he said, "I think he's dying. He's dying." And I said, "Willy (phonetic) dying, oh, my God." And I was so taken at the moment that I put my hand under him and I said what we would say, and I don't know if you're familiar with grace before meals? I said, "Bless us, oh Lord, in these your gifts." And I said the grace before meals, what I would say, which wouldn't be said when a person is dying. You know, it would be before a meal. And the other guy that was there with him… Willy died right then and there. Now, he was very sick but he was also well enough to go home, but he wouldn't have long maybe to stay at home. I don't know. But when Michael was explaining this to different… he said, "Willy is in Heaven. Willy is in Heaven, because Sister Kevin came in and gave him the Last Rites." I said, "Oh, no, no." I didn't even contradict him that I didn't give him the Last Rites. But they always put you away on a pedestal and you let them be, you let it be because, well, if they thought so that's ok. So, a long time after that, sometime after that when I heard him saying it in a big crowd, I said, "You know, Michael, if there's a bishop ever around don't say that because I'd be in big trouble." (Laughter) [01:13:52] But they always gave me more than I ever deserved from them. They thought that I could do anything for them. And I think it was I did fulfill a purpose for them because the church was not �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 31 of 32 on their side. Their parents were not on their side, at the very beginning especially. Some parents would come the last few days of dying and then they would want to have—what do you call that?—oxygen or not oxygen but… Well, oxygen or something that would keep them longer alive. Oh, where were they when he needed them? But they wanted… You know the last minute it was like, oh, (inaudible). And they would ignore the partner that was with them taking care of them for 30 years, or 40 years, so it was really hard on them. They had a whole lot to put up with. And so my last remark is… I don't have it with me naturally but I have… My shroud is going to be three big banners that I made in their memory. And their names are on it, and I had it on display during AIDS week or something. JK: Oh, did you? [01:15:12] KMF: I'd make one for each new session, and I'm going to have that as my shroud when I die. So, I know I'll have to go straight to Heaven with that crowd around me with their names. JK: Oh, right, yes. KMF: I said I'd have to go straight to Heaven with that crowd around me with all their names. And I know they're in Heaven because they suffered so much and were rejected so much. But AIDS has come a long way, even in the reputation of AIDS. People… JK: Yes it has. KMF: People remember. Ok, let's see if there's anything else. The future of the SCLs. JK: Yes, what's the future? [01:15:55] KMF: I think that the future of the SCLs will diminish, but no organization can last as long as we have lasted. We have to remember we have been going for 150 or 160 years now. And to leave that much history, what other organization, what other society has been able to do that length of work? And so, it's only history. Another new… something new will develop from that. And it will move where we started. JK: That's a good way of looking at it. [01:16:33] KMF: Right. It's a matter of history, I think. JK: Right. �Sisters of Charity, Leavenworth, Kansas Transcription of Sister Kevin Marie Flynn Interviewed by Jane Kenamore, June 27, 2017 Transcribed by Jessie Lehman, August 22, 2017 Page 32 of 32 KMF: It's not a matter of diminishing. And the other thing is there are a lot of lay people who are doing a lot of the work that the Sisters used to do, and that's another whole new element which is a very positive element. JK: Very. KMF: That there are a lot of lay people. Ok. JK: Thank you so much, Sister Kevin. KMF: Well, you're very welcome. JK: That was wonderful. ### � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Flynn, S. Kevin Marie Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Kenamore, Jane Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data MPEG Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 1:17:19 Location The location of the interview Digital Sisters Files Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Flynn, S. Kevin Marie, Oral History, 6/27/2017 Subject The topic of the resource Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth; Ireland; Teaching; Native Americans; AIDS Ministry; Counseling Description An account of the resource Sister begins by describing her childhood in Ireland and the importance of faith in her family?s daily life. She talks about learning of the SCLs through an older brother, a priest already working in the States. She speaks of the novitiate fondly, recalling the sense of community and how these relationships eased the culture shock of moving from Ireland. Her mission work begins in education; she describes learning to be a teacher and working in many different places, eventually becoming an administrator. The closing of her school in Helena became the catalyst for change, and she shifted her focus to pastoral ministry. She describes working with married couples and women, followed by time spent on a Native American reservation. She finally describes working with the Good Samaritan Project in Kansas City. She discovered a need for spiritual support among the organizations patients. A position was created for her, and she spent many years offering this support to those afflicted with AIDS in the Kansas City area. Sister consistently talks about how the people she encountered in her mission work taught her valuable lessons and strengthened her own spirituality. