Chapter 1
1947: Starting My Journey
As the train pulled into Chicago’s Union Station, my five friends and I eagerly ran to board it. We settled in quickly, and then, as the train was pulling away, I glanced out the window and saw my parents waving goodbye. In my enthusiasm to begin my new adventure, I hadn’t given a single thought to how they were feeling. My mother was wiping away tears; in my selfishness, I couldn’t believe she’d cry when I was feeling so happy. I figured, “She’ll get over it.” How often I later regretted that thought.
My friends and I settled in for the two-hour ride to Wisconsin where our lives would be changed forever. We talked about the reason each of us decided to enter the religious life. These ranged from infatuation with nuns who taught them, to feeling a Call to make the world a better place.
My reason was simple: I had a great admiration for nuns who practiced humanness as well as spirituality. These nuns were friendly, personable, and generous with their time. They came to our basketball games, and they directed some of our school plays. They encouraged us to participate on the debate team, and they assisted us with difficult assignments. They taught us ways to pray, and they prayed with us. These were the nuns who attracted me to the religious life. I wanted to be just like them.
Before departing for the novitiate, my original plan had been to attend the nursing school where my mother earned her degree. She was delighted that I was following in her footsteps. However, I was impressed when Sister Marie Suzanne, one of the nuns from school, told me she thought I would be a perfect candidate for the novitiate. The more I thought about it, the more enthusiastic I became about this idea. That’s when I changed my mind about nursing.
Since the novitiate entrance date was only a month away, there wasn’t a lot of time to prepare for it. Even though my mother was disappointed, and she didn’t approve of my choice, she provided the money I needed to purchase the required items. She also rushed to sew all the garments I needed.
My only other recollection of that journey is that Dorothy pulled out her cigarettes and offered them to us. We figured this would be our last chance to smoke, so we made the best of it. Although I’d never smoked, I thought I might as well take advantage of this opportunity. Ugh!
We were met at the train station by three smiling nuns who welcomed us, introduced themselves, and then took us to the novitiate where we would spend the next two and a half years preparing spiritually and educationally for our next steps in life. The building was huge and very imposing, but that didn’t daunt me. I would not be intimidated by anything deterring me from answering God’s Call.
Upon our arrival, the first order of business was to present Sister Dolores, our postulant mistress, with the required two-hundred dollar dowry. This was the money that symbolized my desire to become a Bride of Christ. Since my parents had no other means of fulfilling this obligation, they reluctantly cashed in my life insurance policy so I could pursue my dream of consecrating my life to God.
Later on, Sister Dolores went through our luggage to check our cotton “lingerie” and other items we were required to bring. These included the following:
• six pairs of wide-legged panties that reached to our knees
• six long-sleeved cotton shirts
• six pairs of black cotton stockings
• three black petticoats
• three pinstriped petticoats
• six linen handkerchiefs
• twelve “bird’s-eye” napkins (for those monthly episodes of nature)
• two cotton nightgowns
We were also expected to bring a trunk of a specified size, three sets of towels and face cloths, and two pairs of black nurse’s shoes. After Sister Dolores completed her inspection of all our belongings, she validated our toiletries by placing an approval tag on each item that was permitted:
• one tube of toothpaste
• one toothbrush
• one container of deodorant
• one small can of talcum powder
• one bar of soap
• one comb
• one hairbrush
All other items were confiscated, and they magically disappeared. Sister Dolores said that when we needed to replenish our toiletries, we could request them from our parents