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
As my eyes opened I realized that I might as well try to tear down the
mighty stone walls of the Rocky Mountains, which I could behold daily,
as to move the Roman Catholic "religious" machine to interest itself in
righting wrongs for a sister in the community. There was nothing for me
to do but live on and take whatever wrongs the system was pleased to
mete out to me to the end of my days, or to play the hypocrite for a few
years, waiting for something better, if those in authority saw fit to
give me a change.
I should have had the same privilege of receiving and sending mail in
Canada as other American citizens are accorded, but not so. The system,
as it always does, demanded and delegated to itself the right to
scrutinize all mail sent or received by its subjects. So, in order that
I might send and receive letters dealing with subjects other than the
Roman Catholic religion and convent, I had to gain the confidence of a
"secular" and receive my mail outside the convent.
I had written to a friend in Spokane, Washington, Mrs. A. J. Kearney,
who was a graduated nurse from St. Vincent's Hospital, telling her of my
trouble and that I was contemplating leaving the order, as I was at last
satisfied in my own mind that this was the only step to take. I received
an encouraging reply and wrote again, planning further.
In the meantime, I continued my novenas to the Blessed Virgin Mary, St.
Anthony and St. Joseph, in heart-breaking sorrow and tears--praying for
enlightenment, as I had been doing for weeks and months. In all
earnestness and sincerity I was bowing, scraping, kneeling, pleading to
the images, the statues and the fourteen stations of the cross.
At last, after so long a time, it came to me as if a thunderbolt had
come from Heaven, that these statues and images and relics could do me
no good. They were all clay and material. What I needed was something
divine, but after living what I had lived, I was now ready to believe in
nothing. I thought that if God was a just God, He could not and would
not permit such oppression and cruelties and injustices to be
perpetrated in the name of Christian religion and in His name. I decided
that if there was a God who was the Creator of heaven and earth and all
things therein, He would surely hear me if I would pour out my heart to
Him. So I fell upon my knees and prayed as I had never prayed
before--not to St. Anthony, not to St. Joseph, not to St. Vincent de
Paul, no, not even to the Blessed Virgin Mary or any other saint, but to
God Almighty, asking Him to show me the light and right; that "if what I
am living is right, give me strength and courage to live it and endure
it to the end, and I will try to believe it. But, O, God! if it is not
right, show me the right that I may do Thy will; be Thou my helper now
and forever," and I left my future in His hands, continuing to ask His
help and guidance each day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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