Sister Margaret Mary San Antonio, RSM In my recent attempt to straighten out my desk, I came across something written by my sister Irene (Sister M. Gervase) entitled “Our Heritage.” It was a beautiful tribute to our parents. She writes, “To observe the universe and life with faith, trust, and love is to discover new dimensions that link the world with God.” It was this quotation that made me realize what a profound influence my parents had in sowing the seeds of three vocations in our family, my vocation and Sister M. Gervase’s as Sisters of Mercy, and Sister Mary Flora as a Sister of St. Dominic. My parents also encouraged the others in our family to live good Catholic lives. As far back as I can remember, my parents were involved with Mercy. I have always said that my father was a Mercy Associate long before we had Mercy Associates. He could always be found assisting the Sisters of Mercy at Saint Mary Academy in Lakewood, New Jersey, where I grew up. We children were enrolled in the Academy to complete our elementary school education. Seeing the prayerfulness and the spirit of community lived by the Sisters of the Academy prompted my desire to live the same life. Since no Catholic high school was available, we attended Lakewood High School, Lakewood, NJ. Irene went on to Georgian Court College in Lakewood, NJ,, and I completed my training at St. Catherine’s Hospital School of Nursing in Brooklyn, New York. My sister Irene entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1944. At that time, Reverend Mother Mary Bertrand Miller was looking for a nurse to come to Mount St. Mary, Watchung, NJ to assist Sister M. Leonore Botti, RN, who was the only nurse caring for Sisters, students of Mount Saint Mary Academy, and Mother Margaret Mary Gash, who had suffered a stroke. Mother Bertrand knew through my sister Irene that I was a nurse, and she asked me to fill this position. It became my privilege to do private duty nursing for Mother Margaret Mary, who had been Mistress of Novices before she became ill. During her time in charge of both postulants and novices, she had great devotion to St. Therese of the Child Jesus to whom she prayed for vocations. Through Mother Margaret Mary’s prayers before she died and through the intercession of the St. Therese, 24 women entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1945 and became postulants, one of whom was myself! At my reception into the Novitiate, which was held at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Trenton, NJ, I learned that I would be called “Sister Margaret Mary” at the suggestion of Mother M. Bertrand. My first ministry was again assisting Sister M. Leonore in our infirmary at the Mount. In addition to this, from 1946 to 1953, I became the Mount Saint Mary Academy School nurse. I taught health-related subjects to all of the four year classes, and also, Driver Ed. In February of 1953, I was sent to start a Resident Nurses Program on the campus of Georgian Court College in preparation for the Middle States evaluation. For the next eleven years I remained at GCC as the resident nurse. While caring for the Sisters, there were five deaths. The Sisters were: Sister M. Patrice Farley, Sister M. Francesca McDonough, Sister M. Margareta Reed, Sister Mary Pius Conlon, and Sister M. Beatrice McMullin. Following the death of Sister M. Beatrice in 1964, I received my obedience to return to the Mount to be in the planning, along with our other nurses, for the new McAuley Hall. With the opening of McAuley Hall in 1966, I was assigned to the nursing staff, along with Sister M. Leonore Botti, Sister Michael Mary Roberts, Sister Irene Gormley, and Sister M. Michon Roberts. I continued my ministry of nursing until my retirement in 1993. “To observe the universe and life with faith, trust, and love is to discover new dimensions that link the world with God.” Along the way from 1983 to 1994, I was the Director of the Mercy Associates. From 1993 to the present I have served as Director of the Volunteers for McAuley Hall Health Care Center. On August 28, 2005, we celebrated the 39th anniversary of McAuley Hall, and I am still here! As I approach my Diamond Jubilee, I am grateful to God for directing me through these many years. I anticipate many more joys as I live out my Mercy ministry of service. If you would like to talk further with Sister Margaret Mary about her life and ministry, you may contact her at: volunteers@mcauleyhealthrsm.org
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