Oral History: Sister Mary Estelle Hensler
Dublin Core
Title
Oral History: Sister Mary Estelle Hensler
Subject
Sister Mary Estelle Hensler
Description
An oral history of Sister Mary Estelle Hensler, a Sister of Charity of Seton Hill from 1918 until 1998. The interview was conducted by Sister Virginia Pascaretta on March 17, 1985.
Sister Mary Estelle Hensler - born Clara Elizabeth Hensler on July 7, 1900 - entered the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in September of 1918. She received a bachelor's degree in art and history from Seton Hill College in 1939 and a master's degree in art from New York University in 1940. She was a professor of art at Seton Hill College from 1943-1977, also serving as the chair of the art department from 1940-1967. She then served as Co-Director and resident artist at the Doran Hall Retreat and Renewal Center from 1977-1987. Along with Sister Mary Francis Irvin, Sister Estelle is remembered for her tireless efforts within Seton Hill's art department. Sister Mary Estelle died on November 23, 1998.
Creator
Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill
Publisher
Archives of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill
Date
1985/03/17
Rights
All rights belong to the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
Format
Audio cassette tape
Type
Oral history
Identifier
OH-13
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Interviewer
Sister Virginia Pascaretta
Interviewee
Sister Mary Estelle Hensler
Location
Ennis Hall
Greensburg (Pa.)
Transcription
1
OH- 13-1
This is·an oral history tape for the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The interviewee is Sister Mary Estelle Hensler. The interviewer is Sr. Virginia Pascaretta. The interview is taking place at Ennis Hall on March seventeenth, nineteen hundred eighty-five.
SVP: Sr. Estelle, we asked you to do a little reflection on your personal life as a Sister of Charity. You agreed to do that. So, we will begin today as we said we would.
SMEH: Today, March seventeenth, at the age of eighty-four, I have lived for sixty-six years at Seton Hill. I was born on July seventh, nineteen hundred in Carrick, which is a suburb of Pittsburgh. At the age of six months, I was carried by my father to a Midnight Mass at a parish church to ring out the old and bring in the new century.
SVP: Sister, what was the parish church?
SMEH: I believe it was St. Wendelin's in Carrick My mother's name was Margaret Elizabeth Klein, eldest daughter of Mary and Peter Klein, and one of eleven children. My father's name was Charles Peter Hensler, son of Peter and Elizabeth Hensler. He was the eldest of eleven children. Both my parents were born and reared in Carrick, were baptized and attended school at St. Wendelin's. They were married in St. Wendelin's Church in eighteen ninety-six:
I was also baptized in St. Wendelin's Church and give the name of Clara Elizabeth Hensler.
My grandparents were German immigrants . They cam-e to America in the eighteen forties to escape political and social unrest in their country. Here in America, they found freedom. Ittook several generations before their children and grandchildren gained economic stability. Here in America, at the same time, the country was being oppressed by the terrible financial Depression following the reconstruction period after the Civil War in eighteen sixty-one and eighteen sixty five. My parents' education, and that of their brothers and sisters ended with the eighth grade.
As a young boy, my father wanted to study. for the priesthood, but his family could not afford the expense. At the age of twenty, he inarried my mothers He worked as a coal miner, receiving a • small amount daily in wages. My mother said that they saved more the first year of their marriage than the years that followed once the children began to arrive.· My father enrolled in a correspondence course in a stringent mining school to study mining engineering. This qualified him for a position in management in the coal mines of Southwestern Pennsylvania owned by sounded like the H. C. Frick Coal Company. Looking at his text books, I often wondered how he taught himself to work such difficult Math. problems. ·Toe mines were worked mainly by immigrants, brought by Frick from Europe; n9tably Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the Ukraine.
They lived usually in small, four room, houses. These houses were built and owned by the company. They had no indoor plumbing, electricity, or furnace. One room served as a kitchen. The remaining ones were for sleeping. These small patches of houses were surrounded by farms. The trees were usually·cut down to make posts to buttress the place where the coal would come out. These towns had no doctors, dentists, or policemen and firemen for protection. Also, there usually were no schools or churches. These were at some distance to be reached only by walking or by trolley car. Learnin-g new language, new labor techniques, a new way oflife in a strange country often meant that miners were taken advantage of. They were poorly paid for the
2
dangerous work they had to do. They had long working hours, which began at five AM until five PM in the evening. The management personnel worked the same long hours as the miners. My father often worked overtime. They would come to him during the night for some emergency in the mine. