Sister Bonaventure Monhollan

In February 1920, the order sent three volunteers to open a new elementary school in Westwago, a working class suburb in New Orleans.  Sister Bonaventure Monhollan, the youngest of the group, later recalled that on Mondays they rose at dawn and walked two and a half hours to reach the school.  They had a cold lunch of jelly and cheese sandwiches.  At night they went to a small cabin, rented with borrowed money, which had no cooking utensils.  One night they took in the larder to find only a small glass of jelly, one teaspoon and two slices of bread.  “Well, I looked at the other two, then at the two slices of bread and said to myself, ‘I am the youngster,’ so I got up from the table, went to bed and cried myself to sleep.”

excerpt from

Sisters: Catholic Nuns and the Making of America—John J. Fialka.

St. Martin’s Press. New York, NY. 2003

Those who wish to read more about these incredible women and their gift of service to the church and the world can do so in John’s book, which you can order from Amazon.com or receive directly from SOAR! for a donation of $50. This donation will support retired religious sisters and brothers through the work of SOAR! To receive the book for your donation, please contact Danielle Bell directly by email or by phone at 202.529.7627.

August 2014