Ardere et Lucere MISSION
COMMUNION
CHARISM FALL
2017
Ignited by the Spirit Dear Friends, God manifests His loving presence in our midst in many ways, and our challenge is to recognize that presence and to accept it. Our XXXIV General Chapter, held in July 2017, was one of these manifestations of God in our midst. It was a time of grace for our Congregation, as the delegates prayed, lived, and worked together for over a month with the common goal of preparing for the life of our Order over the next six years. It was a time of communion for us, remembering Jesus’ earnest prayer at the Last Supper, “that they may all be one, and as you Father are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us.” (Jn 17:21). The Chapter was guided by three major themes: Charism, Communion, and Mission. Reflecting on these topics helped us to focus on what is truly essential in the life of each Sister of Our Lady of Sorrows, and to identify the core values that shape our life. We especially realized that our witness to a divided and unsettled world must be a life lived in communion, a communion which is the fruit of mutual love, in spite of our many differences, of respect for one another and all of creation, and of selfless service to children and young adults through education and pastoral ministry. The recommendation given by Mother Elisabetta to her sisters almost two hundred years ago, still rings true today, “To the young she said, ‘Bring the gift of 1
Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
your fresh energy to the Congregation,’ and to the old, ‘Put the treasures of your wisdom at the disposition of everyone.” We will give glory to God by working together, and putting our best energy at the service of the mission that the Lord has entrusted to our religious family. We left the Chapter confirmed in our identity as Sisters of OLS and with the desire to fully live out our educational charism wherever we minister in the world. “Jesus is here…and He is always with you. He alone founded the Congregation; He alone will keep watch over it.” These words of Mother Elisabetta are a great reminder to me! The Congregation is still in existence today because of God’s providential love and the many sisters who have preceded us, who worked together to continue the mission entrusted to Blessed Elisabetta and make it what it is today. Ours is now the task to let that fire which the Spirit ignited in us, burn and give light as we continue our journey together. I humbly ask for the support of your prayers. God bless you.
Mother Carla Bertani, OLS Superior General of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
GENERAL CHAPTER
A Time of
Our Congregation held the its XXXI General Chapter in Rome from June 25 - July 23, 2017. Delegates to the Chapter from Italy, USA, Mexico, Brazil, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe spend this time together praying for the grace to allow the Holy Spirit to show them where
Special Grace
God is leading our Congregation. During the Chapter, the Delegates pictured below gathered together every day for prayer, Mass, reflections, meetings, meals, and recreation.
Chapter Delegates www.ols.org
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With great joy and gratitude, we announce the resu
Mother Carla
Re-elected Mother General I was born in Italy to very religious parents, who instilled in me the love of God and love for others. I made my first vows 45 years ago and spent 32 years of my religious life as a missionary in the United States, ministering to people with developmental disabilities. In 1993, I became a member of the General Council and served in this capacity until 2011, when I was elected to serve the Congregation as Superior General. This summer, our Congregation held its XXXIV General Chapter, where I was reelected to serve as Superior General for a second six-year term. Our foundress, Blessed Elisabetta, challenges us, “Each one of you is responsible for handing on the Institute, whole and perfect, to those who follow you.” These words have been a guiding light for me throughout my service, giving me the desire to fully live out the educational charism of our Congregation, and the energy and creativity to make it grow in our times. It is a challenge I gladly take on once again, together with the members of the General Council, that we may be witnesses of God’s love and of communion among us, in the Church, and in the world. I humbly entrust our journey into the hands of Mary, Our Sorrowful Mother, sure of her guidance and protection. 3
Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
Sr. Serena
Elected Vicar General I am a teacher. This is how I like to define myself, because these words contain the essence of who I am: a consecrated woman and an educator in the spirit of Mother Elisabetta. Born in Italy, I have been a Sister of Our Lady of Sorrows for 23 years. In 2011, I was elected to the General Council; I was simply a “normal” sister. I had never been in leadership before, and the only thing I knew how to do was be a teacher. It is a ministry I have always loved, and I carried it out with dedication every day for 22 years. I bring to the Congregation my passion for education and ability to set the stage for learning, to see beyond, to believe in my students, to encourage them to be creative and self-motivated, and to accompany them on their journey. The service on the General Council for me, then, is a change of ministry, not of mission! I hope to help my Congregation in the continued formation of a life that is deeply rooted in the Lord and sustained by the inner motivations that are essential to religious life. Communion must be our goal if we want to overcome the hidden, but widespread, temptation of individualism. In these two dimensions rests our own happiness and our credibility to the world. I am guided each day by these words from our foundress, Blessed Elisabetta Renzi: “Other than God nothing is important, nothing, nothing in the world. If there is life, it passes; if there is wealth, it vanishes; if there is health, it is lost; if there is reputation, it is attacked; ah, they will dissolve, they will perish.” Living united with the Lord, the only true good, is what I most desire.
