God's Gifts
Blessed Sacrament remembers service of Sinsinawa Dominicans

By KENNY KEANE, Globe staff reporter
Posted January 30, 2003

As part of the Sioux City Diocese's 100th anniversary celebration this past year, a book titled, "Honoring Women of Faith," was created.

This book sparked the idea of honoring women of faith through a work of art, which commemorates the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters' 62 years of teaching at Blessed Sacrament School in Sioux City.

"Sometimes people give service and are forgotten," said Sister Margaret McGuirk, a Sinsinawa Dominican who graduated from Blessed Sacrament. "I thought the diocese did a wonderful thing with that project. That inspired me, a native of Sioux City, and Sister Jean Brennan (also a Sioux City native) to have commissioned an art piece that would be put in the school to remember our sisters."

Blessed Sacrament paid tribute to these sisters during 9 a.m. Mass on Jan. 26 at the church. Four of the Sinsinawa Dominicans, Sister Margaret, Sister Duchesne Maxwell, Sister Patricia Rinn and Sister Patrice McGovern came back to visit the parish and school at which their order taught from 1924 to 1986.

Father Merlin Schrad, pastor of Blessed Sacrament, called the sisters forward to the altar at the end of Mass. Sister Margaret and the others presented an art collage, created by Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Joeann Daley, consisting of photos sent in by sisters and parishioners taken during their time at Blessed Sacrament.

Following Mass, the sisters gathered in the parish hall to spend time with parishioners, some of which were former students of theirs.

One of the students who experienced the teaching of the Dominican sisters at Blessed Sacrament was Liz Rickert, a 1972 graduate who now works as a secretary at the school.

"I think it was a very positive experience. I think I had one at about every grade level," she said. "They were very nice people, had a lot of insight and seemed very good with their Catholic faith and delivering that to us as students."

Although Rickert said she enjoyed having the sisters in the school, she feels bad that her children have not been able to experience their presence the way she did.

With the beginning of a generation who may never have the opportunity to be taught by sisters, Father Schrad said it is important to be reminded of the influence that the Dominican sisters had at Blessed Sacrament.

"It's important for people who are new to the parish and also for me to realize that they do have a history here, and they do have a great influence on us," he said. "I think the key to this whole thing for us was the vocation that came out of our community with Sister Margaret McGuirk and how she is now continuing the teaching profession, which she learned from the sisters here.

"It's just a great way for us to remind ourselves, in this day and age where vocations don't seem to be coming out of the woodwork, it is possible that there are vocations from our parish, and that we need to continue to pray for vocations."

Aside from her religious vocation, Sister Joeann, who created the collage, is also an artist by trade. Although she never taught at Blessed Sacrament, she said she was very pleased to be asked to perform this task.

"I was just very touched and honored to try to put together an art piece that would celebrate the contribution of the Sinsinawa Dominicans in that school and in that diocese," she said. "I was pleased with the final piece. I think it did a good job of celebrating and showing the diversity during that time."

Even though Sister Margaret has never served as a teacher at Blessed Sacrament, she said she has had the opportunity to hear many stories about the sisters who did serve at the school and how it was a favorite mission of theirs.

"They have memories of so much joy and laughter. They just remember the loving parishioners who touched their lives," she said. "The Sinsinawa Dominicans express our gratitude to the people of Blessed Sacrament for the opportunity that we had to work with them over those years."

This year's Catholic Schools Week theme, "Making a Difference," summarized the day of honoring these women, according to Father Schrad.

"Here are a number of people who, for 62 years, did make a difference," he said. "We finally had a chance after all these years to stop and say thank you for making a difference and making Blessed Sacrament what it was."