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In 1865, five young religious women arrived to begin a new school at St. Ambrose Cathedral in downtown Des Moines. Theirs was an arduous journey—and the task before them must have been overwhelming. On Sunday, Nov. 4, 2007, two dozen BVMs joined more than 200 guests for a Prayer Service of Gratitude, thanking God for the support, loyalty and friendship our BVM community has enjoyed over 142 years from students, family, friends and the greater community of Des Moines. The 175th Jubilee Celebration was festive within a church that did not exist when the five Sisters arrived. On this warm and sunny Sunday afternoon there were trumpet fanfares, incense, a Bishop's blessing.
Later, at a reception, relationships were renewed as Sisters, their families, friends and colleagues shared school memories of St. Ambrose, Visitation, St. John's, St. Joseph Academy and Dowling, and the many other ministries of BVMs over the years in the diocese of Southwest Iowa. BVM Music Tradition
Among BVM Carola Broderick's favorite memories were the hymns sung at SJA rituals: “Jesus Light of all the World” and “Praise Be to Thee.” “As I planned our service, I knew I wanted that music by BVMs included,” she said. “Having an SJA graduate, Aimee Beckmann Collier, now a professor of conducting at Drake University, be the director of music for the service made this an easy transition. She, too, could recall those fond memories.”
Aimee carried on the BVM tradition by inviting her students to perform during the celebration. As she wrote, “Our small ‘yes' to participation in the service was just a shadow of the lifelong ‘yes' to which the sisters have committed their lives.” In her homily, Des Moines native Carolyn Farrell (Lester) recalled her preparation for BVM life and its links with the Cathedral: “I come with gratitude for my religious vocation that was nurtured at the Academy,” she said. “Often in my senior year, I visited this church as I transferred buses in the late afternoon, to pray and ask what God wanted of me.” Rocky Start Carolyn recounted the story of the original BVMs' trip to Des Moines, including the train ride from Dubuque to Boone (there was no railroad connection with Des Moines ). “A derailment in the midst of a heavy snowstorm sent the train's rear coach, in which the little party was riding, down an embankment and into a pond. The cries of the mother whose child had been hurled through the car window and into the water alerted other passengers. Only the infant's foot was visible when one of the sisters waded in the pulled the child out of the muddy water…. “The trip on to Des Moines was by stage coach. As they were crossing the bottom lands of the Skunk River, the wheels of the coach sank deep into the mud, the horses rearing and plunging in an attempt to free them…. Forty more miles of wretched roads brought them benumbed and mud-spattered, in view of the city lights.” “Change, a constant with us, continued,” Carolyn said. “Today, we realize we are living in a global world; we remember that courageous pioneering spirit of the early days, as we work for peace and justice with others that bring health, education and well being to earth and its people.”
Community of Faith After a gracious thank you by Joellen McCarthy BVM, a blessing conferred by Most Rev. Joseph L Charron, C.PP.S, retired bishop of Des Moines, and loud applause from those in the pews as the sisters processed out of the Cathedral, all who attended gathered at the Pastoral Center where reunions were joyous. Guests from several former parishes where BVMs ministered and families, colleagues and friends of BVMs in attendance gathered for hors d' oeuvres and punch, and lots of visiting. One guest commented: “It was a glorious day with so many BVM visitors reconnecting with folks from the Des Moines area.” As another person said, ‘This was like a family wedding reception. So festive and so much fun. Unfortunately, there are so many you want to talk with and the afternoon was just too short.” “I loved today,” another person said. “The service was simple and as I sat in the cathedral a parade of faces of all those fine BVM women who taught me came to mind. I thank God for my education and the profound legacy the sisters left.” Those who gathered expressed gratitude for the fine education and cherished friendships they have enjoyed with BVMs over all these years.
About the author: Mary Pat Haley, BVM ( St. Thomas ), has roots in Des Moines and is an SJA grad. She is professor emerita of communications, Loyola University, Chicago. Return to Table of Contents. |
Des Moines native Mary Pat Haley, BVM (l.) visits with Fr. John Ludwig, Jim and Jeanne O'Halloran. 