Sr. Susana
Elected Councilor Born in Mexico, I have been with my community for 18 years. In all these years, the words of our foundress, Blessed Elisabetta Renzi, have been my guide each day: “that I may always remain under the great vision of God.” Being on the General Council is a great responsibility toward God, the Church, and my Congregation. It shows the faith that God and my sisters have placed in me. This new service will give me the opportunity to experience the internationality of our religious family, which characterizes us in a profound way. In this new role, it is important for me to come to know and love the reality of our Congregation today, with all of its strengths and challenges. Above all, the Lord is calling me to abandon myself into His arms, allowing Him to do His will through me. I pray that our contribution as a General Council would be a witness of living unity in diversity and, that we may be a sign of gentleness and mercy for our sisters. Even when we don’t always agree, may we always work together for the good of the Congregation. I remain hopeful that the Lord will continue to bless us with vocations and that our witness will bring new vocations. May each one of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows be committed to living our consecrated life with passion and conviction.
sults of the XXXVI General Chapter.
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Sr. Karla
Elected Councilor I am from Brazil and have been a Sister of Our Lady of Sorrows for 22 years. During my life of consecration, gradually, each day, I renew and internalize the conviction that my actions flow from my sense of belonging to God and to my religious family, the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows: “Every day I appreciate religious life more. Here there is no one but Him. He is everything and sufficient for everything and everyone.” This was the conviction of our Foundress, Blessed Elisabetta Renzi, and it is also an exhortation for us, her daughters, to continue the story of her charism and her mission. I am convinced that religious life is a vocation, called today to witness to the mystical and the prophetic. I desire, then, to contribute with the simplicity of a sister who searches to see and understand the call of God today, in the reality in which we find ourselves. Illuminated by the Holy Spirit and with prophetic courage, we strive to find answers to these new appeals in our time in history through discernment, knowing that “He is everything and sufficient for everything and everyone.” In this service on the General Council, I believe that we need to be prophets of hope, I believe that our God, with the powerful strength of His Spirit, is inviting us to something of great importance: “See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Is 43:19a). For me, for us, the attention and the collaboration needs to be focused on what God has already began in the Congregation. We need to read the signs of the times with mysticism and prophecy.
Sr. Annamaria Elected Councilor
“I have called you by name!”(Isaiah 43:1). These
words from God to Jacob in the Old Testament have resounded in my mind and heart many times during my years of religious life. The first time was when, after hearing the call to follow Jesus and entering the OLS Congregation, I professed my vows to the Lord, 45 years ago in Coriano, Italy, the birthplace of our religious family. Seven years later, those words were again my strength and hope as I left my own country to come to Louisiana, having to adapt to a new culture, learn a new language, and start ministering to children and youth in Alexandria and Shreveport. Then, in 1999, God’s voice surprised me and invited me to accept a new responsibility as a member of the General Council for our religious family, and I moved back to Italy. After 13 years, I was asked to come back to Louisiana to serve as the novice director, even though my responsibility as a member of the leadership team had not ended. This commitment was renewed during this past summer at our 34th General Chapter, and as a Council member, I continue to respond to God in serving my religious family and spreading the charism of Blessed Elisabetta Renzi throughout the world. Ours is a small religious family, a small light that shines in 6 countries, where we minister through a variety of educational and social assistance apostolates to bring children and youth to God. It is my hope and desire that in following Blessed Elisabetta Renzi, all members of our family strive to deepen their roots of a strong spirituality in union with Jesus Crucified, give of themselves generously and joyfully in living their community life, and nourish every activity with charity, humility, and trust in Gods’ providential love. My hope and desire for myself is to learn from Bl. Elisabetta Renzi to have, as she did, a heart full of the will of God, to “want only what He wants, and love only what He does.”
