I have very happy memories of my early childhood in Great Neck, Long Island, N.Y. My parents provided a loving home for my siblings and I: Ruth, the oldest; William Douglass (Doug), the middle child, and me, the youngest of the three. I even had a German nurse who taught me a prayer I can still recite in German! Its theme of ‘God Alone’ has been significant all my life.

Drastic Changes
I went to public school for kindergarten through second grade and made lots of friends, but in 1935 our lives changed drastically due to the depression. We had to move to a small apartment on the other side of town, but from there I was able to attend Catholic school. It was St. Aloysius, and I still remember fondly two of my Mercy Sister teachers—Sr. Mary Ann and Sr. Mary Virginia.

My father’s financial difficulties continued so we moved in with my maternal grandparents in New York City. Here is where I met the Holy Child Sisters when I attended Our Lady of Lourdes School. My sister, Ruth, was given a scholarship so she could finish high school at St. Walburga’s where I, too, went for high school—happy years with classmates who have remained life-long friends. It was there that I received musical training and was chosen to sing a solo at graduation in 1945!

Meanwhile, my long-felt desire for religious life was encouraged by M. M. Laurentia who sent me to Fr. Jeffers for spiritual direction during my senior year of high school. My father’s sister, Aunt Abby, was a Sister of the Cenacle so my parents understood religious life and placed no obstacle to my entering the Society after my graduation.

Our group was the last set of postulants to enter at Sharon Hill, Pa., and the only group to have M. M. del Carmen as Postulant Mistress. Her motherly guidance meant that my self and the other 15 incoming postulants were able to get to know and love one another in a free and healthy way, forming relationships which have sustained us over the decades. Moving to New Sharon in Rosemont, Pa. during our novitiate was an adventure; for me, having M. M. Laurentia as Novice Mistress was a special joy.

I took my profession of final vows as Sr. Mother Mary Martin in 1948 I taught first grade at Oak Knoll of the Holy Child in Summit, N.J. for five years. Five more happy years of teaching followed: One year at Holy Child Academy in Drexel Hill, Pa. and four years at St. Edward the Confessor School in Philadelphia, Pa. However, a big move and a huge responsibility was coming my way.

In 1958, I was became the principal of the Assumption School in Pasadena, Calif. For nine wonderful years, I was able to introduce programs and innovative concerts at the school. The excellent lay teachers were a great support, so I was happy to return there after I spent three years as the supervisor of Holy Child schools in what used to be known as the Society’s New York Province

In 1976, my ministry took a new turn as I was assigned to Immaculate Heart Parish in Pacoima, Calif. There I worked with Senior Citizens and served as Director of Religious Education (DRE) in the parish school and helped establish Meet Each Need with Dignity (MEND). I also assisted Sr. Sue Snyder in her prison ministry one day a week. I was DRE and music teacher in St. Rose Parish, Portland, Ore.

My Outlook on Life was Changed Forever
By 1977, both of my parents had died and my siblings were well established in their careers so I felt that I could volunteer for our mission in Chile, a small community in Lo Barnechea on the outskirts of Santiago. This third world experience changed my outlook on life forever. I loved the vibrant culture and felt compassion for the struggling families. My work with senior citizens was particularly rewarding. In a number of ways, these were three hard years, but again I made fast friends and returned home very grateful for this intercultural experience.

Thanks to the Society, I was able to spend a year of prayer, reflection, and discernment in the very supportive community at Old Lancaster Road in Bryn Mawr, Pa. Sr. Catherine Hallahan arranged for me to make an excellent retreat in Gloucester, Mass. She alerted me to the fact that Fr. John Mattingly was looking for someone animated and religious to do mission education for his Office for the Propagation of the Faith in Washington, DC. After one interview with him, I readily undertook this ministry and went to live in Washington where I spent the next 15 years. I enjoyed visiting schools and parishes talking about the missions; there was even a return visit to Chile with Fr. John.

My next change was to help with the social services at the Catholic Spanish Center. By then, I was living in Washington, D.C. and serving as area superior. I went back to teaching for one year and I taught fifth grade at the Annunciation School in Washington, DC before assuming the role of principal there—a position I held until 1998. That was the year of my golden jubilee (celebrating 50 years of religious life as a Sister of the Holy Child Jesus) when I had a sabbatical and the opportunity to visit houses where the Sisters lived on the east and west coasts.

Next, Casa Cornelia Law Center, a ministry founded and sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus in California, asked me to be their receptionist. So I moved into an apartment in San Diego and worked at the Center until I had heart surgery in 2001. After my recovery, Sr. Sue Snyder came to live with me, and I was able to do volunteer work at the newly-opened Peace and Justice Center at San Diego College. At this point, it seemed better for me to go back east, where more care would be available.

After a pleasant four months at Haverford Estates, an assisted living community in Haverford, Pa., I was asked to move to Rye, N.Y., in 2002. I have been very happy in this community of valiant women located beside the School of the Holy Child in Rye, N.Y. (formerly St. Walburga’s). As Activities Director, I have been able to arrange movies, travel videos, and bring in musical groups for the entertainment of the Sisters. In 2008, the community celebrated my 60th anniversary as a Sister of the Holy Child with a very jubilant spirit! Although a stroke I suffered in the summer of 2008 has impaired the vision in my left eye, I am anticipating more happy times in the Rye Community.

I look back on the years with no regrets, but instead, a deep gratitude for God’s love and kindness and for the joys I have experienced as a Sister of the Holy Child Jesus. I am always glad to hear from former pupils and other friends from the past!

Click here to contact Sr. Joan Rigney (Sr. M. M. Martin).

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