Читать книгу To Do and to Endure - Jeanne R. Beck - Страница 9

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Telling the story of a person who lived as long and productive a life as did Sister Catherine Donnelly, was a great challenge, for the archival sources had some gaps which had to be filled in before I could understand her motivation and her problems. When I first dipped into the Archives of the Sisters of Service at their Motherhouse in Toronto, two facts about her collected papers were soon apparent. The good news was that Catherine obviously enjoyed writing letters and brief memoirs, for they were forthright, interesting in style and content, and meticulously punctuated. The bad news was that some of the most important documents from her early career had not survived her many changes of location; I would have to use as clues the brief references in letters written long after some of the most important events had taken place. The best news was that her various versions of these incidents, even those written at an advanced age, were consistent with earlier versions.

I knew that I would need help in locating much of this information scattered in letters and memoirs on other topics. I am very grateful to three members of the Order who spent many hours aiding me in the search for biographical details. First, I owe a great debt to the Archivist, Sister Catherine Schmeltzer, who provided constant personal assistance during my search for missing links, and supplemented the Order’s archival holdings with extra details from her amazingly clear recollections of events and of people with whom Catherine Donnelly was involved. Her work was supplemented by that of Sister Leona Trautman, who had undertaken to organize the Archive’s photographic records. She also wrote invaluable notes on her own experiences in the order, particularly the period when she was a student of Sister Catherine. I thank her also for her help in the selection and identification of the photographs which add so much to the biography. I owe a great debt to Sister Mary Phillips, who organized the collection of documents and letters from the Archdiocese of Edmonton as well as interviewing and collecting the memoirs of many sisters who were not able to come to Toronto for interviews. When her packages of documents arrived, the contents were like a Christmas box of goodies! I am deeply indebted to those Sisters of Service who in interviews provided anecdotes about their encounters with Catherine, as well as personal experiences which led to their becoming Sisters of Service. Each detail they recounted gave me valuable insights into the great variety of women who were attracted to the order, of the use that was made of their talents and the additional qualifications they acquired which enabled them to broaden the scope of their service.

I am also very grateful for the words and notes of encouragement that I received from those Sisters who were not acquainted with Catherine Donnelly, but who were pleased and excited at the prospect of learning more about her. Their assurance of support for this work was much appreciated.

To former Sister General Frances Coffey, Sister General Anna McNally, and Assistant General Patricia Burke, I owe special thanks for unfailing support which was given in so many personal and practical ways. The gracious hospitality I received during my working days at the Motherhouse, their encouraging comments, and their helpful explanations and comments on their lives as religious, enriched my understanding of their own and Catherine’s vocation.

I owe much to the archivists of other religious orders and institutions from whom I requested documents and information. In particular, I am indebted to Sister Esther Hanley, IBVM, Toronto, Sister Collette Ryan SSND, Waterdown, Sister Mary Jane Trimble CSJ, Toronto, and Sister Mary Rose Pautler CSJ, Hamilton, and Sister Mary Olga McKenna SC, Halifax. As well, Father James Mason CSsR, of the Edmonton and Toronto Province of the Redemptorists, gave me generous access to the CSsR Archives, and valuable additional information on Father George Daly’s life.

I was fortunate to receive help also from Mrs. Margaret Sanche, Archivist of St. Thomas More College, Saskatoon and the Archivists of the Archdiocese of Toronto, in particular, the former Archivist, Sister Frieda Watson CSJ, the present Archivist Marc Lerman, and the Assistant Archivist, Linda Wicks.

Fellow scholars have been generous in their moral support; as well they offered practical advice on the task of writing religious history, and valuable information garnered during their own research. Their published works, and suggestions for sources enabled me to place Catherine in the social and religious contexts of her times. I am particularly grateful to Dr. Mark McGowan, Dr. Brian Clarke, Dr. Elizabeth Smyth, Dr. Ruth Compton Brouwer, Dr. Gerald Killan, Dr. Paul Laverdure, Dr. Robert Bérard and Mrs. Sheila Ross.

Information and letters from Catherine’s Alliston connexions and information on her early family life were provided by Mrs. Mary Munnoch, Mrs Margaret Donnelly, Mrs. Theresa Quayle Reich, Mrs. Shirley Gibson and Catherine’s nephew Robert Gifford. Catherine’s cousin, Mrs. Betty Ogle of Calgary, provided gracious hospitality, a splendid interview and a treasure trove of Catherine’s letters.

I received helpful information and advice, along with large doses of encouragement from Dr. Terence Fay S.J., Father Joseph O’Neill, Dr. Margaret Denis, Father Kenneth Bernard, Sister Veronica O’Reilly CSJ, Father Ronald Synnott, Maurice Villeneuve, Lorene Hanley Duquin, and Sister Barbara Frank, SSND.

As the written manuscript evolved I was given the priceless gift of having it read by Dr. Goldwin S. French and Dr. Maurice Careless. Their suggestions and advice were invaluable, and I do thank them for bringing their wisdom, their vast knowledge and experience, and their acute sensitivity to the art of writing history to their critiques of this work.

The final preparations for publication were done by Diane Mew, whose copy-editing skills and dedication to the correction of the text, brought order to my frequently chaotic footnotes and inconsistent form. She and Heather Duncan, who prepared the computer disk, formed a team which, with unfailing good humour and skill worked late on many nights to meet the publisher’s deadline.

Finally, very special thanks are due my husband Robin, whose constant enthusiasm for the project, and astute observations on the text, were of value equal to his skills at keeping the home fires burning while I was utterly absorbed by the epic story of this woman who accomplished so much and endured to the end.