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the Charism
Education
Our true character 3
Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
God
Other than Nothing is important by SOLS Postulants
Blessed Elisabetta Renzi embodied total detachment from the world and attachment to only Jesus Crucified. As foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows, God revealed to her a new charism as a gift to the world: a charism to educate God’s children through teaching and a loving example. A charism is a special power gift by the Holy Spirit, which is meant to bring life to the Church based on the needs of present society. Divine Providence revealed to Blessed Elisabetta Renzi the need for spiritually educated Christians who, by choice, live the Gospel as they are called to do so. “The greatest danger for society of her times was the “ignorance of the faith”. Countering this ignorance becomes Elisabetta’s mission” (OLS Core Values). This is our charism: to bring Christ to those who do not know the gift of God through catechism, formal education, works of evangelization, and a fervent, loving example of how to love God and neighbor in the world. Our charism is not limited by age, nationality, or the ability level of those we serve; it is extended, by our sisters, to all those who are hungry for God and who desire to be fed by the Word. Education in the classroom, with the cooperation of Catholic schools, parishes, community centers, etc. feed those who are spiritually poor by the understanding that, “...faith cannot be imposed, but one must work to reach the heart and the minds of the people so that the Gospel message can be
understood, assimilated, freely accepted, and put into practice in daily life” (OLS Core Values). Our charism is to be carried out in a spirit of charity, detachment from the world, and radical abandonment to the will of God, understanding that this is His work, and we are merely instruments. The joy and humility of every sister should be a sign for those we serve, pointing upwards towards our final destination: heaven. We, as educators by vocation, at every moment of life and in everything we do, “love God and neighbor with the love of a thousand hearts and the work of a thousand hands.” This translates into a life carried out purely for the service of God’s children and their growth in holiness, with tender affection towards those we serve, always with a spirit of joy. We carry out our vocations with a heartfelt understanding that no one (that we serve or within the community) is above us or below us, and that our eyes and spirits must always be focused on the face of our Crucified Lord. He is the center of all that we do and all that we are, so we live our vocation as consecrated woman spiritually standing under the cross, as our Blessed Mother did. Being firmly rooted in the love of Christ Crucified, we carry that love and light of the Gospel, and it ignites the hearts of those with whom we come into contact. We pray that pure obedience to the charism our Lord has given us and abandonment to His will may bring his children, from all over the world, young or old, with whatever abilities they have been given, to the kingdom of Heaven.
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The Power of Witness The Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows came to St. Frances Cabrini School in July of 2015, and in a short time, have transformed the culture and climate of our small parochial school in Alexandria, LA. St. Frances
by Liz Hines Curriculum Coordinator at St. Francis Cabrini School
Cabrini School was established in 1948 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, and it thrived and grew for almost 50 years. Beginning in 2005, Cabrini’s enrollment began declining at an alarming rate and rumors of closure began to circulate. In 2014, St. Frances Cabrini
When you walk through our halls, you will see little hands tugging
School’s enrollment reached an all-time low of less than 100 students.
on the sister’s dresses wanting a hug, or the Sisters holding a
The new pastor saw the need for new leadership, and Sr. Nina Vincent,
preschooler who is having trouble sitting still in Mass. I have been
OLS was asked to take over and lead the school. The Sisters of Our
a Catholic my entire life and attended Catholic Schools for most of
Lady of Sorrows have been such a blessing to the school and have put
my education. I have never had such exposure to the beautiful life
a visible religious presence that has revived the faculty with hope and
that the Our Lady of Sorrows Sisters live every day through their
vision. The Sisters helped to implement academic excellence that is
vocation and witness. Working with them has been a joy, and I
supported through the data driven and research based curriculum.
