Mother Assumpta and Sister Joseph Andrew, two of the four foundresses of the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Michigan, join the podcast to talk about the beauty of Catholic education and what makes their Sisters so apt for teaching in and transforming Catholic schools not only in theology classrooms but in every discipline. The Sisters explain what makes Catholic education so essential today and why religious sisters as spiritual mothers have a unique charism for leading young people to Jesus Christ, the ultimate goal and purpose of Catholic schools.
Mother Mary Assumpta Long, OP, is a Dominican Sister of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, and the former (and first) prioress general of the order, ensuring the sisters' spiritual, physical, and educational needs were met. She was a driving force behind the founding of the order in 1997 and led the community for nearly 25 years. She has a STL in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. She has also taught at the elementary, secondary, and junior college levels.
Sr. Joseph Andrew is one of the four founders of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Michigan and serves as Vocations Director of the community. Sister Joseph Mary lectures on topics related to religious life and theology, speaking at youth conferences, parishes, and on Catholic radio and social media to high school and university students, religious women, priests, and seminarians alike.
(upbeat music) - You're listening to Plugged In, coming to you from J.S.H.A. Catholic High School in San Juan, CAH. And here's your host, Pat B. - Welcome everyone, I'm Pat Bredian. This is Plugged In. It's J.S.H.A.R.'s monthly podcast for parents. We're tackling the tough topics teens are dealing with today, so we can help you raise the next greatest generation. And I'm here in the podcast studio at J.S.H.A.R.A. Catholic High School with two very, very special guests. I'm with Mother Asanta and Sister Joseph Andrew, who are two of the four foundresses of the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist. You might know them as the Ann Arbor Dominicans, Mother and Sister, what a treat to have you at school and on the podcast. - Thank you Pat, thank you Pat. - Well, it's so great to have you here on a visit and to be able that you would give us your valuable time to spend a few minutes in the podcast studio. And I just want our listeners to know a little bit about your order before we get into our topic. So can you tell us a little bit about your sisters? - Oh, certainly, well, we were founded in 1997, actually in New York City. But there's a lot of history behind it, but God has been so incredibly good to us. So immediately we receive vocations, so we're able to go in, oh gosh, a number of states and education to teach. And so we just carry on. - That's right. So now we teach in schools pre-K, all the way through college and seminary. And this is the Dominican Charism, basically to teach and preach. And so the motto of the Dominican order for 800 plus years since St. Dominic founded it is truth. So it's very tough. So the way that we would do this is teaching and preaching. So of course the teaching is kind of the stability of the community because when our sisters enter from all over God's creation, they all get teaching degrees because that is the primary thing that we do. But then also we now have podcasts and we now have whole open light media, whereby we are teaching and preaching through the medium. And so many, many people that we'll never see and we won't get to know until heaven. And then they can thank us for helping get them to heaven. Yeah, with truth. - Yeah, they will. - One of the most important things I think, when St. Dominic founded the order, the first thing he did was found a community of religious women. They were closer to this time, but I think our whole life is really based in the sanctuary and contemplation. We don't think we could accomplish anything without a deep, deep prayer life. So we make sure of that when we write our constitutions that that is the very basis. Eucharist adoration, our divine office, just our prayer life, our contemplative life is what motivates us to be good teachers, actually. - So every morning we get up at five and by 5.30, we are in the chapel and we begin the day with the Eucharistic hour, a holy hour, with the Eucharistic adoration in which we have the divine office and we have our meditation and we prepare basically for mass. So we go right into mass. And so by the time we actually meet that, we have a fast breakfast because that's a lot of praying and you eat quickly and then you get to school and by the time we meet our students, we have already prayed about two hours at least for them. And hence your success. - I think so. - Well, I want to come back to that idea of praying first for teachers and Catholic educators in a second, but you're over 100 sisters now in 25 years. And you're in, we don't even know how many schools. (laughing) - I don't. - With waiting lists, people are trying to invite you to their schools. I want to talk a little bit about what, in your opinion, having so much experience and being so veteran as teachers yourself originally and then foundresses of community and formators of so many young women, what is it about Catholic education that's so essential today? And especially given the culture that young people find themselves in. - You know, I just think that basically whether anybody knows it or not, people are looking for truths. And you know, it's a difficult culture in which young people are living today. And so to give them the education, the stability and the grounded in the faith that they need to be able to survive and to do it in a joyful manner. I mean, you know, truth is a beautiful thing, but you want them to be free to know the truth and to live it. And it takes a lot of courage these days for that too. So the more you can do for them to teach them the truth, the more free they will be to live their lives. - That's a beautifully part. - And I'm over here smiling because it was exactly gonna be my answer. But two other aspects that I had thought of is that young people want to be challenged. They were made to be heroic. And I think so many situations in education today, it waters it down and it tries us to please, when in reality it's doing a major disservice. So when you put the bar high, be it in the academic realm, certainly, which Jay Sarah certainly does. And then the other thing is that they want to be good. And it is a society in which it's hard to be good. And so we want to create a culture where it's easier, so to speak, to be good. And yet what does that mean? That has to be taught. And we innately know a lot of moral premises that, you know, young people may or may not act like they know. But deep