Hannibal, Missouri claims the birthplace of Mark Twain—and me Sr. Pat Phillips. I was the oldest of four—three girls and one boy. Two died in infancy. My sister Rose and I are the only remaining members of our immediate family. My dad was in the army and worked as a postal clerk on the railroad, so we lived in Hannibal, Mo.; Waco, TX; Pascagoula, Miss.; and Waukegan, Ill., during my early childhood.

I went to three different high schools; two of them were public schools, until we moved to Waukegan. Then I ended up at Holy Child High School. My teenage years were normal with parties, fun, and lots of friends. While at Holy Child, I attended Summer School of Catholic Action (SSCA) that often featured the famous Fr. Daniel Lord, SJ. I remember thinking we were so “cool” because we read Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton using a flashlight after lights were supposed to be out—and we thought we understood it!

Answering the call
Four friends from my senior class were entering the Society of the Holy Child Jesus and I kept resisting. Then I got the mumps. It was during that time, alone and sick, that I felt the call to religious life. The happiness of the Sisters who taught me at Holy Child High School was the clincher. After three years in Rosemont, Pa., I made my first vows and became Sr. Clement Mary, SHCJ. My first assignment was at St. Anastasia Parish School in Waukegan. One seventh grade boy I taught then is now a friend. Then I went on to the School of the Holy Child in Rye, N.Y., where I taught religion, math, and English to high school girls during the turbulence of the 1960s and 1970s. I became Second Prefect (as we called the Assistant Principal in those days) and later Principal, during which time the Board of Trustees began.

After resisting the first request of our provincial to go to California, the next year I became Head of School at the Cornelia Connelly School in Anaheim, Calif., for the next eight years. Construction of a new building and the King of the Hill Tennis Tournament with Hollywood stars occurred during that time. I fell in love with the people and the state, pledging to return for my retirement.

Then in 1982 I took a wonderful sabbatical in Rome, Italy studying theology, spiritual direction, and scripture with marvelous teachers at Regina Mundi College and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. Before that year was over, seemingly out of the blue, I was asked to be the next American Province Treasurer for the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.

For the next 17 years, I served in that capacity—on the provincial team for two terms during my tenure. Three things stand out during that time. I decided to make finances “fun” for the sisters. I used humor to teach and report on the finances of the province. Second, we started the Community Development Investment Committee. We loaned money to various groups involved in micro-businesses in poor areas of our country and abroad. Women religious were leaders in this arena. Third, in collaboration with the Holy Child Network of Schools, National Director Eileen McDevitt, SHCJ; Province Leader Marcia Sichol, SHCJ; and Fr. Robert Kennedy (our canon/civil lawyer), financial independence began for schools sponsored by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.

Open Doors
Then another call for me to go to Rome, Italy came. At that time, I became the Society Treasurer with oversight of the finances of the Society’s three provinces—American, European, and African—and the Generalate in Rome, Italy. This experience opened the door to a wider world. I was fortunate to travel to Nigeria, Ghana, England, Ireland, and Italy and grew in my understanding of various cultures and peoples. For the last General Chapter, the legislative meeting of the order, I was excited to learn how to prepare a video presentation on the finances of the Society—complete with graphs, photos, and music. I used Wordnet facilities and staff to help with this—undoubtedly a foreshadowing of the future!

Currently, I am the Executive Director of Wordnet Productions, a Catholic television ministry of Fr. Mike Manning in San Bernardino, Calif. We have a studio there and produce a weekly series on TBN as the only Catholic presence on the station. We produce videos and DVDs for others as well in our state-of-the-art studio.

My life has been varied and exciting in many ways. Each new ministry has stretched and challenged me and allowed me to serve God’s people in surprising ways. Every place I have been I have met wonderfully good people, many of whom have remained friends through these years and helped me to grow humanly and spiritually. I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

Click here to contact Sr. Pat Phillips (Sr. Clement Mary).

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