hope it continues for many years to come. The Sisters have become
The Our Lady of Sorrows Sisters have also brought a completely new dynamic to Catholic and private education in our area. In 2016, St. Frances Cabrini became the first private school in a 100-mile radius to have a special education program. We are now able to serve students with major developmental delays and diagnoses that prevent them from being able to succeed in a regular education environment. There is no other private or Catholic School option for these students, and the families have been so thankful for opening our doors to their children. St. Frances Cabrini School is like no other Catholic school in our area. Over 60% of our student population is on free and reduced lunch, and many of our students live below the poverty level. The Sisters have been able to reach into the lives of these families and show Christ’s love to them as religious who have dedicated their lives to service. Our student population has grown 57% and we have waiting lists for certain grades now.
The Jr. High, which
closed in 2009 has reopened, and for the first time in over 20 years, every classroom in our school is being used, and we are looking forward to building 6 additional classrooms this summer.
The
OLS Sisters have become an active part of our school community. They volunteer at our fundraising events and come to visit the school. The Sisters are approachable and loved by our students.
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Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
a part of my family and our lives. As a coworker of the Sisters and a parent to children the sisters are educating, I could not ask for better leaders or role models.
“
The true character of the
Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows lies in tender affection for the children and commitment to their education Bl. Elisabetta Renzi and training.
�
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the Mission
Celebrating
OLS Community Homes On March 19, 1991, after working with and caring for children with intellectual disabilities for nearly 40 years, the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows opened Renzi Home, the first of 3 Homes that make up the OLS Community Homes. James and Gerry Verzwyvelt generously gifted the Sisters with a tract of land on Browns Bend Road (Alexandria, Louisiana) making the long awaited dream of many of our sisters a reality. The OLS Community Homes are private residential facilities for adults with intellectual disabilities, licensed by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and owned and operated by the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows. The OLS Homes consist of three Homes: Renzi Community Home, built in 1991 and home to 6 men; Verni Community Home, also built in 1991 and home to 6 men; and Greco Group Home, built in 1993 and home to 8 women. In the 25 years that the Homes have been open, only 26 clients have lived there, making it a very stable and loving home for our clients, as well as a very stable workplace for our employees. The Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows embrace the philosophy that all people have a right to grow and develop in an atmosphere of love and dignity. Helping the clients reach their maximum potential and level of independence is our goal. It is in this spirit that the OLS Community Homes are run. On November 20, 2016, we had the honor of throwing a 25th Anniversary “Celebration of Life” party for our clients, families, friends, benefactors, and Sisters. The day was beautiful and began with Mass at our parish church, St. Rita’s, followed by a reception, which included a delicious meal, compliments of Chef John Folse & Company. A number of guest speakers then shared their thoughts and reflections on their personal experience of the Homes and our clients, including Mother Carla Bertani, OLS, Superior General of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows and past Administrator of the OLS Community Homes. 9
Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
L ife by Sr. Mavis, OLS
After the meal was enjoyed and the speeches were heard, our clients entertained us by singing a couple of songs. As always, they stole the show! Ade and Laura Huval and Karlene Berard then entertained everyone with live music. In planning our celebration, we decided early on that instead of using the typical silver theme for a 25th anniversary, we would use colors that represent our clients: bright, lively, fun, and full of life! The hall was decorated with large portraits of each of our clients, along with a short biography and topped off with a tray of their favorite cookie from the OLS Cookie Jar (a bakery that belongs to the OLS Homes and which employees some of the clients). Bright colored balloons, sunflower bouquets, and “bomboniere” filled with sugar-coated almonds graced the tables and were on display throughout the hall. In addition, portraits of the Verzwyvelts, Blessed Elisabetta Renzi, Mother Zita Verni, and Bishop Charles P. Greco were placed on the stage so that all in attendance could see images of those who made the Homes possible, as well as those for whom the three Homes are named. Finally, and most importantly, was the focal point of the entire room: a huge canvas group photo of our twenty OLS clients dressed in bright colored shirts – smiling and laughing and looking like love and sunshine personified! How very blessed we are to have been given the opportunity to care for this wonderful group of people!