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Flynn, S. Kevin Marie; Kennamore, Jane Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 6/27/2017 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All rights belong to the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Flynn, S. Kevin Marie Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1928-2017 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Audios Education Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/f3b5feb194f2f78146fc374d5318cb8e.jpg c24f906c5358365988a04b8cfad59a07 https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/1c02a297cfb98d3431125075a9bdfff7.mp3 278b27ba24d9e9d11b5f575bd2b032a0 https://www.scfederationarchives.org/files/original/85eda9283204976c29e3a91d0a80b2f5.pdf 1b7234a25d10498afaf9791b0a6100f6 PDF Text Text 1 ORAL HISTORY OF SISTER NANETTE GENTILE, D.C. INTERVIEWED BY SISTER HELEN BREWER, D.C. RECORDED JULY 2019 I am Sister Nanette Gentile. I was born September 10, 1933 to Sarah and Peter Gentile. I am the oldest of three girls, Kathleen who is now Mrs. Ed Sheridan and Patricia who is now Mrs. David Hurst. A threeyear-old boy was born after me and he died of meningitis so that was a sad time in our family. So, tell us a little bit about your childhood. You have no living brothers; you grew up with sisters. I grew up in a very happy household. My mother and dad were always there for us as were my grandparents. We lived with my grandparents and we did things together and had fun together and I remember even taking a long trip to New York for the World’s Fair. I was in an organdy dress – that was not comfortable, but I remember it. [laughter] You remember the dress and then you ended up wearing the big hat! Do you have other childhood memories that you can think of? My mother had a very large family. She had three sisters and four brothers and I grew up with them. At every holiday we celebrated together. At Christmas time we played poker until the wee hours of the morning on New Year’s Eve. We danced together. I learned to dance at every Italian wedding there was. I felt like I had a very happy childhood, very grateful for it. Imagine the Italian weddings. Were there other Italian customs and things that you grew up with that were particularly important? Well, I remember at Christmas time, at the end of Advent – because we always fasted – we had certain rituals. Before midnight Mass, we would have little panini with little fishes in them, and then after Midnight Mass, we had meat in them. There was always something special that my grandmothers made. My grandniece got married a year ago and at her wedding, I said, “Where’s the pecans, the covered pecans that the Italians always had?” She didn’t have those. So we had all those little rituals. It was good. Some are being carried on in the next generation, some, not all. What about your vocation story? How did you meet the Daughters and were you young…?” Well, I went to a public school for my first six years of education. Then I transferred to St. Philip Neri School [in St. Louis] for seventh and eighth grades, and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet taught at that school. I enjoyed school, and I enjoyed my family. We’d go to Mass at St. Philip Neri on Sunday, and the Daughters of Charity taught at a high school near us, Labouré High School. They would come to their second Mass at St. Philip Neri ,and I would see them in the cornette and say, “I would never be caught dead wearing that!” I went to Labouré High School, I joined the Legion of Mary, and I did my service projects going with the Sisters to visit the chronic hospital in St. Louis, and I learned that there were very poor people. So I wanted to give my life to helping people. I became a postulant in 1951 and I was at St. Philomena’s in St. Louis. In December – in those days we had a very short postulancy – I transferred and became a Seminary Sister at Marillac Provincial House. �2 Did you come to the Daughters right after high school? I came to the Daughters in August, right after high school. So you went to the Seminary… And spent a year as a novice. And then at the end of that, I was asked to study to prepare for getting a college degree. So they sent me to my very first mission, St. Patrick School in LaSalle, Illinois and I taught the fourth and fifth grade. And you didn’t receive your degree yet? You went right out to teach. Is that correct? Right. I was in the process of getting the degree but didn’t have it yet. And in fact, after two years they sent me to St. Vincent School in Perryville, Missouri, so I could ride on Saturdays to St. Louis so that I could take courses at Marillac College. Quite a few Sisters did that as well as well, I think, did they not? Yes, I always had company in the car. One of the older boys of the parish drove us every Saturday, very faithful to picking us up and bringing us home. In Perryville I taught fourth and fifth grade but also the eighth grade boys. The custom was in Lent on Fridays we would take the kids to the seminary church which was down the block and go to Stations [of the Cross]. Well, I began with maybe thirty boys and ended up with five, because they would all run away! [laughter] I loved my missions and I loved both places. Eventually I became a full-time student. They sent me to Montreal to study French and then I also studied Spanish at St. Louis University, and I taught at Marillac College for twelve years. Why did they ask you to go into languages? Because they needed a language teacher, and I happened to be good at it when I was taking my