down, you know, that's the conscience does work. And this is God's guideline inside each of us. But I think even beyond that, we want to know how to be heroically good. And I think that's where a good Catholic school puts that out there. And I think probably saves a lot of souls that it doesn't necessarily realize in those four years, but it will see again in heaven. - Wisdom and virtue, right? - Yes, yes, yes. One of the things that struck us and continues to strike us as we have the sisters here at J. Sarah, and we're now in our sixth year having the gift of you sending us sisters. And we have five, we start out with four, and now we have five sisters. We're grateful for that. We're trying not to be greedy and get more, but the more we get to have the better, the more the merrier. We're praying for vocations for that very reason. - Thank you, thank you. - But one of the things that really stands out about the Dominicans in particular is that you're not just theology teachers, but you're in every discipline. Why do I say that? Because oftentimes, when we think about wisdom and virtue and teaching people the truth and bringing every young person to an encounter with Christ, we can compartmentalize even within our own Catholic schools and think that this is something that happens in religion classes or in theology departments. But in other classes, we're just doing our thing. We're just teaching our discipline. We're getting the skills and the standards down. Can you talk a little bit about how you go about his sisters, making sure that that integration in a Catholic school takes place in all the various subject matters that your sisters teach? - You know, I really believe that if they're really, we have an excellent formation program. I mean, they're steeped in all of the basics of their faith. And I think that what we consider, although we want to be the best teachers, like the best math teachers, science teachers, English teachers, whatever, but the main thing is to bring them Christ, is to bring them virtue. So I think that that goes into every subject. I mean, you know, it doesn't make any difference whether a teacher, I think you learn more from a teacher from what the teacher, I mean, who the teacher is, more than what they teach. I mean, you might forget the subject. You might really might forget, but you're not going to forget the teacher. You know, and I think that when you get a good one and you know that that teacher is practicing virtue, humility, that they really love the students, that's what the students are going to remember. They can learn the subjects, you know, in spite of your innocence. - The quote that's becoming more and more renowned these days is the quote by Pope St. Paul VI, right? - Yes. - Today, young people need witnesses more than teachers. - Witnesses more than teachers. - And if they need teachers, it's because, if they're attracted to teachers, it's because they're first witnesses. - And it really makes that up, but I'm paraphrasing him. - Yeah, you did a good job. And something else that I was thinking because you were mentioning Pat about the sisters' teaching and why that you see they have been able to contribute to again, the Catholic culture in the school, whether they, whatever discipline they are in, you know, theology plus the math, the science, the English, we're in lots of different disciplines. I mean, every, every sister gets a degree and a discipline and then also certainly in theology. So, but the thing about our vocation is we are spiritual mothers in the heart of the church. And I think having been taught by sisters myself as was mother of sumpta, I always wanted a sister to teach me because I knew I was kind of one of her kids and I knew that my late teachers had their own children and it just didn't seem the same. Like sister, kind of like mom and dad, a sister had to love me. And so, whatever I did, she would help me out, you know, in the situation. And again, I think part of it goes also with the fact that the sisters want the holiness of all their students so much and that whatever the discipline is, the goal is towards holiness, you know, as mother of sumpta was saying, these students can pick up books and learn. They can learn a lot of truths, you know, it's all over the place today. But where can they really learn the virtues that are so necessary for the rest of their lives? And I think that's where if a sister teaches them and she has that maternal spiritual love for her students, those students aren't going to forget that as time goes on. I think that's a huge thing if the sisters bring to the students. - I totally agree. And that ties us back to the point we made earlier about prayer having to be first. And oftentimes at J.S.A.R.A. we're constantly trying to communicate this and so that all of us can grow in that reality ourselves, wherever we are in a relationship with our Lord, we can grow more, right? We're not there yet. We're not having yet. - Yes, yes. - But really our vocation as Catholic educators should come from our prayer life, shouldn't it? I mean, I always think it's because of our, I hope Catholic educators are saying, first I'm baptized and I've told God I'm going to give him my whole life. And I feel called to do that, to respond to the great commissioning of the gospel, for me, particularly as an educator, right? That's how he's made me to spread his gospel so that everyone I meet can know his love and fall in love with him in return. And so can you talk a little bit more about that contemplative, active life that starts with contemplation and moves into the apostolate? - You know, Pat, when you were talking to Don't Me that whether it's a religious or a lay person, I think that the point is a Catholic or a Christian school should be different. I mean, it should be different. And I think that those who teach at it should realize that, should realize that. And just say, what makes a Catholic school? What makes a Christian school unique in this? And so the first thing we have to do is to, God has to be first in our lives. And that's the most important thing. We want to bring every student closer to our Lord. And that's the most important thing. I mean, just if not, we don't have, we're not justified to be a Catholic school or a Christian school, if that's not primary. I mean, what makes it different? Well, you know, what makes it different? That makes it different that we, you know, that we want to bring them to God. - And again, the sacraments are offered in the Catholic schools, and they're certainly not going to in the other schools. And so there is a chance for a student who doesn't particularly for whatever is very sad reason, I would say, doesn't really know Christ or doesn't feel their own spiritual conversion continuing to get a jump start and to say, this really is who I am. It's