Elisabetta Renzi Child Development Center In January 1991, the Elisabetta Renzi Child Development Center opened its doors to a small group of children and a few teachers who, under the direction of one of the sisters, planted a small seed which would soon grow and flourish. After over 40 years of being present in several parochial schools in central and north Louisiana, the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows were finally able to open their own first school in Shreveport. The new building, designed according to the needs of children from ages 1 to 5 years old, provided an adequate and safe space for the children to explore, learn, and share happy and exciting experiences, which fostered their growth and development. After a couple of years, the Center’s registration reached its full capacity, and its reputation in the city of Shreveport and surrounding area grew rapidly.
by Sr. AnnaMaria, OLS
The year 1991-92 was the first complete school year of the Center, and during the school year 2016-17, the Elisabetta Renzi Child Development Center proudly celebrated 25 years of faithfulness to its mission. Maintaining a loving, safe, nurturing educational environment, where children are learning and developing their ability and skills remains to this day the foundation or our work at the Center. The directors, teachers, and staff are dedicated to providing a sound education and fostering Christian values, thereby planting in the little ones, the seeds for future responsible citizenship. The 25th Anniversary Celebration welcomed back all the ex-students and their families, teachers, staff members, and friends who shared with the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows in this beautiful adventure and challenge over the years: to love and educate children with passion and complete commitment. www.ols.org
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Communion
Co m m u n i t y 11
Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
School o
“Everything
speaks to us of HIM, because we bear HIM
within us, and our lives are a foretaste of paradise.”
f Love
Bl. Elisabetta Renzi
by Sr. Fatima, OLS www.ols.org
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A call to religious life is an invitation to respond to a commitment larger than ourselves. It is a call that impels us to make an offering of our lives to the Lord through communion with one another in community. Living in community is at the heart of who we are and what we do as consecrated women. Through our witness of living together, we make visible the love of Jesus Christ, who gave his life as a sacrifice for us all and calls us to follow in his footsteps. In our religious family, we bring who we are into the community: our talents, gifts, and shortcomings. Blessed Elisabetta, our foundress, challenges us to authentically witness in our communities that real communion is possible, taking into account the uniqueness of each sister. She urges the young sisters to bring the gift of their energy to the Congregation, and to the old, to put the treasures of their wisdom at the disposition of everyone. This is a challenge for us, to give the gift of ourselves generously again and again without holding back or counting the cost, knowing that it’s not the gift, but the giving that counts.
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Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
Our commitment to common life is rooted in prayer and a shared desire to faithfully live out our Charism in today’s world. Our Foundress, Blessed Elisabetta Renzi, never tired of reminding the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows that the “Eucharist, Sacrament of Love, sign of unity, and bond of Charity, constitutes the center of our community life.” Mother Elisabetta challenges us to become experts in communion, while recognizing that we must rely on the grace of God to faithfully build communities where charity and forgiveness is fostered. Yes, community is a place where each one of us is challenged to grow, but it is also a place of strength, where we are loved, supported, encouraged, and accepted as we are. We build community by praying together, spending time together in recreation, eating meals together, and celebrating together (birthdays, anniversaries, feast days, etc). In this context, deep bonds of friendship in community and a family atmosphere are formed. Our vocation and commitment to religious life finds meaning in the sharing of joys, sorrows, hopes, and sacrifices with one another.
