The Gypsy Sisters

By Gary Topping–

(Editor’s note: The Boy Monk dedicates its April 2021 blogspace to Utah’s Catholic sisters and nuns.)

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City has been remarkably fortunate throughout its history to have had consistently excellent bishops, though each has been very different from the others and each has put his unique stamp on the diocese.  Perhaps only the first one, though, Lawrence Scanlan, was as well prepared to minister within Utah’s difficult physical and cultural conditions as Bishop William K. Weigand (1980-95).  Born in Bend, Oregon on the edge of eastern Oregon’s arid plains and reared near Spokane in eastern Washington, Weigand was ordained by Bishop Sylvester Treinan of Boise to minister in rural Idaho where, like Utah, the Catholic population is widely dispersed and isolated among a largely Mormon culture.  After several years as a missionary priest in Columbia where he honed his Spanish language fluency, Weigand was tapped to oversee the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

He knew exactly how to approach his new job.  Instead of visiting the wealthy urban parishes along the Wasatch Front, he devoted his early attention to places like Moab, Cedar City and Vernal where pastoral care for Catholics is infrequent and the people can feel isolated and neglected.  Priests there are run ragged ministering to widespread parishes and missions and routinely put 40,000 miles a year on their odometers.  Weigand began holding conferences among those rural deaneries where he would bring widely scattered Catholics to a central place for Mass, a potluck lunch, and a chance to get to know their bishop and each other.

One of the most effective things he did, though, was to approach the Holy Cross Sisters, who have been the most active of the many religious orders to have ministered in this diocese, for a couple of volunteers who would take up residence in Cedar City and minister to the far-flung Catholic population of that region.  Sisters Patricia Riley and Eileen Dewsnup stepped forward.  “What, exactly, do you want us to do”? they asked the bishop.  “Well, why don’t you just go down there and do whatever the people need?” was his response.  For the next two years, Sr. Patricia recalls, “we did a lot of ‘whatever,’” running religious education classes, helping with liturgical music, making sick calls, and anything else that came up.  They were the celebrated “Gypsy Sisters.”

Both Sisters Patricia and Eileen are now retired at their order’s mother house in Notre Dame, Indiana.  I’ve never met Sr. Eileen, but I got to know Sr. Patricia very well during the several years we worked together at the Diocesan Pastoral Center.  She told me many stories during those years, but the most memorable one is the one I want to pass along to you at this time.  I’ve never been able to get it out of my mind, and I don’t think you’ll be able to either.

One day as they were about to set off for a certain destination. . . oh wait, why don’t I let Sr. Patty tell you herself? I asked her the other day to retell it for me.

***

“One day the phone rings and a voice from a Nursing Home in Elsinore, .a small town out of Richfield…

asks us to come…a woman was dying and wanted the Church to be there…(there was a Catholic Church in Richfield about 20 miles north but the priest could not be found).

We were on our way to some other area that day. But, thought about the situation…and decided we should go to Elsinore.  It was about 2 1/2 hours north of Cedar City.

Elsinore is a small Mormon town…so, we had not been there before.  

By the time we arrived at the nursing home…probably 3 hours later…the nurse met us at the front door. “WELL, IT IS ABOUT TIME….THIS WOMAN HAS BEEN WAITING FOR YOU AND SHE IS DYING.”

The nurse took us to the room…we just stood in the hall for a minute to get our breaths….

In the room was a woman in bed…awake, and her husband beside her.  

Eileen and I went in, gave our names and said we were Sisters of the Holy Cross. 

 (a long pause)

Mary looked up at Charlie and said….”CHARLIE, IF EVER IN MY LIFE I HAVE OFFENDED YOU…PLEASE FORGIVE ME.”

Charlie looked down at Mary and said….’MARY, IF EVER IN MY LIFE I HAVE OFFENDED YOU, PLEASE FORGIVE ME.”

dear, dear, dear…..a long pause…Eileen and I with tears in our eyes…just as Mary and Charlie had tears… One of us said…..IN THE NAME OF THE CHURCH YOU ARE FORGIVEN…..

In a minute or so….Eileen and I just stood outside the room to give them some privacy.

I don’t believe it was 20 minutes later…that Mary died. We were there for Charlie.

He asked us to come to the funeral…which we did- being the only people there.  

He invited us to the house following the simple funeral….a house with 3 rooms…the living room had space for 3 chairs….we shared coffee and cookies….

They had lived in Elsinore for many years….they were the only Catholics…so had to keep it private to keep his job.   

As we drove away from Elsinore that day…yes, we both were very happy that we had said “yes” the day of the call….and we both had a tear…thanking God that we could  just be there….as Bishop Weigand said….in the NAME OF THE CHURCH.

Gary…even as I write this today…I have a tear. 

Truly, our 2-3 years there were simply BEING CHURCH.  Bishop Weigand was right!”

*Gary Topping is a writer and historian living in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is the retired archivist for the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City and has written many books and articles.