TOURING THE INVISIBLE MINISTRIES
- Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
What if you were put into a van, and in the course of a couple of hours were driven into a world you didn’t know existed? What if you found yourself in rooms where people where not fluent in your language? What if you were told to be careful and not to leave main areas because women may be very afraid of you? What if everywhere you went, the men, women, and children you saw looked at you in an attempt to hide their fears? And what if you knew all along that you were in South Minneapolis or St. Paul, Minnesota?
In early September, I, and a few others were invited to see with our own eyes what many refer to as “The invisible ministries of the Sisters of St. Joseph.” Our first stop had the van pulling up to the old Calvary Baptist Church on 26th Street in South Minneapolis. Inside you are in another time zone, it shouts to you that this was once a mighty church in the heart of the original area of the city’s finest homes. I looked around for some sign to explain why we were there and a modest sign with an arrow pointed to the second floor.
Sister Irene O’Neil who was leading the tour said we were about to see the program called INSTEP - a core city day care program run by the sisters. How did the sisters get into day care? They started to help the abused women and mothers in the area and they learned painfully in time that those raised in abuse and mistreatment are likely to abuse their own children. The sister’s solution was to create a day care for the children so they could work with the mothers very closely and coach them into more appropriate mothering skills. This program was run out of three Spartan rooms with those familiar day care sounds of crying children and reassuring adults.
This tour was timed. I knew because a tap on the shoulder had us moving to another part of the building and into a series of hallways and small rooms. Each room had clusters of adults. It didn’t take long for the eye to catch a key detail; each group was from a different part of our world. Some were Spanish speaking; some were from Somalia, others from Tibet, and so on. Each group was being taught by who else, Sisters. I was told that these Sisters were retired and all had more educational degrees than they knew what to do with. But they did know what to do - they were running an adult education program on the second floor of the old Calvary Baptist Church in South Minneapolis. The Sisters explained they had decided their unique contribution would be to run an adult education program that; (1.) identified what the need of each student was, (2) assess the pace that would be needed for the student to learn, and (3) design individual or very small group instructional courses. One of the Sisters modestly said that they were not sure that the big classes offered by the other agencies were very helpful to these people. I asked how the people knew about this program. “Oh, they find us and they tell each other about us. Go to the Sisters at the Baptist Church and they will help you learn English so you can get a job.” As she spoke she presented me with a typed list of thirty countries their clients come from, most were third world. Sister Irene, not wanting to miss a teachable moment, did a quick history review with me. You know some of our great grandparents were taught by our first sisters about 150 years ago. They came to St. Paul to help with the immigrants. They taught our Polish, German, Bohemian, Italian, and Irish parents how to survive and learn skills in the new country.” Then she said, “When they got sick. we just had to open a hospital. All we are doing here is what the sisters have always wanted to do - help the new people coming to this country survive. These shy people you see today are no different from our ancestors, they just happen to come from a different country. Shall we go to our next site?”
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What began in St. Paul with four women expanded to more than 2600 Sisters and Consociates over the past 150 years. What began as a ministry in education has grown to include ministries in health care, social service and spirituality. Whether it be higher education for women, a safe place for runaway youth or innovative health clinics for the poor, we do not work alone. God is always with us, and we have the support of other with like dreams. |
The van crossed the river to St. Paul and to a building that was built as a convent but in time has become a haven for women thrown out of their homes or their countries. It has been given a beautiful name of Sarah‘s, An Oasis for Women. It can house up to thirty women. It is a safe place for them to work on their immigration issues, work skills, and most important, their mental health. This was the place where they asked that the men not leave the entrance area. We were told that for some there is still a strong fear of men who have abused them. Sometimes the nightmares are so bad that they go and sleep in the non-denomination chapel where they feel safe. Few know of this place or the important ministry that quietly takes place here.
Last stop was a wonderful visit with Barbara Dickie, the Director of the Sister’s Free Clinics. She had spoken this year at St. Joan's. She talked first about the eleven free clinics the Sisters of St. Joseph run in the metro area and that they see as many as 5,000 uninsured women, men, and children. She listed the wonderful and generous doctors and nurses and volunteers who donate resources and time to this ministry. As we talked the discussion turned to a key theme that weaves itself into all of these ministries that the sisters run. The word is FEAR. So many of these people come from places in the world where fear is part of their lives and they are not sure who they can trust. They are very suspicious of those in authority so the Sisters have a wonderful advantage. You notice in every one of these places how easily the sisters move among these people. The tour was too short. We didn’t have time to stop at the Free Store or Peace House, Incarnation House, Cornelia Place and a dozen or more places where the Sisters of St. Joseph believe they can best carry out the gospel commands.
From time to time you hear someone reminisce about the Sisters who ran our Catholic Schools, in times past. The stories are many and usually there is remark, how sad it is that they all went away. Well, I am here to tell you that the Sisters of St. Joseph, and other Sisters did not go away - they just went among the poor. We don’t see them because we have arranged our society so as to not see our poor. But if you get in a van or a car and drive to south Minneapolis or parts of St. Paul, and you look in old Baptist Churches, closed convents, or maybe an inner city parish building, or a storefront on Franklin Ave, you will find them. They are not as young as they use to be. You can’t always easily spot them, but then again, that is not really true. Look for the woman with her arm around someone, or the women sitting listening quietly to a mother, or someone huddled with two or three shy dark skin people, and you can guess she is a Sister of St. Joseph. If you ever think that people are too selfish and there is nothing very hopeful around, take a tour of the invisible ministries the Sisters operate and then think about the words of the gospels commands, and you have found a contemporary match.
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Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet have truly been instrumental in transforming the society of the upper Midwest. These intelligent, brave, and visionary women of our community have created health care systems that continue to help us heal. They’ve instituted schools that continue to promote leadership and wisdom. They have created ministries to provide safety nets for the children, women, and men forgotten or ignored by society. And they have invited young people and adults to develop and nurture their spiritual lives. These women have left us a tremendous legacy and responsibility. |
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