not what I know, but it is who I am and who I will be for all eternity because of course we will all have an eternal life. And so I think as mother, something was so beautifully saying that Catholic school is set apart to do a job that is more vital, I would certainly say, than the education. I mean, we can think of people who are self-educated and might know a lot more than we who have all kinds of degrees behinds our names, but what is the influence? What shaped the very heart and soul of this individual who's going to have to get through a life that's going to have a lot of challenges? More and more, it would appear as time's going on and have their impact in the world for the good, for God. - Sister, you talked about the spiritual maternity of the sisters and how it's different than with a layperson and that's a really important thing to reflect on and I see here in our school how our students respond to the sisters in that way. They might not be able to put their finger on what you just said, but they certainly respond in that particular way, they experience that maternal care that stands out. I bring this up because there's been such a shift since the days of the '50s, the good old days, right, as everybody used to call them in the 1950s when Catholic schools abounded and their classrooms were filled and the staff was predominantly sisters and after that changed, now for so many decades, we don't see this anymore, we see predominantly lay people leading the charge in Catholic schools. However, there are some orders, a few of them, yours being in the front lines of young, vibrant, growing communities of sisters who are totally in love with Jesus and understand their vocation to be teachers in Catholic schools. Can you elaborate a little bit more on the role, particularly of women religious in Catholic schools and why that is of particular value? - You know, one thing that I would say is if you see a sister in a religious habit, walking down the hall, you start thinking, what am I thinking, what am I doing? You immediately go into a very healthy, internal place, you know, and the sister hopefully is going to smile and say hello to you and you respond. And all of a sudden the burdens that you were carrying, they become a little bit more carryable, I don't know what the word would be for it, but things lighten inside and I think we live in a very heavy world where a lack of faith or a lack of the expression even, that God is going to take care of us and God is with us and God knows what's going on and God loves us and it'll all end up with we pray, it will be better for these struggles, these challenges. Normal people don't hear that in a public environment anymore. And so I think those are the kinds of things that spark the Catholic education and make it so different and so beautiful and really give to each person such a unique aspect of life that the young people learn again from the sisters and as Mother was mentioning from the late people too, who really have the faith and bring that faith to a presence very strongly in their classes and in the halls and in everything they do and in the games and everything that they associate with, that there is a reason behind this and it's not just your brain to get accumulate facts. It's to influence the way you will live your life and therefore what you're returning to will be and what a lot of other people's lives will be because of the way you live. - Mother, I witnessed this first hand six years ago when you came out to visit after you had given us the great news that you were gonna send for sisters and you couldn't believe it and you visited the campus and we went out to lunch and I imagine this has happened to both of you over and over and over again, people just flocked to you in the restaurant. There's something about the maternal spiritual presence that people is palpable for people and some people came up and said, "Hi, it's sisters when I was a kid "and some just wanted to meet you and talk to you." And I've seen that happen on our campus with our now five sisters. They really are magnets for students and staff with the adults as much as the young people. - It's humbling because we know who we are, what we are but this happens all the time in airports or planes. I have got so many plane stories. It's just people because they do have memories and I'm wondering now that they're far less religious women how long this will go into the future but it's just beautiful because what is so good I have nothing to do with it. It's because this man had a sister in third grade or this woman has a beautiful experience or many of them went to Catholic school so they didn't have sister teachers but it's their love and what is so good about that is that I represent, it doesn't have anything to do with me and that's good, it's about somebody else but I stand for what is very precious in their lives and you just want to be that to everybody. You just want to be a witness to Christ really and it makes you very conscious of wherever you go, whatever you do, you just want to represent Christ or the Blessed Mother or something. You just want because people want it and even non-Catholics recognize this, some of them, they're curious and they want to know and it's a great gift, I mean it's a humbling. - As Mother was saying they recognize commitment in a world that is losing the value of commitment and they're like you gave everything and again as an infidelity but again we're so conscious that we received this as a gift and if everyone received their gifts from God and knew what those gifts were enacted on those gifts the whole world would be an awful lot happier, lighter, joyful, things would just work out so much because again I think that's the role of a spiritual mom of a religious sister to really say, "Check your own life and thank God for the blessings He's given you, you don't have to have these blessings." - You know and appreciate them and live out of these graces so more graces will abide. - Well, Mother Something, Sister Joseph Andrew, thank you so much for saying yes when you did and for continuing to say yes on your vacation so that so much you can be born through you and through this congregation and the Ann Arbor Dominicans and in all the schools you are and we're so grateful that you are present and your sisters are present here at J Sarah and thanks for being with us today. - Thank you, thank you. - Thank you, thank you. - God bless you and all the students and the teachers and the families involved in J Sarah. - You can count on our prayers and we hope we can count on yours too. - God bless you, for sure. - Thank you. I also want to thank Brandon Link, who is our sound engineer. You've been listening to Plug In on Pat reading until next time everybody. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) [BLANK_AUDIO]