Vocation Spotlight
“My Beloved is Mine, and I am His”
Song of Songs 2:16
Growing up, one of my favorite things to do was to sit on my Grandpa’s lap. On one of these occasions, he asked me gently: “What do you want to do when you grow up?” Without hesitation, I answered him,“I want to be a nun.” Life went on and those words were forgotten. I come from a devoted Catholic family. We would go to Church every Sunday and pray the rosary as a family; I was even a part of my Church’s choir. However, in my teens, my perspective of life and what I wanted to do with it completely changed. I decided that I would go to medical school, marry a good man and have a beautiful family. I was part of a missionary youth group, and we used to go on mission trips every summer. It was in that group where I met the man I thought would be my future husband. After I graduated from high school, I went to nursing school. My life was perfect - I had everything I was looking for. There is this phrase that says: “If you want to make God laugh, make your own plans.” My perfect world collapsed just like nothing. One evening, as I was passing by a church, I saw a poster for a discernment retreat for young women. A phrase on it caught my attention. It said: “Would you offer your life to God?” In that moment, I felt this burning desire in my heart. I had never experienced that before, and those words stuck in my mind. I talked about it with my boyfriend. I told him that I was planning on going on that retreat, but his response made me change my mind. I did not want to lose him. I had everything I had wished for, and I was not willing to change it. I ignored this first call of God. However, when God fixes his eyes on someone, He finds a way to let that person know it. God may use anything and everything to accomplish His plan. In my case, God spoke directly to me through my boyfriend Alberto. One evening, as we were in a cafe, Alberto said: ”Lizbeth, there is something I have been thinking about and I need to tell you.” He continued, “I’m saying this to you because I really love you.” Somehow, I knew that whatever he had to say would hurt me. It made me think of the distress that our Blessed Mother felt when the angel Gabriel announced to her that she was the chosen one to be the Mother of God. He said, ”I believe that you would be very happy if you became a nun.” I will remember those words till the last day of my life. On that very day, we broke up. As I said before, when God chooses someone, He finds a way to let that person know.
by Sr. Lizbeth, OLS After I broke up with Alberto, I was not interested in dating anyone else. I needed some time to process those words. Deep in my heart, I knew it was true. My happiness would come with giving up my life for Christ. However, I was so afraid. One of my friends from the youth group joined the OLS sisters. Anytime I would see her, I would ask her what life was like in the convent. Did they just pray and pray some more? What does a person do in a convent all day long? She would just smile at me and say, “I will not tell you, you have to come and see.” Finally, she invited me to her Profession of First Vows. What a joy I experienced on that evening! I felt like I was in Heaven. It is so hard for me to put into words what I experienced on that day. The only thing I can say is that on that day God spoke directly to me. What happened after that day was the beginning of a beautiful journey that I am still walking on today. It was on that day that I made my decision. I knew that God’s plan for me was to follow Him, to deny myself, to take up my Cross, and follow Him. And so I did! I have been a religious sister for over 10 years, and I can summarize those years with the words of our Mother Foundress, Elisabetta Renzi: “How good is the LORD! I find no words to express my happiness in the religious life.” True happiness relies on doing God’s will. This is His will. He chose me to be His spouse and there is no greater joy than to know that “My Beloved is mine and I am his” (Song of Songs 2:16).
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Touch My Heart by Sr. Anita, OLS when I decided to become a sister, in 1933, my daddy brought me to the convent and told them to take care of his girl. My brother said when I left, “Anita, if you don’t feel good where you are, come back home.” My brother and I were close because I was right after him, and we did many things together. I didn’t know anything and unfortunately, we didn’t have a good formation at that time. When we were in the novitiate, our first novice director had to go after 3 months, and the other one was crying all the time because she didn’t want to be our novice director. We would go in the attic to sing about our plight, and we had an old sister who would come to give us lectures. I had a priest as my confessor and was learning from him, but after he was killed in an accident, I told God, “it is up to you to touch my heart.” We were 19 in my group who professed on July 19, 1938, and I’m the only one left. I was born in Italy in 1919, the fourth child in a family of eight. I was a twin, but my sister Ida, died after only 40 days. My parents were farmers and devout Catholics. Sometimes growing up, I would go to Mass during the week, and my daddy would come with me. As a young child, I can remember one of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows came to visit in our town, and I saw her. I didn’t know that there were many kinds of sisters. I just saw her from a distance, and I decided I wanted to be like her. That is the only thing I knew at that time. When I was 10, me and another young girl in my town wanted to become sisters, so our mothers took us to Rimini to the convent. And after we waited a long time for somebody to come talk to us, a sister came and told our mothers, “Take them home and let them grow.” I kept doing my best, going to church, and all of that. Coming from a poor family, it was not easy. Finally, 15
Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
Once I professed, I studied in Rimini to become a teacher. I was teaching in Rimini during the Second World War. Everybody was free to stay in the convent or go home during the war, and I stayed in the convent. A few years after the war, the Mother General asked for volunteers to come to America. I liked the missionary life, and we knew that Louisiana had many people who needed help at that time. I was not selected to come with the first 13 sisters, but I came a year later, in 1948. I was asked to come, so I came. When I said goodbye to my daddy, he said, “We know where we are born, but we don’t know where we are going to die.” I traveled by myself on the ship from Italy to New York. When I arrived in New York, I was met by Mother Zita and Sr. Mary Bacchielli. We rode the train from New York to Louisiana. When I got to Louisiana, I was sent to Our Lady of Sorrows in Pineville, where I taught 3rd & 4th grade.