preparatory courses at Marillac College. At home I heard Italian. I didn’t have an academic knowledge of Italian, but I heard it, so I was comfortable. I had an ear for languages. I remember one funny event, it wasn’t so funny then, in Montreal. The people weren’t used to the Sisters. There were a lot of Sisters – it was a Catholic population – but they weren’t used to the cornette. I had to take four buses to get to the University of Montreal and they would call me Sputnik and Dumbo the Elephant. I remember that. I learned a lot because the Sisters only spoke French. I feel like I’m more fluent in French because I really had to navigate. I had to do it. After that, when I came back, I was still studying at the University and I was named to be the Seminary Directress. That means being in charge of our recruits, our novices. I did that for six years, and while I did it, I commuted to Perryville, Missouri where I taught languages to the Vincentian seminarians. That was a delightful experience because I was the first woman to accept that position. It was a groundbreaker. Yeah, and they tested me at first, trying to throw little paper airplanes until I told them, “OK, boys, this is the end.” [laughter] This is not fourth grade! �3 But it was fun. After Directress, I went to San Antonio, Texas where I worked in a Mexican-American parish as a DRE [Director of Religious Education]. I loved it there because the people were so intent on doing the right thing for their families. Unfortunately, I did not stay there long. I was named to be a Provincial Councillor and after that, I became the Visitatrix of the Province. Did you pick up more Spanish when you were in San Antonio? When I was in San Antonio, I used Spanish more. I finally got my degrees around 1972 and then later in 1974 when I got one in French and one in Spanish. But never in Italian? Never in Italian. But, I was Seminary Directress and also Provincial Councillor, they sent me to the varied congregational meetings that we had in Rome and also in Paris and in Toronto. I had to do Italian the first time because they didn’t have an Italian translator. So I did do it. A lot of times I listened to the French and then translated it into Italian. They only asked me to do that one time. Generally, I translated from French and Spanish into English. That was just a very meaningful experience in my life. And a lot of work, I bet. And a lot of work. Now when you were Councillor, those were the days when they were specialized. I recall health, education… I was Formation Councillor. I had been Seminary Directress, so I continued to work with the Sisters who were preparing for vows and also preparing programs for continuing formation for all of the Sisters. So I worked with teams, all kinds of committees, went to many intercongregational meetings in St. Louis and elsewhere to work with others in formation programs. Then you became the Vis. Then I became Visitatrix. How was that? How was that? I enjoyed going to all the missions and seeing what the Sisters were doing and how many services they were giving to the poor, no matter where they were or what they were doing. The Sisters always evinced a great passion for their service, and that kept them going and kept the province going. I felt like we were very healthy because the Sisters were responding to our newer call to be who we are. So that was a great gift. That was a great gift. I learned a lot from the Sisters. I remember with one of the Seminary Sisters, she very frankly told me that they were not fifth graders and so I was to talk to them like adults. [laughter] Good point! �4 I learned much from the people I lived with and also the ones I visited interactively. It was an awesome time as Visitatrix because it was a time when we were beginning to discern should we keep this large Provincial House that serves 200 people and we’re not getting that many recruits. Can we continue the upkeep and the expense? So we had to go into a two year discernment with the whole Province. Fortunately, the folks from UMSL, the University of Missouri in St. Louis, wanted to expand their campus, so they were really eager to buy the Provincial House. We were so fortunate. Very lucky. It’s a very healthy operation now – still education – and for the lower-income folks getting degrees. That was just such a great blessing, and I’m grateful for that. One more item while you were Visitatrix and you talked about your formation. One of the things that I remember is the LIM [Loyola Institute for Ministry] Program for the young Sisters. I think that was a big piece of what you installed as well. Do you want to talk about that? We worked with Loyola in New Orleans. They had a program where they taught trainers, and trainers worked with the attendees in the local areas. We had our young Sisters there but we also invited folks in who were more experienced to dialogue with them because it wasn’t just a head program, it was a heart and service program. It was an opportunity for them to hear the experiences of other people. And I think you were part of that [points to Sister Helen]. I was and that’s why I was in touch with it. But I think it was an excellent program because one of the things was many of the younger Sisters didn’t have a lot of theology in their training so it helped out. Yes, definitely. OK, so you weren’t Vis forever. What happened next? Then I went to the Seton Family of Hospitals in Austin, Texas. I worked in the Education Department for a long time. I learned how to do my-- I could fax things myself, I could copy things myself. I didn’t have a secretary, so I learned all these wonderful, practical skills. Then