Teaching Life Lessons It's been years since Sara Ann Abell, SCN, has been in the classroom, yet she continues to teach. She teaches life lessons. At 99, Sister Sara Ann, is a striking presence in the halls of Nazareth Home. Diminutive in stature, she is anything but that in personality. Visitors to Nazareth Home often see her walking along pushing a wheelchair as she greets folks and offers prayers. Sister Sara Ann still wears the full-length black habit and veil. She explains, “It’s something I’ve always worn. I feel that it’s a sign to everybody of what I represent and when people see me, they think about God.” Often, the Congregation receives inquiries as to just what Sister Sara Ann is up to these days. Over and over, former students, men and women, now grown, talk about how Sister Sara changed their lives and the lasting impact she had on them. Sister Sara Ann became a Sister of Charity of Nazareth in 1930. Over the last 81 years, she has taught students in Nazareth and Louisville, Ky.; Richmond and Roanoke, Va.; and in Arkansas, Tennessee, Ohio, North Carolina, and Maryland. A native of Compton, Md., Sister Sara Ann is the oldest of 10 children, four boys and six girls. She grew up in a 12-room house. Her family opened their home to boarders and she fondly recalls how the
dining room could welcome up to 20 people. She also notes the grotto in the front yard, lit in the evening so that those passing by could easily see it. Among her fondest memories is her family working together planting and stripping tobacco. These are just a few of her wonderful recollections about growing up.
learn to read, tackle math, and prepared them to earn GED diplomas. Education and reaching out to others have been in Sister Sara Ann’s blood since she was a young child, all the way back to helping her parents run a boarding house. And today she continues to help others, often in their greatest time of need, as they face the
many obstacles that accompany aging. She sits and talks and prays with those that are faced with health challenges or those who have lost a loved one. As she prepares to turn 100 next year, she is surrounded by her Sisters from the Congregation, and the many people whose lives she has touched.
Sister Sara Ann recalls the importance of education to her family. She is quick to point out that all of the Abell children received a good education. She and her siblings attended Father Andrew White School and St. Mary’s Academy in Maryland. After earning her B.A. in Social Studies, Sister pursued a Masters degree in History and Theology. Several of the children also experienced a calling to religious life. Three Abell women went on to become Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. After decades in the classroom, Sister Sara Ann retired but could not slow down. Instead she noted that literacy rates were very low and she assisted in organizing the St. Mary’s Literacy Council in Leonardtown, Md. There she helped others Sisters of Charity of Nazareth • Vol. II 2011
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