I gave the homily so I thought I'd share a bit of it with you here:
In October of 1859, 153
years ago this past Sunday, twelve young women arrived in Portland. These women ages 18-33 were Sisters of the
Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. They were
ordinary French Canadian women, women of their time. They arrived in Portland
after six weeks at sea. Once here they
had to contend with poverty, disease, anti-Catholic prejudice, a new language
and a foreign culture. They did not have a guidebook to tell them how to
organize and structure their new foundation.
Instead they rolled up their sleeves and just two weeks after their
arrival in Portland they opened St. Mary’s Academy, the institution out of which
our university would grow, and its home until the fall of 1930 when the college
was moved to this campus. On that first
day of school six students walked through the door: three Catholic, two Jewish, and one
Anglican. The diversity of that first
group of students highlights the value the sisters placed on all children, not
just those who were Catholic. By the end
of that first academic year the school grew to 112 students. Just three years later, in 1862, the twelve
sisters were running schools in Portland, Salem, Oregon City, the Dalles, and
St. Paul. Twelve women, five schools, great distances, and no Twitter…. How did
they do it?
Each of the twelve
brought unique talents to the new mission:
Perpetua, the youngest, had a knack for developing warm relationships
with the children; Florentine was a gifted teacher; Mary of the Visitation was
a musician; Alphonse, the first superior, was one of the few who spoke English;
Mary of Mercy was a talented artist, and Mary Agatha had the gift of humor to
lighten tired hearts. Each one also
brought limitations: Florentine was
described as the “perfect” teacher, Mary of Calvary possessed an “insubordinate
spirit,” Mary Arsinus was physically and mentally frail, and Alphonse was
restless and impatient. They were
ordinary women.
As today’s reading from Corinthians
reminds us, there are many gifts – and the twelve foundresses did possess many gifts;
gifts which were given for the benefit of all. No one sister could have achieved what the
twelve did as a community of sisters.
They did not accomplish the founding of so many schools in such a short
time simply because they were hard workers, or because they were committed to a
common cause, or even because they were incredibility talented. They accomplished much because our twelve founding
sisters were convinced that the Spirit of God was working in and through them even
as they tried to bring the Kingdom of God, to the wilds of Portland. The
sisters understood that they were part of God’s mission – to bring sight to the
blind, freedom to the oppressed, and glad tidings to the poor.
So, how is it for
us?
Blessings, Carol
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