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Motherhouse Sisters Relish Active Retirement |
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It is a steamy August day, an uneventful Friday at Mount Carmel . Uneventful except for the prayer service scheduled to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the nuclear bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki . I note sisters walking to the chapel, stopping to visit along the way. They walk purposefully, with expectation. Some come with walkers, others use canes, a few others drive motorized wheel chairs. All are able to pray, reflect and respond “Never Again! Never Again!” as they remember the dead of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . I sit here, remembering my novitiate days when the 1950s chapel was filled with postulants and novices. When life here was regimented and moved strictly in lockstep. When the only older people were those in congregational or novitiate administration and those who oversaw the daily operations of an enormous household. Now the Motherhouse is a house of retirement where sisters live according to a flexible schedule which, to some extent, they can adjust to accommodate their own preferences. After the service, I am fortunate enough to visit with several BVMs about life at Mount Carmel . I am curious. I am getting close myself. Why would I come here? Would I like it? What would I do ?
When she informed her Regional Representative of this decision, she was told there was a driving job open at Mount Carmel . Since then, she has been doing “long distance driving” here, taking sisters for home visits or on other day trips. “Yes, I am busy, but not too busy. I can be as busy as I want.”
Madalyn files medical records at Marian Hall Skilled Care and works in the office at the Motherhouse. She also manages the constant stream of visitors, assigning rooms and alerting staff to housekeeping needs.
She assists with making altar breads, and she prepares the weekly guide sheets for those who pray the Office. “We have wonderful people working for us in housekeeping, maintenance, and nursing....” she comments; “also, there are so many events to enjoy.”
Now, several years later, she is still doing that but she also teaches classes in Beginning Computer to Dubuque senior citizens who come to the Roberta Kuhn Center (see pp. 12-13). Georgia Ann creates and distributes the monthly Motherhouse calendars and chooses the weekend videos for the in-house TV channel. “I feel happy and content to be living at Mount Carmel ,” she notes. “I am able to receive the care I need (oxygen), yet be independent ...through the use of a walker and a motorized chair. I am able to choose my involvements.” So Many Choices Indeed choice is important for many who come to live at the Motherhouse. Whether their choice of coming initially is limited because of health or age, once they arrive, the sisters find multiple options for happy living. For many, some occupation is important.
For others, “What do you do here?” is not a welcome question as they have discovered that doing is far less important than being .
The sisters assure me that now they have time; they can read, they can write letters, they can enjoy nature. And, mostly, they can choose. As Georgia Ann emphasizes, “Yes, I keep busy, but ...I can choose to do or not to do. I can always say No and take a nap instead!”
She remarks that the Motherhouse is far different now from how it was in the late '50s “The only young people here were the novices,” she recalls. In those days, there was little companionship for young professed sisters working at Mount Carmel and, because of the kind of schedule maintained for postulants and novices, life was stricter than it was on the missions. Marilyn easily concedes that, presently, the Motherhouse is a pleasant place to live. She continues her music ministry, playing at daily liturgies and for funerals. A Big Change
“However, I used to tell everyone about how wonderful Mount Carmel is, and now when they come to visit me, they see for themselves.” Jamesita helps manage the tape library, a lending service for the congregation. There she previews new tapes, mails out video and audio tapes and, generally, keeps the collection moving. Several sisters emphasize that Mount Carmel is not the same as “when you were a novice.” They encourage BVMs to consider retiring here, but they recommend visiting for a brief time first. The size of the house and the number of sisters can be overwhelming, especially if one is used to living in a small community. To get a sense of the place, one might offer service for a week or two in the summer or just come to visit. Above all, they stress, to get the full benefit of retirement here, it's worth “coming while you are young enough and well enough to enjoy the place!” As I drive the river road on my way out, I think about retirement at Mount Carmel and know that it could be lovely. Here a potpourri of individual choices creates an environment of cooperation, shared gifts and peaceful leisure, along with an awareness of and concern for a wider world. I am reminded of the story Verelyn Kelly told me an hour or so ago about friends who came to visit some years ago. On their way home, they spoke of the peacefulness of this place. A youngster in the group, an 11 year-old boy, agreed. “It is full of God,” he said. About the author: Pat Nolan, BVM (Frederick Mary) teaches English at Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa. Return
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“Of course I like it here,” insists BVM Helen Louise Young, a resident of 13 years. “I couldn't possibly have better companions. Plus, there is always something to do—always time to pray and time to play.” Helen Louise enjoys driving; just before coming here she had applied for a job driving handicapped people in Rockford , Ill. 
About life at Mount Carmel , “I think it's wonderful,” adds Madalyn Hogan, BVM (Renata); “there's a beautiful spirit here and you are free to be alone or spend time with others.” 
Verelyn Kelly, BVM, a Motherhouse resident since 1995, works in the treasurer's office and writes letters for those who are unable to do so. 
A Motherhouse resident for five years, BVM Georgia Ann Lange (Georgelle), who formerly worked in parish ministry, came to Mount Carmel initially on an invitation from her Regional Representative to help out in the Archives office. 
Sacristan and librarian at Marian Hall, BVM Joan Opatts (John Annette) mentions that she experiences joy in contributing: “It makes me feel more at home. I love the variety of personalities in the house,” Joan continues; and “working in a number of areas keeps me in touch with different people.” 
“I love the relaxed pace,” states Pat Donahoe, BVM (Marjorie), who came to Mount Carmel three years ago from Chicago . “We are surrounded by God's beauty and can simply enjoy being in the present with God.” 
BVM Marilyn Thomas, who can be heard on most Sunday mornings playing a vibrant piano/organ duet, a postlude, after the 9 a.m. liturgy, has been at Mount Carmel since 1958, when she came to fill the position of secretary to Mother Mary Consolatrice. Marilyn also taught French and liturgical organ to the novices. 
“It was hard to leave the beauty of the desert,” relates Jamesita Keller, BVM, who has been at Mount Carmel for three years and who came because of an asthmatic condition.