Thank You, Sister.

Terry Trudeau
Philadelphia, Pa

As my mother, Victoria Clark, lay dying in 1995 she uttered these words: “It
is the Sisters who will save our Church”. She was a devoted and educated,
practicing, Roman Catholic woman who had become disenchanted by the
practices of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. As a young woman she
delighted in all the doctrines and rituals that defined her faith. As she
grew in knowledge and grace she opened her mind to the beautiful world of
ecumenism and became active in “Women in Dialogue on the Middle East” and
the Episcopal Diocese ecumenical commission, as well as numerous other
panels and discussion groups involving a wide range of religions. If she
were alive today she would be appalled by the recent decision to scrutinize
the Orders of Sisters’ practices as if by forcing them back to the Middle
Ages they will attract more members.

I have only fond memories of my experiences with the Sisters of St. Joseph
who taught me in grade school, high school and college. These were learned
women who instilled in me a sense of identity as a thinking Catholic, one
who would make decisions based on looking at all sides of an issue. In my
first year at Chestnut Hill College we were required to read the Bible from
beginning to end, a practice that had not been fostered in my younger years.
Vatican II had just ended and we had the Documents as required reading as
well. These were volatile times for our Church as many of the faithful
turned away from the Church because of the changes that were instituted. For
me, however the changes were welcome. I began to understand the meaning
behind all of the rituals and could see why some would lose their appeal. We
were “growing up” as a Church community. The Sisters helped me to understand
so much of what had been mysterious to me in my youth.

At this point in my life I must agree with my mother in that I believe that
the Sisters will save our Church. They are the people who are continuing to
make sense of my faith and purpose in life. Thank you from the bottom of my
heart.