1 10 2 https://scfederationarchives.org/files/original/5000a1845e2bf94131aad5edd5540676.jpg 96f611ced5ff0e5f8c2709e3d8d6eb87 https://scfederationarchives.org/files/original/6f68812b3b72fa2a48b371a62b657fec.mp3 06be46f385dee104faeef795f23be475 https://scfederationarchives.org/files/original/61a40cfecec020315e7976ea58393797.pdf 6de0ed6a8d5af6a614eb3d1bbeb20c8f PDF Text Text Sisters of Charity - Halifax Excerpt of an oral history interview of Sister Maria Clare Kehoe conducted by Sister David Marie Campbell at Mount Saint Vincent Motherhouse in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1981. Transcribed by Mary Flynn, Congregational Archivist in 2020. Additions in brackets are for context. S. David Marie Campbell: Now there must be a few things in the West that you reallyS. Maria Clare Kehoe: We enjoyed the West very much. Very often Father Coughlin would come take us over to Ladysmith [British Columbia] then we went up Alberni, then another time we went up to St. Joseph's Hospital and we stayed there over two or three nights. All over the island he took us. He said we'd visit around a great many places. He thought that would be a good idea because as we were teaching to know as much as much as you possibly could about what we werewhere we where and what we were going to do and our teaching. So we got many good drives with Father Coughlin. But Father Kennedy came after him. Yeah, he was just a very fine priest. He couldn't do enough for us. I think we were the first ones- He got us a Frigidaire. We didn't have one. And he got us a Frigidaire, put everything in it. And we were very, very happy. In fact, the Redemptorists were wonderful to us, I must say. On our first Christmas, we had a... we put on a show, play. It was a very beautiful one. I still have the pictures, I think the pictures of that play. And the people just went out for us. S. David Marie Campbell: Who was in the play, the children? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: The children, the whole school, Point Grey. And we were then living at St. Helen's. We had 10 miles to go every morning to go to Point Grey. Sometimes we didn't get in there until 10 o'clock on account of the fog. So we'd find perhaps one of the eighth grade girls in our classes looking after or perhaps a Brother, one of the Brothers, because we had to go about 10 miles and byS. David Marie Campbell: How would you go? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: By bus, of course. That took, that took- 10 miles, it took us a good while to get there. Sometimes we would stop for about 15 or 20 minutes when some of the patches of fog would be coming in very heavily. That lasted for one year. And then I believe that was going to... Sister Rosaria was the Superior at St. Joseph's. And people, some Sisters were going to college and she thought, she asked Father Coughlin if he would try and get a house for us out there so the Page 1 of 11 �Sisters could live there. A Sister was going to go- but she didn't come in the end but we got the house. It was very lovely. It was a little grey house. It was only small, but was very, it was handy for four of us. Then finally we got from that house to a larger one called Noma Linda. Very lovely, up on a hill. Beautiful flowers. They had everything, even fruit trees on the land whereas I believe they have the new convent now. Our Sisters are still there. I loved that mission. It was very lovely. S. David Marie Campbell: I've never been west, so. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: No? Beautiful missions. In fact, all the missions were lovely there. Lovely there. We were very, very united as one, all the houses, very united. We'd meet very often, someplace like the Seton Academy, if there's anything going on. Sometimes lectures. I remember we had a couple of lectures from Mr. Coady. He was the lawyer there. I believe he has relatives. I think Sister, Sister David is one of his relatives. Yes, yes very close. He's a very fine, wonderful man. And then we had... there's another place there that we used to go downtown at... the McMasters. They had a tearoom. They're Antigonish people. S. David Marie Campbell: Yes. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: And they were very kind to us, very lovely. Three, the three girls couldn't do enough for the Sisters. S. David Marie Campbell: So thenS. Maria Clare Kehoe: I believe now they're all in heaven. Not any of them living. Now Mr. Coady is. S. David Marie Campbell: Yes. Mr. Coady is. I think Miss MacMaster, didn't she marry a McKinnon? Isn't she still living? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I didn't know that. I knew Mrs. Coady very well because she's from Lingan [Cape Breton, Nova Scotia]. I knew her well, but I didn't know her.... I don't know aboutS. David Marie Campbell: MacMasters. Page 2 of 11 �S. Maria Clare Kehoe: No, no. Rose and Tina and Anna were the three girls. The MacMasters. They were very wonderful people. S. David Marie Campbell: But when did you come back then from the west? