Happy Halloween

Pagan Schmagan. My sisters know how to celebrate, regardless of the holiday:
That's Sister Kenneth in the middle (a.k.a. Sister Kass) and one of our secretaries, Linda, on the right. Linda's not a sister either, but we both felt like honorary ones today in our "Halloween Habits," as Sister Kass put it.

Sister Kass (dressed as The Great Pumpkin) started calling me Minnie when I hung my Twins poster up at the end of last season. Naturally, I started calling her Saint Paul. I told her that "Sister Saint Paul" was redundant. She said it was an oxy moron.

Not to be outdone, our service dog, Newey, also dressed as The Great Pumpkin:

Priests are funny, too

I just saw our resident (more or less) priest in the hallway. This was our conversation:

Rachel: "Hi, Father! (Read: I have a hard enough time remembering 600 sisters' names, let alone yours) How are you?"

Priest: "Hm. Sober."

Rachel: "That's too bad. But it's only noon."

Priest: "True, true. So many bars, so little time. Well, I'm off to liturgy."

He was only kind of kidding.

Why do I love my nuns?

Because they do the electric slide...


the YMCA...


and the chicken dance...


And they still look classy doing it! Get down, sisters!

I love my nuns

Today at work, our sisters and some of my coworkers threw me a wonderful going-away party. They invited Matt, so he got to put faces with all the names he'd heard so much about. In the relatively short time I've been here (just a year!), I've become so close to all of them. The sisters especially are some of the kindest, most intelligent and savviest people I've ever had the joy of meeting. Who would've thought that a good Lutheran girl from the Midwest would count Baltimore nuns as some of her life's greatest mentors?

Historically, the sisters in this order were teaching sisters, and many of them began their careers in the classroom. They're all very proud and excited that I'm going to be a teacher, and they've all offered their advice (solicited or otherwise) from decades of experience. Their mission statement, "transforming the world through education," is displayed everywhere, and it's something that they all try to live out in their ministries and daily lives. As a gift, they gave me this beautiful paperweight with the inscription: "Rachel Scherer: 'Transforming the world through education.'" I will treasure it always.

I wish everyone who has negative impressions of the Catholic church could come meet my nuns. They are so open-minded, so loving, so accepting. One even has a bumper sticker that says "Green is Groovy." In fact, if the Catholic church was run by sisters instead of cardinals and bishops, I think it would be much better off. "This is most certainly true!"

Closet Catholics

There was a great article by Anthony Stevens-Arroyo in the Washington Post yesterday about Obama, the "closet Catholic." I enjoyed it not because I think the nuns I work for would love a convert in the White House, but because it highlights the wonderful works done by religious charitable organizations. Too often we hear about zealous Christians proselytizing and preaching the "if you're not with us you're against us" gospel. But actually living the gospel isn't about pointing fingers and looking for ways to exclude people. It's about living life as Jesus lived it--by caring for each other and loving the least among us as if they were family. I'm glad that Obama recognizes the Catholic Charities model and all the great work it does to give life to Jesus' message.

With that said, I don't know if one needs to be a "closet Catholic" in order to know that the Catholic church does a lot of good for a lot of people. I was raised in a liberal Lutheran tradition, and I was nervous when I first began to work for a congregation of nuns that we'd never agree on social issues. But I soon realized that the "Pro Life" issue is such a tiny piece of their lives as faithful Catholics. I also learned that "Pro Life" includes an end to war and starvation, as well as respect for life once its grown and needs help. Many of my nuns, as well as many Catholics who don't get the press, are socially liberal people. They believe in living the mission of Jesus by helping one another, especially the poorest and most destitute among us. I'm no "closet Catholic," but I am inspired every day by the selfless work of my nuns, the people at Catholic Charities and millions of other unsung, liberal Catholics.

This one is for all you "cat people"

Our therapy dog at work, "Newey," is being considered for an American Kennel Club "Canine Excellence" award for his work with our retired sisters. Below is the application we've submitted for consideration. It's a great summary of what Newey's ministry has meant to the sisters here.

“Visit, Newey. Visit.”

S. Bernadette Walsh, SSND stands in the room of an elderly sister at Maria Health Care Center at Villa Assumpta in Baltimore, Md., a retirement facility for elderly School Sisters of Notre Dame. At her right is Newark, a three-year-old yellow lab/golden retriever mix trained by Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) as a licensed therapy dog.

Newark, or “Newey,” gently “visits” the elderly sister by placing his head on the edge of her bed. Then, he waits. Newey is tremendously empathetic, and he senses when the sister is ready for more attention. After a moment, he pulls himself up beside her and the nun’s face lights up. She becomes alert, reaches to pet Newey and talks soothingly to him while stroking his soft ears. The sister has dementia and communicates with no one—but she talks to Newey. “Oh, Newey,” she says. “I see God in your eyes.”

Every day, Newey makes these types of connections at Maria Health Care Center as he ministers to the retired nuns who live there. As he strolls the halls with S. Bernadette, sisters and staff stop what they’re doing to acknowledge Newey. Infirm sisters stretch from their wheelchairs to grasp at his ever-wagging tail. Sisters in walkers make a concerted physical effort to bend down and wrap their arms around Newey. Through all the attention, Newey patiently allows as much love as the sisters need to give. S. Bernadette painstakingly moves from one sister to the next, each one waving good-bye as Newey continues on his rounds.

While therapy dogs have been a presence in nursing homes for many years, Newey’s presence at Maria Health Care Center is a very distinct presence. Sisters in years past led a cloistered lifestyle. The notion of a dog in their midst—therapy or otherwise—was strictly forbidden. But in recent years, more attention has been paid to the care and well-being of the sisters, regardless of the rules and regulations of a bygone era. Still, S. Bernadette is the first nun to whom CCI has given a therapy dog.

Newey’s presence among the sisters has made him an adopted member of their congregation. He attends prayers, ministers to families at sisters’ funerals, and accompanies sisters on hospital visits and to chemotherapy treatments. Even those who were not initially enthusiastic about accepting a dog into their midst can’t imagine life without Newey. As one sister wrote to him last Valentine’s Day: “I appreciate your visits, smiles and friendship. You will always have a place in my heart.”

Newey has become an integral part of S. Bernadette’s life and ministry to her fellow sisters as well. When asked to describe what Newey means to her and to her fellow sisters, S. Bernadette immediately quoted from memory the words of the foundress of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger: “Love gives everything gladly, everything again and again, daily."