Sister Betty Heard God's Call in Her Heart

By Sister Betty Elmer, RSM
EDITOR'S NOTE: Our series celebrating the different ways in which Oklahoma Catholics heard and answered the call to serve the Church continues as we enter the Centennial year of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.

The passage from Isaiah 49:1, pretty well sums up the story of my faith life and vocation.  “The Lord called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.”  This line indicates a designated plan for an individual.  As I reflect on my life and my vocation I recognize more and more how my very early life background was vital to the realization of God’s designated plan for me.  

My story is very typical of many other early baby boomers that were born into Catholic families.  God can and does work through the ordinary.  Being born soon after World War II positioned me as the eldest child of cradle-Catholic parents who had always practiced their Catholic faith and were determine to do so in the future.  Both my parents had grown up on farms.  Dad and Mom had come to know dependence and blessings through the gifts of the land and nature.  These values were deeply rooted in my parents and would be instilled in their children as we would all be raised on a farm, even in difficult times.

In the 1950’s, all Catholic parents were greatly urged to provide a Catholic school education for their children.  Parishes were strongly urged to provide Catholic schools through 12th grade, if at all possible, for their young parishioners.  St. Patrick’s Parish, in Walnut, Kansas, was no exception.  The families of the parish, composed mostly of Germans and Irish, sacrificed much to support a 1st -12th  grade Catholic school.  It was during my 11 years as a student at St. Patrick’s school that I grew in knowledge and love of the Sisters of Mercy who were the teachers in every classroom. Not only were the Sisters good teachers in conveying knowledge but the merciful charism of Catherine McAuley, the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, flowed from them.

In the mid 60’s, as I was nearing high school graduation it was time to make a life choice.  As some of my classmates were getting married, most of the boys were being drafted for the Vietnam War and few of my friends were entering religious communities.  Even though my father had been accidentally killed early in my high school years it was evident my mother wanted each of her children to pursue their life choice as soon after high school as possible.  My mother was very supportive of my entering the Sisters of Mercy.  It was a surprise to me when I entered the Sisters of Mercy along with 34 other young women that they were not all supported by their parents in their decision.

The people that gave me the foundation to be where I am today were my parents and the Sisters of Mercy who taught me.  Through their guidance, teaching and example I witnessed in them and learned from them “giving glory to God,” and “serving the poor and needy.”  All Christians of the 60’s were called to live these two Gospel values just as the Christians of today are called to live them.  The community of the Sisters of Mercy appeared to be an appealing way for me to continue to grow in my relationship with God within the Catholic Church and to put my faith into action.

As a student I had read and studied about Catherine McAuley, who in 1927, as a woman of nearly 50 years of age used her inheritance to build a shelter and school for poor women and children near a wealthy square in Dublin, Ireland.  The women of means who joined Catherine in this ministry found their personal strength in prayer.  Due to pressures of the institutional Church, Catherine and “her ladies” were forced to establish a religious community if they were to continue their work on Baggot Street in Dublin.  Thus, today, the Sisters of Mercy take a vow to serve the poor, sick and uneducated in addition the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

As soon as I entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1964, I would begin college to prepare for ministry.  For the next several years college would coincide with my study of theology, the vows, and the history and charism of the Sisters of Mercy.  One of my blessings has been being a member of a religious community that listens to its members, even the youngest.  Since health care and education were two of our strongest ministries I could express my desires for professional preparation in these areas.  As a college student I could imagine myself as a secondary school science teacher.  Fortunately, I was allowed to major in the natural sciences and education.  This along with my continued growth in the spiritual life and the support of community prepared me well for ministry in Catholic schools.  It has been my privilege to serve God’s young people for 34 years of teaching and administration in Catholic schools in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

As a Sister of Mercy I am constantly called to practice the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy for all God’s people.  We are all needy at times.  During these times of need connections among all God’s people can be made to help each other.  This was one of the main goals of Catherine McAuley—-to make a connection between the rich and poor regardless of religion.  As Christians we are all called to this in Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Plain, Chapter 6, verses 20-26.

One of the most powerful moments of my days in the classroom was near the end of the school year a few years ago when one of the young students came up to me after class.  Her question was not about biology or her final exam but rather, “how can I send some donations this summer to the youngster we helped during Lent since I have my first job lined up for this summer?”   At this point I realized a very important message had been received.  This and many other highlights such as this have made teaching in a Catholic school worth every difficult moment that has been encountered.  

It is very enlivening to belong to a community of women who not only provide for but expect participation of its members on a variety of committees, task forces, boards, projects, etc., that address social work and social justice issues. Theological reflection processes have become a way for our community to discern how to put faith into action. Sometimes the decisions to meet the needs of the times call for great change for some or all our members.  As painful as this may be, the mission of serving the poor, sick, uneducated and needy, especially women and children, is revitalized within the means available to us.  This has been modeled for me by the Sisters of Mercy from Lacon, Illinois, who made a great change in their lives in 1884, to come to Indian Territory (now Sacred Heart, Oklahoma) to educate and teach God’s love to the Indian girls.  As Oklahoma City was established, these same Sisters along with new members were willing to staff St. Joseph’s School, the first Catholic School in Oklahoma City.  And once again it was discerned by these early Sisters that a boarding school should be established in Oklahoma City to serve the educational and spiritual needs of all girls.

It has been through the Sisters of Mercy that I have come to realize that “working for God” and “doing God’s work” are two very different things and require very different listening and responses on my part.  Doing God’s work may call me to respond to something that I have not yet thought about or met.  My hope for the Catholic Church in Oklahoma is that all members listen and respond to doing God’s work.  Our diocese is constantly changing just as it has over the past 100 years.  The prophet, Micah, summed up how each person is to live when he wrote:  “You have been told, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah, 6:8)

If each member in our diocese could live this calling then everyone would want to live in the Oklahoma City Diocese.