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I came back... 1948. I taught 48 years without a let up. S. David Marie Campbell: 48 years? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Yes, I came to Dartmouth [Nova Scotia]. I left Dartmouth '59. I came to the [Mount Saint Vincent] Motherhouse for six months. Then I went to St. Mary's [Covent in Halifax, Nova Scotia] in 1961. I had my hip operation. And then I was at St. Mary's and I tutored some of the children for the school there in reading. I was... though I had a cane, I was able to do a great deal of work. Then I came to the Mount here in '67 because they were going to close St. Mary's. That's what I had understood but it was open for a year after. And when I came here, I also had a pupil that came. I had two pupils that I taught reading to in the afternoon, a couple of hours. Finally I had the second operation in August, that finally put me out of commission. S. David Marie Campbell: Not really. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Well almost. I'm able to hop around now a little. S. David Marie Campbell: Yes. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: But then I had the operational on my knee. Two operations from on the 16th [?] 1976 and then '78 on May 20th I had the other operation on the same knee. And yet I am I going. S. David Marie Campbell: You're going, yes. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: And I am 93 today. Oh no. S. David Marie Campbell: Page 3 of 11 �No you're not 93. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I'll be 93- uh 94 in May. S. David Marie Campbell: 94 in May, yes, you're saying. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: And I'm still going. S. David Marie Campbell: You're still going. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: And I hope to... I hope to see... S. David Marie Campbell: Do you want to see 100? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Yes, surely I'll be 100. S. David Marie Campbell: Yes. That'sS. Maria Clare Kehoe: Why not!? S. David Marie Campbell: No that's right too. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I don't want to leave now that we're having such a good time. S. David Marie Campbell: But aren't you glad that you, you lived in the days where things were difficult and are... you wouldn't want to be around these days? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Oh, I wouldn't want those over again. Not for a million dollars. S. David Marie Campbell: No, you wouldn'tPage 4 of 11 �S. Maria Clare Kehoe: No, no, no. S. David Marie Campbell: You wouldn't? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: No I think this is- you can do so much more for God when you're free. You weren't free then. It was a bell here and a bell there and they were just ringing bells. S. David Marie Campbell: No that- no that's very true. Yes. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: What we didn't like very much was kissing the prie-dieux. You know. Everybody's hands were on those and I very seldom did, I kissed my own hand. S. David Marie Campbell: You didn'tS. Maria Clare Kehoe: Well I did because I felt the germs were on those. Everybody's hands on the prie-dieux. Of course I did. I didn't think it was wrong. And then kissing the floor. I don't know, I neverS. David Marie Campbell: Did you kiss the floor? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I didn't kiss the floor. I kissed my hand. S. David Marie Campbell: You didn't kiss the floor? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Well no, no, Sister. The dust, the dirt. S. David Marie Campbell: I wouldn't have thought of that. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: You wouldn't have thought of it? I did. I think that's why I'm living so long. I gotS. David Marie Campbell: Page 5 of 11 �All the shortcuts. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I didn't get those germs going around. S. David Marie Campbell: Knew all the shortcuts. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I did. I had the shortcut. And I think the Lord approved of it, too. S. David Marie Campbell: Well you're very, you seem so, so terribly young, in your head. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I wasn't young when I entered. S. David Marie Campbell: No. And you are now. You're, you're certainly not, not any older in your mind. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Well of course I'm not. Why should you be? S. David Marie Campbell: Well you're 93. You're almost 94. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Doesn't matter, dear. Doesn't matter. It's not the age at all. It's how you live. It's just that if you want to live old, you're going to live old. If you want to be young, you've got to live young. That's what I'm living. Young. S. David Marie Campbell: You're living young? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Yes. S. David Marie Campbell: You're still up to tricks. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I'm still up to tricks. I'll play them on anyone. I believe it's good for the soul. S. David Marie Campbell: It's good for thePage 6 of 11 �S. Maria Clare Kehoe: And I love reading stories, especially murders. S. David Marie Campbell: Oh, that's terrible. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Well I know, but they're good, they're good. S. David Marie Campbell: Can you sleep at night, if you're reading themS. Maria Clare Kehoe: Oh, I sleep well at night, dear. Have no troubles falling sleep. S. David Marie Campbell: You have good eyesight, your- that's another blessing, too. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: My eyesight is too bad at all. No. S. David Marie Campbell: It might be just sort of providential. You can't run around or God knows what you'd be doing! S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Well that's just- I think that's what's happened. Never know what I'd do. Might just run yet, you never know! S. David Marie Campbell: No, I thinkS. Maria Clare Kehoe: Miracles can be performed. S. David Marie Campbell: Well, the LordS. Maria Clare Kehoe: The Lord can perform a miracle that I could I could walk again without anything. S. David Marie Campbell: [laughing] Why would He waste a miracle on you at 93? Page 7 of 11 �S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Well why not? Every minute you live is for eternity. S. David Marie Campbell: For eternity? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Well, of course. S. David Marie Campbell: Well I think you'll very- you do much better. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: The Lord- He sees that you, you know, you want to live and you want to be good. You want to do more work for him. Why not? I still crochet and knit. S. David Marie Campbell: Oh, I know. That's what I mean. But He wants to- he's trying to hold your back! S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Well, I know. butS. David Marie Campbell: He's not having an easy time. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Why would He hold me back? I can keep going. S. David Marie Campbell: But Sister Maria Clare, you're so involved and interested in young people that you know, people if people can come and talk to you as if you were as young as they are, young people, and you're really not that young. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Well of course. I love that. I loveS. David Marie Campbell: You enjoy young people? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I enjoy young people. Yes. I like young people. I don't like people that grumble and growl. I like the young. I like that they're starting out because I just know how I was myself when I started Page 8 of 11 �out. And I feel like that now. I could be young all over again. And start out and be just like one of them. S. David Marie Campbell: Yes. Well, I mean, it's, it's really it's wonderful for the for the young people too, becauseS. Maria Clare Kehoe: I have a great many that come and I'm able to say some things to them. S. David Marie Campbell: And it really is another thing too- it does is for young, even young Sisters coming and talking to an old, old Sister and find out she's not that old, old in her mind. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: No, I don't like that because I don't like them to say "old Sisters." I think they could say... S. David Marie Campbell: No I don't mean they say it but they're able to talk to an old Sister and find she's very young. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I say "senior Sisters." I don't like that word "old." I think that should be taken out of the vocabulary completely. "Old sisters." I know a Sister came in the other day with a flower to me. And she said, "here's a beautiful flower that a lady sent in to an old Sister." Well, I said, "take it right out here, because it doesn't belong to this Sister." And she said, "Oh, but Sister." I said, "now who was the lady?" She said "no, I don't think you know her." Well, I said "you go find the old Sister and give it to her because there's no old Sister in this room. Now please take it out." "Oh," she said "I'll leave it here for a while." Now that flower is still there. But I'm telling her to take it and find that old Sister. And I hope she does soon. S. David Marie Campbell: Do you think there's any old Sisters? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I don't think there is. S. David Marie Campbell: Some people some people are old before their time. So if that applies to religious life, too. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I don't know Sister. I think... they must be suffering from some disease. S. David Marie Campbell: It's a person's temperament. Page 9 of 11 �S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I think, though they must suffer. I don't think anybody would feel old, you know? I think the religious life, they have everything to live for. S. David Marie Campbell: Full life. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I think God is wonderful to call us to this life. S. David Marie Campbell: Well you, you've served- You've taught for 48 years. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: And if I had my life to live over again, I'd do the same thing. I'm positive I would. S. David Marie Campbell: What- did you teach... was it children you taught? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Oh I had beautiful children. Were they ever beautiful. Wherever I went, I'd tell them they were beautiful. S. David Marie Campbell: What grades? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Grade 2, Primary. I loved grade two. Three, the beginners. S. David Marie Campbell: These are interesting. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I had three grades: primary, grade 1, grade 2. That was my class when I went to Vancouver. I did enjoy them. They were just sweet to see it- just see them blossoming out, you know, the little ones come to you. I often felt sorry for those who taught the older ones. They'd come home dragging and worried looking and I was as happy as a lark after teaching those children. That's sad today that there are not enough teaching going on with the little ones. And really it's so- I feel terrible. S. David Marie Campbell: What do you mean, the Sisters not teaching them? Page 10 of 11 �S. Maria Clare Kehoe: The Sisters not teaching. Oh Sister. There's where you get them. I had a number here in the community. They remember from the time they were in my class I used to take them to the chapel and make a visit with Him. And they remember that. I had a number here. Sister Ignace Therese is one, Sister Agnes Bernadette, Sister Justa, that wonderful Sister, God love her! Oh, there's so many I had. And who's this other, there's one up here. Sister... S. David Marie Campbell: Not Laura Brennan? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: Laura Brennan! Yes. S. David Marie Campbell: Did you teach her? S. Maria Clare Kehoe: I remember saying that- I took her up to see the old Sister Ann Teresa that died. And she was laid out and she asked me, "what was it she had in her hand? Is there a piece of paper, that roll of paper?" And I said that was her passport to heaven. And she went home and asked her father what it meant. "Well," he said, "that was the paper that her vows were on and she took it to heaven." He knew about it. She's here. I meet lots of my pupils. But I said from the beginning, I think that children should have teachers and I'm sorry the parochial schools have gone out of commission. There should be more. S. David Marie Campbell: No, there's not very many now. S. Maria Clare Kehoe: They're not. That's a shame, Sister. We're not in contact at all with the children. Page 11 of 11 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sisters of Charity of Halifax Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kehoe, Sister Maria Clare, SC, interview [Excerpt] Subject The topic of the resource Sisters of Charity of Halifax; Teaching; Kehoe, Sister Maria Clare, SC Description An account of the resource Sister Maria Clare Kehoe (1887 - 1986) discusses her life as a Sister of Charity – Halifax. Sister Maria Clare spent 48 years as a teacher to grades primary to 4 and reminisces on her time spent at missions in Vancouver, British Columbia (1927-1948) and Halifax, Nova Scotia (1948-1981). Sister Maria Clare retired at 1959 from teaching and at age 93, is reflecting on her experience as a self-proclaimed “Senior Sister." Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Campbell, Sister David Marie, SC; Kehoe, Sister Maria Clare, SC Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Sisters of Charity – Halifax Congregational Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1981 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Flynn, Mary (Transcriber) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Online access is provided for research purposes only. For rights, reproduction, and use requests or more information, please contact the Sisters of Charity – Halifax Congregational Archivist. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 00:16:23 Audio/mp3 Audio/cassette Application/pdf Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context SCHalifax_Kehoe Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1927-1981 Education Sisters of Charity of Halifax https://scfederationarchives.org/files/original/ef1f8511fcd9f1fc0ffdbafc7331b2f0.jpg d270b3a1f110982d1f7f2a0a504de665 https://scfederationarchives.org/files/original/b8142033602509a72faeea27d6d7413e.mp3 a07480c6e6d18e3fcc8a57ba8608e408 https://scfederationarchives.org/files/original/674962ba888ec9bedc03547ed0bf767c.pdf 0fad7d38ca434172caa7933a2a1c5fc0 PDF Text Text Sisters  of  Charity  -­‐  Halifax   Oral  history  interview  of  Sister  Caroleen  Marie  Browne   Interviewed  by  Sister  Theresa  Corcoran  at  Mount  Saint  Vincent,  Wellesley  Hills,   Massachusetts  on  November  28  2005.   Transcribed  by  Mary  Flynn,  Congregational  Archivist  in  2020.       Note:  Sister  Caroleen  Marie  was  supplied  a  questionnaire  to  prepare  for  the  oral   history.  