Sinsinawa
Spectrum
A Congregation News Magazine
Crowd of ’65 Gathers for Reunion
Back row, from left: Sr. Judy Miller, Mary Rose Mork, Sr. Martha Alken, Karen Marolt, Franie Hirsch, Rosemarie Assad, Mary Jane Alexander, Pat Schaller, Betty (White) Gettler, Mary (Little) Hample, and Catherine Pederson. Middle row: Sr. Judy Aubry, Mary Jo Jacobs, Sr. Pat Leahy, Judy Veselis, and Sr. Marie Anna Stelmach. Front Row: Pat Richardson, Sr. Margaret McGuirk, and Mary Sherman. Missing from photo is Sr. Alita Lisbeth.
by Mary (Little) Hample
Almost 20 of the 60-plus women who came to Sinsinawa to explore life as a Dominican Sister in 1963–64 descended on the Mound in April. We were greeted with open arms, hugs, kisses, and laughter. We quickly deposited our luggage in our rooms. Was it possible I was in the same room I had in 1964? Then we scurried down to the novice room [Eastview] to catch up on some 45 years of who was doing what. “You haven’t changed!” and “I never would have recognized you!” flowed into “OK, now I remember you!” and “Do you remember when . . . ?”
That evening we learned that these 20 women were not idle all those years. The world, whether it be education, medical, ministries, or business, knew that they were there! The ’65 crowd truly lived in the spirit of Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, who so fervently believed in education for women. The other revelation: Sisters Cecil [Sullivan, OP], Marie Magdalen [Murphy, OP], and Marie Walter [Flood, OP] must have been saints! It seems the temptations of soda pop, cigarettes, and music were sometimes just too much for some of us in those days. We were sure those who watched over us must have felt like preschool teachers at times. We finally crawled up to bed after midnight―sleepy, but smiling.
On Saturday, we toured the old building where all joked over the staircases which we diligently dusted daily; the high school halls where we caught snippets of rock-and-roll on the girls’ radios; the priests’ dining room; the old novitiate and postulant rooms, now private bedrooms for retired sisters; and the recently redone laundry. Every bit of space has been redone into bedrooms for the aging population. We also toured the Mazzuchelli exhibit. It was amazing to see some of the parish and civic buildings he designed and his equipment for St. Clara Women’s Academy. Finally, we stopped by the cemetery and strolled through the grounds. Most of us had forgotten what a beautiful place the Mound is, the views of those tranquil, rolling hills.
We participated in the liturgy in the beautiful Queen of the Rosary Chapel. We all shared in this wonderful sense of relationship with one another, the Sisters at the Mound and elsewhere in missions, and the women from the crowd of 63–64 who were not able to join us. Wherever we went, we were greeted by the working and retired Sisters who live at the Mound. I’ll end the story of our weekend reunion with a thank you to the women of Sinsinawa for their hospitality and kindness and a recommendation to all the other crowds to gather there again to share their own memories, beauty, and joy.