I had studied English before coming, but when I came I had a difficult time. When I was teaching at the beginning, we had to learn the bad words that the kids were using. That was not easy. There were many adventures, we laughed at our mistakes many times, but that is the life we had to go through. Sr. Natalie and I would go to school every summer until we graduated from LSU. That was the only way we could get a degree. I was a good math teacher. Many former students have come back and thanked me for teaching them, “Unless you had pushed me to go through, I would never have done it,” “I am here today because of you.” It feels good to know you have helped another person to succeed. I worked in the schools until 1993, when I became the superior of the Motherhouse, and then I retired to St. Joseph’s in Alexandria in 1997, where I remain to this day, and I will be here till either the superior sends me to the Motherhouse or Jesus comes to take me home. After 79 years of religious life, I can say it is a life like any other, with both ups and downs. How you live it depends on the formation that you had or did not have; it depends on your own understanding of religious life; it depends on how the Holy Spirit is inspiring you. You know, every life is good and bad, you have good days, you have bad days, and both of them help you to grow, because even the bad days teach you that life is not so easy and you have to struggle. I regret that I did not do as much as I should have done for my spiritual life, whether it is because of lack of will power or lack of formation. I always prayed to God to make up for what I could not do myself. At my age now, it’s not what you want to do, it’s only what you can do. Only God knows why I am still here at 98 years old.
“I always prayed to God to make up for what I could not do myself.”
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Farewell Letter From our Friend
Sherry Crider 1946 - 2017
Sherry Crider and her husband Ron Crider
Dearest Friends and Family, This train has pulled out of the station, and I have begun a new journey. The old journey was hard, but I am at peace. Do not grieve or mourn for me; we will meet again, and I will greet you at the station when it is time for you to join me. I have been blessed with a happy life with many hills and valleys, but I am at Home now, and free, so do not mourn for me. Throughout my life, I have had wonderful company, and for that I want to say “Thank you”. Most of my family has already made this journey, but to my remaining family, I say that though distance separated us, you have always remained not far away in my heart. Pearl, Marty, and Mike, as well as Marilyn and Charlotte --- we will be together again. My friends for the last forty years, the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows have been (true) friends and my church family, and I have loved and respected you all, but special in my life have been Sr. Anthony, Sr. Anita, Sr. Gemma and Sr. Concetta. Just as Sr. Anita once said to me (and many times after when we would meet), “Sherry, Love never fails.” How true. To the Rosary Girls I say “Continue the tradition.” I don’t remember how we happened to meet each other. I don’t remember who got along with whom first. All I can remember is… all of us… together… always. We were all blessed by this friendship. You were the sisters I never had, and a source of love, joy, and laughter. I love you all. 17
Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows
I especially want to thank my theater family who gave me the opportunity to do something I truly loved. To Bob Buseick and my dear friend Patric, I say thank you. Working with one cranky old man and another with more compassion and a bigger heart than anyone else would ever imagine, it wasn’t always easy, but I loved it. Thanks guys. And finally, I say to Ron. Thank you for your care, concern, and love through this journey. Through more than forty years you have been my Rock, my Friend, my Love. You and I will meet again. Do not grieve. Take care of our beloved Paul and remind him that his Mu-MA loves him. Stay strong, compassionate, and loving, as you always have been. Love you, and waiting to see you again… Sherry
Retreats with the Sisters Las Cruces, New Mexico
BeLoved Retreat Shreveport, Louisiana Sacred Heart School Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows
St. Francis Cabrini School
www.ols.org
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“
The true character of the Sister of Our Lady of Sorrows lies in tender affection for the children and commitment to their education and training.
”
Bl. Elisabetta Renzi