When  she  reads  a  question  out  loud,  it’s  indicated  by  quotation  marks.   Any  additions  in  brackets  are  added  by  the  transcriber  for  context.       Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    0:01       -­‐conversation  between  Sister  Caroleen  Marie  Brown,  and  Sister  Teresa  Corcoran   taped  at  Mount  Saint  Vincent,  Wellesley  Hills,  November  3,  2005.       S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    0:08       I  won't  forget  it's  there.  I'll  turn  my  head  that  way.     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    0:10       Okay.       S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    0:12       This  is  Sister  Caroleen  Browne.  I  entered  the  community  in  1941,  was  professed  in   1943  and  have  spent  43  years  in  teaching.  All  aspects  of  all  grades  from  5  to  12.   No,  from  5  to  12  plus.       Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    0:51       Which  ones  did  you  like  best?     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    0:54       I  liked  Seton  Hall  [Patchogue,  New  York]  best.  The  spirit  there  was...  well  it  kept  us   going.  And  it  was  not  just  the  spirit  of  the  teachers,  it  was  the  spirit  of  the   youngsters,  too.  "What  was  the  importance  of  your  mission  ministry  for  you?"   Well,  it  brought  some  of  those  students  closer  to  God,  help  them  be  a  little  bit   more  like  good  human  beings.  That  would  be  the  kind  of  thing  that  I  would  be   looking  for.  I  would  give  you  a  ministry,  stimulate  your  growth.  Physical  growth,   eating.  [both  Sisters  laugh].   �   Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    1:56       Some  places  fed  better  than  others,  right?       S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    1:59       Yes.  In  order  to  keep  teaching  well,  I  felt  I  had  to  read  more  and  that  did  stimulate   my  growth.  "What  has  been  the  impact  of  personal  events  on  your  life?"       Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    2:32       Personal  events  could  be  almost  anything.  Family  events,  community  events.   Maybe  there  aren't  any  that  you  want  to  mention.  What  about  the  local  or   national  or  world  events?     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    2:48       Well,  personal  events,  during  the  1980s  almost  everyone  in  my  family  died  and  I   had  to  take  care  of  all  the  post-­‐death  problems.     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    3:08       Almost  all  these  people,  your  brother?     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    3:10       My  brother,  my  two  aunts,  an  uncle,  cousin.  People  who-­‐  we  were  close,  my  aunt,   especially.  In  the  impact  of  Church  events,  well,  I  think  Vatican  II  was  a  very   important  point  in  my  life  as  well  as  in  the  life  of  the  church.  And  I  am  very   distressed  to  find  that  there  are  some  people  nowadays  who  are  trying  to   downplay  Vatican  II,  because,  to  me,  it  was,  it  was  the  Holy  Spirit  speaking  to  John   XXIII.  "Has  your  image  of  God  changed  over  the  years?"  Well  yes.  Not  that  I  had   much  of  an  image  of  him.  But  it  has  changed.  I  won't  go  into  the  detail.  [both   laugh]     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    4:21       The  details.  Okay.       S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    4:24       "What  have  been  your  greatest  disappointments?"         �Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    4:31       You  may  not  have  many.     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    4:33       No,  I  don't  think  I  had  too  many  disappointments,  really.       Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    4:36       -­‐both  things  happened,  were  there  different  ways  instead  of  coping  with  them?       S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    4:42       Oh  yes,  well  during  the,  during  the  '80s,  1980s  I  just  kept  going  along.  Moving   along.  That's  the  way-­‐     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    4:54       That's  the  way  you've  always-­‐     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    4:56       Yes.  "How  have  certain  restrictions  affected  you?"       Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    5:08       I  think  by  that  we  mean  the  restrictions  we  used  to  have  in  the  community.  Did   they  affect  you  very  much?     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    5:19       Not  terribly  much.  I  didn't...  I  minded  them.  But  I  think  we  all  minded  them  to   certain  extent.  "Are  there  any  other  points  or  comments  you  wish  to  make?"  No,   except  that  I  had  a  very  happy  life.  A  very  contented  life.  