Sister Bernadine has been a sister at the elms for 76 years. Sister came from a large family of 9, and has always been involved with children. (family background info)
Interview with Sister Bernadine
What job did you have before being a sister?
a nanny, always been involved with children
What’s the biggest change you've witnessed during your time at the elms?
a lot more traveling since i first became a sister
What made you choose to go into the Dominican Sister of Peace, instead of another order?
I was totally involved in schooling with the Dominican
What do you do in your free time?
read, travel
What grade did you teach and for how long?
grade 4-8 and for 51 years
What is your favorite part about the mother house and the campus?
the chapel, my bedroom
What Has been the most fulfilling part about being at the elms?
I love to deal with families and their children. When you’ve been teaching for 51 years you met a lot of wonderful people and I've enjoyed doing that very very much.
What advice do you have for those that want to become a sister?
Our community has weekends called “Come and See” where they invite adults from the age of 18 or on, to come and spend the weekend at one of the mother houses either in Great Bend or Akron or Columbus or New Orleans.
What does an all women's education mean to you and why did you choose to serve at an all girls school?
The elms had a wonderful reputation and I spent my high school there doing two things. Getting a wonderful education and also psyching out what it would be like to be a nun and it was a wonderful opportunity to also lead with other girls that might be interested in being a nun and we lived at Beha Hall and it was very very [inaudible] the friendships that we formed even at that age of 16,17, and 18 that i still treasure.