Registered Nurse
35 years at Holy Cross Province
“I am a Lutheran, so I had no experience with any religious order—Catholic priests, nuns—all I knew in my whole life was a Lutheran minister. So, when I came to the Passionist Monastery, it was a whole new kind of experience for me but for some reason, I can’t tell you why, but I always like it. I liked it from day one. I liked being here, I liked the people, I liked everything about it, so that’s why I stayed. Now I feel that I’m partly Passionists after all these years. People are like my family, brothers, my cousins, my uncles, you know, I feel camaraderie with everyone.”
Sharing Our Stories
How has your experience of the Passionists had a positive impact upon you over the years?
Well, I am much freer, of course. When I first began I was kind of shy and probably quieter than I am now. I feel much more at ease with the Passionists because I’ve known them so long.
I am kind of like a mother. I am a mother figure because your mother is your first nurse, so no matter how old you are, a nurse is kind of synonymous with mother, so I am a mother, I am a sister, I am caregiver, I am a confidante. I wear a lot of hats I think.
What do you think the Passionists have to offer you?
Well, it’s been a wonderful place to work for over 30 years. I have grown and I’ve learned a lot from the Passionists. I think it’s been a very good relationship.
One of the realities of this type of work is that you see people at the end of their lives. The Passionist charism has to do with the Passion, the suffering and death of Jesus, does this speak to you of your experiences here?
When the Passionists suffer, I think, it’s different than lay people. I think they are on a different plane than the lay people are. I think they are certainly more spiritual, and I think because of their faith the whole dying process is easier for them. Our humanness wants to live, it’s not easy to just give up and die, so, that’s kind of basic to our humanness but spiritually, the Passionists are always ready to die and I think the dying process is easier, probably, for them because of their faith and because they are Passionists.
How has that affected and changed your faith?
Well, first of all, I was with both of my parents at the moment of their deaths. My dad died in ’71 and I was real new to this whole dying process, caring for dying people, so I didn’t handle that as well as I did my mother’s death. My mother died in “81— I had ten more years, and I think it has helped me to understand life and death and certainly the dying process, because Daneo Hall has been a hospice. So, it’s helped me in my own personal life and when I think about my own death and dying, and my family.
Over the years, we have really come to appreciate and love you as you deal with our men.
Well, the Passionists are very lovable. There is a certain unforeseen “something” in this building. I thought that when I first came it was amazing, because it never scared me—I was never afraid here. And I always felt a kind of love or a permeating good feeling. I had a good feeling here and I always have.
