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HER STORY: Sister Paula Marie serves God for the Sisters of Christian Charity. Pauline von Mallinckrodt started the Sisters of Christian Charity in 1849 in Germany, where they cared for the sick, dying and the poor. Today, there are congregations on four continents: North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. The Sisters of Christian Charity serve as teachers, nurses, administrators, dieticians and pastoral ministers. Their vision is to spread the love of God's word among the people of the world and they make it their life to serve God (Sisters of Christian Charities Website, 2004).
Sister Paula Marie, formerly known as Catherine, was raised in
Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This is a small town located about 80 miles
north of the Harrisburg Area and Holy Spirit Hospital. As a child, she
attended a strict Catholic school, and also had an uncle who was a
priest in the Catholic Church. She came from a large family of six, and
helped her mother with her little sister. In the 5th grade, she actually
thought one day she wanted to be a wife and mother with three or four
children of her own. As she progressed through school, she started to
change her mind about having children of her own, and in 7th grade,
pondered with the idea of entering the convent. She mentioned the idea
to her mother and father, but her father told her that she had to finish
high school before she could go. In the 10th grade, her teacher at the
time, was charismatic and saw something in Catherine that drew them
close together. It was at this point she was almost positive she would
go into vocation, which is the serving of God, but her father still
refused to let her entertain her calling. When she became a senior in high school, she had a change of heart
and thought she would work to help raise her brothers and sister. She
felt it her duty to provide for the family instead of realizing her
dreams of going into the convent. After graduation, she got a job, and
attended Lycoming College where she majored in teaching. In the back of
her mind, she always held on to the thought she should enter the convent
and fulfill her calling. She decided to revisit her 10th grade teacher
and get some much needed direction. She voiced concerns about giving up
her freedom and independence and how this made her feel cowardly,
especially since the Lord gave up everything for all of mankind. Her
teacher told her that she was meant for vocation, but she needed to find
the courage and in time, it would come. Catherine prayed for some much
needed guidance and wisdom from God. Her family fell upon hard times when she was just about to finish
college. She decided to start teaching 3rd grade at a Catholic School to
help support her family financially. One day, she attended a function at
the church and at the ceremony, she knew she wasn't doing what she
should be with her life. It was that moment that she decided to make her
decision and enter the convent. Her mother was against the idea, and
thought that Catherine should teach and help the family, but she felt
pulled to serve God and knew her decision was the right one. In August of 1957, she entered the convent in Mendham, New Jersey and
was given the name Sister Paula Marie. For the first three years, she
was on a probationary period, and could not go home for twelve months.
She was allowed to have her family visit her periodically, and at that
time, the rules stated that she could only go home four times in her
life to see her family. That has since changed, and they are now allowed
to go home for one month per year. After the third year of probation,
she submitted into vocation and was transferred to Philadelphia, where
she taught elementary school. She stayed there until they called her to
go to New York, where she taught high school English. That, she stated,
was her "passion" (Personal communication, December 9, 2004).
It was at that time she started to write poems and create the first of a
series of books about her life and serving God. She finished her
education and received a Bachelor of Science degree in education. She says that she was never homesick after entering the convent and
that God has fulfilled her life with his presence and remains fulfilled
to this day. Her mother and father have since passed, but her siblings
are still alive and she visits them once or twice a year if her schedule
permits. She states that it is still hard for them to accept her life as
it is, but they do support her in her commitment to serve the Lord. In 1988, Sister developed cancer and suffered from manic depression.
She went through the multiple rounds of chemotherapy treatments and was
placed on the medication Lithium for her depression. Everyday, she
prayed to God to help her, as she felt like leaving the convent. One
day, she went to the Hudson River, and standing alone along the shore
she pictured Jesus with Peter, James and John. They were in the boat
fishing and the apostles told Jesus "I will never entertain any
doubts and I will follow you". Her account of this is similar to
the verse in Matthew which Jesus states to Simon, Peter and Andrew,
" 'Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.' At once
they left their nets and followed him" (Matthew 4: 19-20). This
"vision" or "daydream" as Sister called it, cemented
her life together with God (Personal communication, December 9, 2004).
From that point forward, she states she has never looked back or had any
doubts about her life. I was interested to know a few things from the Sister like why they
change their birth name, why they wear a gold wedding band, and how they
afford to get personal items that they need. First, their name is
changed because when they enter into vocation, they are embarking on a
new life as a new person - one that belongs to God. They wear a gold
band on their left ring finger after five years of service, to signify
their final vows and devotion to the Father. The final vows are:
poverty, chastity, and obedience. This is when the priest places the
ring upon the finger of the nun after reciting "With this ring I
espouse you to Jesus Christ". Sisters do earn money when they are in an occupation, but their
salaries go to the Mother house. They are allowed to budget for $75.00
per month to spend on personal items such as blouses, skirts, shoes and
toiletries. The clothing worn is plain, but has changed over the years.
Sister Paula Marie typically wears black and white, but other sisters
now wear all white, or all black. Their veils or habits must be kept on
except when they are in their rooms. The clothing is not meant to be
elaborate because they are servants to the Lord. Their blouses are to
have a collar, but no printing on the fabric. Embroidery is allowed, as
long it is the same color as the blouse. When they are on retreats or
vacations, they can wear street clothes, but most Sisters choose not to. Since religion is changing, I wanted to know about new recruits into
the convents and if Sister sees her way of life eventually becoming
non-existent. Sister stated that recruits have declined steadily over
the past few decades, simply because the world, not only religion, is
changing. Some of the smaller convents have closed and joined the larger
convents because of the decline in new recruits. This has also been seen
in the merger of smaller Catholic Church congregations into larger
congregations. She believes that today, women have more choices than
when she was young, and it is very difficult for them to enter a life of
poverty and chastity. The people that are entering tend to be older who
have been "called" after the death of a spouse or a tragedy in
their lives pulls them to the Lord. The median age for Sisters in her
congregation is 72 years old, with a majority of them serving for 50
years or more. They serve until they can no longer teach, volunteer, or
function without help. So where do Nuns go when they can no longer serve? They go to a
retirement home which is completely run and paid for by the Sisters of
Christian Charity. This can either be voluntary or they can be asked to
go there by the Mother house when their bodies cannot physically handle
the demands of convent life. It is there they will stay until their
departure from this world. Sisters also have special sections in
Catholic cemeteries where they are laid to rest. It is there that their
physical body will be buried in the ground, but the spiritual soul is
called home by their creator. Sister Paula Marie's daily rituals include getting up at 4:50 a.m. to
pray and meditate for one hour, before helping with breakfast. She then
attends daily mass at the hospital chapel before starting her volunteer
work. Normally, she volunteers on the 4th Floor, which is the Oncology
Ward, but also works in the Mental Health Department. She believes she
was led to this convent because of her past medical problems and her
ability to help those with similar ailments. She is looked upon as a
prominent figure at the hospital and is well respected among her fellow
sisters, the medical staff and her patients. Sister Paula Marie says she is content in her life, and her greatest desire is to become a Saint. Although this is a big process in which one has to be proven holy, perform miracles, be sacrificial, kind and loving, she believes she can one day attain this status. She continues to do her volunteer work everyday, and although she has been retired from teaching English for approximately 15 years, she continues to write poetry which she dedicates to the Lord her God (Personal communication. December 9, 2004).
You may reach Ms. Hill at rosetissue@yahoo.com ©2005 Tracy Hill. All Rights Reserved
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