they put me as the Vice President for Mission Integration, and I worked in leadership formation, almost like a spiritual direction individually with the executive staff. Oh, the executives mostly. That was a good opportunity. Then I was asked to come to St. Louis and be Sister Servant of one of the groups here at the Sarah Community, the Assisted Living Groups. Well, that’s what I thought, and then they gave me all the groups! That was a trick! [laughter] I did it for four years, but just walking from one end of the building to another was enough of a challenge for me to say, “That’s really all I can do!” But I love the Sisters, and when I think back on my ministries – working with the children, they were spontaneous and fun. You never knew what they were going to do. Especially with eighth grade boys. �5 Yes. With the Mexican Americans, I always admired that they would do anything for their families. They worked very hard. In the health care, the executives wanted to be people of integrity because they wanted to serve the mission and the poor like the Daughters. They were very sincere about that. In the international level, there were so many diverse people who had all kinds of ideas and ways that we should be serving the poor, and I learned from them. I was always appreciative of all the people that I worked with. So, when I think back, I always said if I had stayed as a good Italian-American girl, I would have married and had ten kids, and that would have been OK. But I feel that in the community, I have been given much in the way of education, in the way of opportunity, in the way of grace. I’m a person right now, thank God, who is very grateful. So when people say, “How are you doing?” I say, “I can’t complain about anything.” That’s a great gift. I’m just going to say, I think you missed one thing; when you were in Austin, you also worked with the Ladies of Charity, one of the very special groups. Yes, one of the Mission Integration person at Providence in Waco asked me to work with the Ladies of Charity in Harper Heights. Oh my! What a diverse and loving group. I did that, and then I worked with other-- the Vincent de Paul Society in Austin and also another group of Ladies of Charity. I loved every minute of that, too. They were a great group. Yes. Is there anything else you want to add for history’s sake? Do you think you’ve covered it? I think I’ve covered it. I want to continue to learn from the people I live with. I think because I was in leadership for a long time, the tendency was working with people. But now I’m not in leadership so I want to be more with people and learn from them. I do that by praying to the Holy Spirit all the time. One of the things I think here is, now that you’re at Sarah, we’re at Sarah, and you mentioned diversity a number of times. The whole idea that we are here at the Sarah community, not just with Daughters, but with other communities, and lay people. Even men are here, so what is your response to that experience that we are having now? That’s a great gift. I think so, too. It’s a great gift. Again, I learned from the experiences of all the ninety-year-olds that are here, whether they are lay or religious and what they experienced, and how they lived, and what they lived through. And then our staff. It’s such a delight to be in the dining room in the evening and have our food served. But to be served by young people who are just beginning, and who, in a sense, look to us for support and we give it. I mean our ministry of prayer is so filled with opportunity that can’t begin to pin it down. Right. So, God is good. God is good. I agree. Thank you, Nanette. This was excellent, very inspiring as well to hear. Thank you. �6 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Daughters of Charity, Province of St. Louise Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Brewer, Sister Helen, D.C. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Gentile, Sister Nanette, D.C. Location The location of the interview St. Louis, MO Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 0:19:18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gentile, Sr. Nanette, D.C. Oral History Subject The topic of the resource Gentile, Sr. Nanette, D.C.,Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, Language and education--United States Description An account of the resource Sister Nanette Gentile discusses growing up in an Italian-American family in St. Louis, studying different languages, and her life as a Daughter of Charity. She served as Visitatrix from 1989 to 1998, closed the Marillac College campus, and became the first woman to teach at the Vincentian Seminary in Perryville, MO. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gentile, Sr. Nannette, D.C., Brewer, Sr. Helen, D.C. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Daughters of Charity Archives, Province of St. Louise, Emmitsburg, MD Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-08 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Keefer, Scott (Transcriber) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Permission for any type of publication of archival materials, including text, photographs, video, or audio must be secured from the Daughters of Charity Communications Director before publication. Contact archives staff for appropriate forms and contact information Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Audio/mp3, Application/pdf Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gentile, Sister Nanette Oral History Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1933-2019 Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Education Sister Leaders