Though we knew it was
necessary, the mighty oak trees had to go! As the sound of a saw cutting into
our faithful sentinels pierced the quiet of our monastic setting, a sadness
permeated our conversation. The eight of them shaded the walkway of our front
entrance like the gothic arches of the cathedral, welcoming visitors and
worshippers, entering beneath the beautiful stained-glass window leading to our
chapel. One by one, they crashed to the ground, the pieces cut up and carried
away to become logs for someone’s fireplace. Suddenly, new sunlight was
streaming into the building, but nearly blinding me later in the day as I
returned from school. It was all so barren!
These trees had been here
all my life, as well as for the other members of my community. I was reminded
of the Sisters’ tombstones, Sisters whom I considered among the strongest
leaders I had known, and who have passed on to their eternal reward:
·
Sr Vincentia, first director/principal
of our academy, much beloved by all her students. She greeted me so warmly when
I first visited here as an eighth grader; she was already elderly then and I
could tell by the reverence in the voice of the Sister who introduced me, that
she was highly respected. In awe, I visited her on her deathbed when I was a very
young Sister and treasure those moments. Later I heard the legend of her demand
to the Ku Klux Klan to leave our property as she brandished her brother’s
pistol, protecting her girls in the school.
·
There was Sr. Hilda, member of the first
graduating class of our academy who, as prioress, took out a million- dollar
mortgage to add a new building to it. During her term the year of our centennial
celebration occurred: 266 members were listed in the Challenge, a
commemorative publication of 1959!
·
I
remember Srs Miriam and Aileen, holding the longest tenure in leadership at
the academy. Girls of my generation
always think of them together, one was principal, the other was directress of
the boarding school. Like the one oak tree that split into two trunks about
half way up, we always named them together.
·
There was Sr. Benedict who led us through
the changes following Vatican II and had the foresight to build a senior
citizen complex with nursing home at the east end of our property.
·
Sr.
Aurelia was my principal when we opened the new St. Pius X school on Dudley Road, now one of the
largest schools in our diocese;
·
Sr. Elizabeth was a marvelous math
teacher, who could fix just about anything that needed repair in those days,
even the elevator!
· Sr.
Callista was a hardy nurse who traveled the Ky. Mountain area ministering to
the sick along the way.
·
And there are others, but that gives me
eight to remember with gratitude. They
left much behind as a legacy for us.
Like their tombstones, we
had eight large stumps in our front yard, more than a yard in diameter. The roots may still exist, hidden beneath the
smooth surface, waiting for new plantings.
But we have to go on without those pillars of strength.
Sr. Mary Carol Hellmann, OSB