And  I've  made  a  lot  of   good  friends  and  I  think  that's  one  of  the  great  things  about  religious  life.  We  do   make  friends  and  good  ones.  And  we  shall-­‐  we  shall  continue.     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    6:15       What  about  when  you  moved  from  let's  say  New  York  to  Halifax  and  back?     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    6:22       -­‐when  I  moved  to  Halifax?  That  wasn't  too  bad  a  move  at  all.  That  wasn't  too   difficult.  When  I  moved  back  here,  well  that's  a  little  more  difficult  because  this  is   more  of  an...  old  kind  of,  that  always  goes.  An  old  kind  of  structured  living.     �   Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    7:04       More  structured?       S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    7:04       Yes.  The  little  green  thing?  I  should-­‐  [noises  in  the  background  as  Sister  Theresa   moves  the  recorder]       Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    7:25       Okay.  I'll  put  that  on  top  of  the  table.     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    7:33       [laughs]  I'm  sorry.  Hope  it  doesn't  spoil  anything.     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    7:37       The...  you  mentioned  the  impact  of  church  events  in  Vatican  II.  What  about  the   position  of  women,  did  that  ever  enter  into  your-­‐     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    7:52       Oh  yes,  that  that  bothers  me  very  much.  And  the  fact  that,  I  heard  on  EWTN  the   other  day  a  big  long  talk  about-­‐  by  two  priests  taking  turns  about  how  men  are   being  left  out  because  our  Lord  is  a  feminine-­‐  attitude  of  our  Lord  are  being   emphasized.  But  I  say,  who  emphasizes  that?  Women,  who  are  they?  I  think  they   do.     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    8:33       What  do  they  mean  by  that,  I  wonder?     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    8:35       They..  that  kindness  and  relationships  are  so  important,  are  being  made   important  and  they,  I  guess  they  find  them  too  feminine.  I  was  ready  to  throw   something  at  them.  [both  laugh]  I  mean,  after  all,  who  has  done  the  greater  part   of  the  work  in  the  church  for  years  and  years  and  years?  It  hasn't  been  the  men.   And  nobody  should  be-­‐  no,  no  women  are  trying  to  push  a  feminine  Christ  on   them.  They  can  make  Christ  whom  they  please.  That  has-­‐  that  bothered  me  a  little   bit.     �   Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    9:36       Your  work  didn't  bring  you  into  situations  where  you  would  have  found  that   frustrating  or  would  it  have?     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    9:42       No.  Any,  any  work  I  did,  mostly,  the  most  contact  I  had  with  priests  was  through   First  Communion  classes  and  things  like  that  and  we  went  out  to  the,  to  the...  the   church.  Some  of  the  priests  were  very  nice  to  us  and  some  of  them  who  kind  of   brushed  us  off.  But...  when  we  were-­‐  from  Seton  Hall,  there  was  a  group  of  us   that  went.     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    10:26       Oh  right,  yeah.     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    10:27       And  taught  Sunday  school  or  Tuesday  school  or  whatever  school  it  would  be.     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    10:41       So  that  was  probably  the  only  kind  of  parish  work  that  you  really  did?       S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    10:45       Yes.  I  never  did  anything  more  than  that.     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    10:58       So  as  a  young  person  who  were  some  of  the  people  that  you  would  have  some...   look  up  to?     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    11:03       Looked  up  to?  Well,  Miriam  Constance,  Frances  de  Chantal.  Now,  Frances  de   Chantal  had  a...  very,  she  had  a  lot  of  people  who  didn't  like  her  at  all  because  she   was  very  exact.  And  she  was,  but  we  were  in  St.  Peter's  at  the  time,  we  had  just   come  out  of  the  novitiate  and  some  of  the  older  Sisters  are  using  us  -­‐  were  using   us  to  do  their  work.  They  were  very  successful  for  quite  a  long  time  before,  before   somebody,  Sister  Frances  de  Chantal  found  out  and  then  the  thing  was,  there  was   a  list  on  the  bulletin  board  of  who  was  to  go  to  take  care  of  confessions  every   Saturday  afternoon.  They  had  confessions,  one  Saturday  for  the  parochial  school   �boys,  one  for  the  parochial  school  girls,  one  for  the  public  school  boys,  one  for  the   public  school  girls.  And  we  were  assigned.  