The Demands of Rome: Her Own Story of Thirty-One Years as a Sister of Charity in the Order of the Sisters of Charity of Providence of the Roman Catholic ChurchSchoffen, Elizabeth
Religion
The Demands of Rome: Her Own Story of Thirty-One Years as a Sister of Charity in the Order of the Sisters of Charity of Providence of the Roman Catholic Church
Schoffen, Elizabeth
Ex-nuns -- United States -- Biography; Monastic and religious life of women
When these strange and strong measures will be put to me I will
certainly have to know of them and then it shall be my business to learn
the reason, and mine to employ whatever means I may require for justice
or peace of soul and body. Any grievous wrongs coming to me through
jealous and ambitious evil-doers will not be borne by me in a pent up
heart any more like in the past. Accusations, as also insinuations,
which falsify will have to come to light and proof. They can say all the
dirty, wicked remarks about me they please. I know but precious little
good has ever been said of me by the community representatives out here
in the past, and I do not expect better yet. If I am American in my
views and ways, it does not make me irreligious or disloyal. My faults
and shortcomings are not worse, nor of meaner character than those I am
with, and have lived with. With little effort I can produce plenty
comparisons.
I will not again suffer humiliating trials cast upon me without cause,
and worse, to no purpose, but to incur the displeasure of God and to
please deceitful, jealous, scheming spirits.
You ask me what has happened this house? It would take me six months to
put it in writing and make a nervous wreck of myself and then be
compelled to leave to others what I attempted to better. Time, and
sisters who will be trained by home religious, who will understand our
people and sisters, can only right things with us out here. Along these
lines the trouble lies in this house. We are even bad for knowing where
trouble lies, etc., etc., etc. You know as well as I do.
I work hard and know that I work well, and I do my duty the best I know.
The crime is, I haven't the "L'esprit de la religieuse," because I am
not French and they can't bake me over other than God made me. Amen.
With love in prayer, I am,
Yours very sincerely,
SISTER LUCRETIA,
S. C. S. P.
On March 10th, 1910, I wrote her again, further explaining what was
going on, as follows:
Dear Mother Wilfrid:
Another item which stands black against me is that I have been taking
care of Archbishop Christie this winter. Three weeks' special nurse and
for three months I went nearly every day to his residence to give his
arm massage treatment. I did my hospital work all but the entering of a
few names along with the extra work. I gave classes in nursing to the
sisters two evenings per week.
Now, of course, I should be made to feel very sorry that I have been
capable of giving agreeable service to such a distinguished patient. It
being out of the question to punish him for being pleased with my care
or an expression of a word of gratitude. So, it should behoove me to be
put through the expiatory system to atone for my sins of having done
well and more than the usual effort. I can't tell where the glory of
such Christ-like doings belong. No doubt it is the right spirit--too bad
I haven't it. What a grievous sin it must be to please, etc.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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