Serving God in a new place, in new ways

Written on: December 10, 2015

From L-R: Sister Dolores Fitzpatrick, Sister Pierette Remillard, Sister Mary Finnick, Sister Mary Mulligan

Sister Mary Finnick (Sister Saint Patricia) was the first Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart to minister in Haiti. She was also the first Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart to teach at the University of Buffalo and the first to teach at Temple University.

Sister Dolores Fitzpatrick (Sister Claire Marie) was one of the first Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart to teach at the newly-built St. Mary’s School in Potsdam, New York.

Both sisters are flexing their pioneer muscles once more as two of the first four sisters to move from the Motherhouse into Holy Redeemer Lafayette, an independent retirement facility in northeast Philadelphia. Holy Redeemer Lafayette is owned and administered by Holy Redeemer Health System.

Sister Mary is sharing a small apartment with Sister Pierrette Remillard (Sister Marie Jerome). Sister Dolores is sharing an apartment with Sister Mary Mulligan (Sister Martin de Porres). The sisters’ apartments are across the hall from one another.

“We’ve received a very warm welcome from the other residents,” Sister Mary Finnick says. “People come to us and ask, ‘Are you a Grey Nun?’ or ‘Are you a sister?’ People are curious about us and they want to talk to us. We’re making new friends every day.”

“We felt at home, right away,” Sister Pierrette adds.

In their new home, the sisters enjoy the benefits of programs for physical exercise and mental stimulation. They share dinner with their sister—and fellow–residents, people of all faiths. There is a small chapel, where Sister Dolores can often be found, praying in the silence, during the day. “I feel at peace here,” she observes.

Mass is celebrated three times a week and as more Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart settle in, the sisters will form community life, including communal prayer.

Sister Mary Mulligan shares her perspective on their new home: “The place and the way we’re living may be different but our life as Catholic sisters is the same. We will just discover new ways to minister. Our religious life, our life of prayer and caring for others, will live on in a new way, in a new place.”

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This entry was posted in From our Sisters and tagged: Chapel, Communal Life, Communal Prayer, dinner, Haiti, Holy Redeemer Health System, Holy Redeemer Lafayette, Mass, mental stimulation, new friends, Northeast Philadelphia, peace, people of all faiths, physical exercise, pioneer, praying, residents, sharing apartments, Sister Dolores Fitzpatrick, Sister Mary Finnick, Sister Mary Mulligan, Sister Pierette Remillard, St. Mary's School Potsdam NY, Temple University, University of Buffalo