Everybody  in  the  house  was  on  the  list.   Well  one  Saturday,  one  Sunday,  Sister  Frances  de  Chantal  called  me  and  said,   "where  were  you  yesterday  afternoon?"  I  said,  "I  was  at  church,  confession."  And   she  said,  "but  it's  not  your  turn."  I  said,  "No,  but  we're-­‐  most,  most  Saturdays  they   asked  Margaret  McGaughey  and  myself  to  go  over  because  they,  they're  going   home  to  visit  their  parents."  [laughs]  Yeah,  so  she  said,  "you  don't  have  to  go   anymore.  Anymore  when  they  ask  you,  you  just  say  no."  And  heard  that  she  got  a   hold  of  all  of  them,  without  us  knowing  it,  you  know.  Because  nobody  ever  asked   us  again.  [both  Sisters  laugh]  I  can  see  how  they  didn't  like  her  because-­‐  but  she   was  good,  she  was  good  to  us,  she  was  trying  to  be  fair  to  us.  Peter  Claver,  I   admired  her  very  much.       Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    11:03       Were  you  teaching  with  her  or  was  she  principal?     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    13:41       No,  she  wasn't  principal.  I  was  teaching  with  her.  And,  she...  she  would  always   say,  "every  youngster  had  good  in  him.  You  have  to  look  for  the  good."     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    14:10       Sometimes  you'd  look  out  at-­‐     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    14:12       Yes,  but  she,  she  always  looked  for  the  good  in  every  single  youngster  she  taught.     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    14:18       Now  was  this  at  Patchogue?     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    14:20       Seton  Hall,  yes.  And  she  always  looked  really  good  and  she  always  found  it  and   they  would  do  anything  under  the  sun  for  her  because  they  thought,  they  trusted   her  entirely.  Completely.  So  I  learned  a  lot  from  her,  from  being  with  her.     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    14:58       -­‐just  as  a  colleague,  really.     �S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    14:59        Yes.     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    15:09       Are  there  any  people  that  you  still  keep  in  contact  with  in  New  York  or  in  Halifax?     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    15:16       Well,  I  keep  writing  back  to  Walsh  House  [Halifax,  Nova  Scotia].    I  admire   Margaret  very  much.  Margaret  Molloy.  And...     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    15:41       Of  course  a  lot  of  those  people  that  we  knew  in  those  days  have  gone  too.     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    15:44       Yeah.  That's  true.  The  ones  who,  in  the,  had  in  the  earlier  days,  they're  not,   they're  not  around  anymore.       Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    16:18       Do  you  have  any  other  comments  you  want  like  to  make?     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    16:18       I'm  grateful  for  everything  that  was,  that's  ever  been  done  for  me.     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    16:24       Of  course  you've  done  a  lot  of  things  yourself  for  people.     S.  Caroleen  Marie  Browne    16:26       I  try  to  do  something.  [both  laugh]  I  thank  you  for  all  you  did.     Sister  Theresa  Corcoran    16:40       I  didn't  do  too  much,  you  were  doing  more  for  me.       � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sisters of Charity of Halifax Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Browne, Sister Caroleen Marie, SC, Interview Subject The topic of the resource Sisters of Charity of Halifax; Teaching; Browne, Sister Caroleen Marie, SC Description An account of the resource Sister Caroleen Marie Browne (1923-2007) describes her life as a Sister of Charity - Halifax, including her entrance to the community in 1941, her 43 years missioned as a teacher of grades 5 to 12, family, and Sisters she admired. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Browne, Sister Caroleen Marie, SC; Corcoran, Sister Theresa, SC Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Sisters of Charity - Halifax Congregational Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 11/28/2005 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Flynn, Mary (Transcriber) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Online access is provided for research purposes only. For rights, reproduction, and use requests or more information, please contact the Sisters of Charity – Halifax Congregational Archivist. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 00:17:03 Audio/mp3 Audio/cassette Application/pdf Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context SCHalifax_Browne Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1941-2005 Education Sisters of Charity of Halifax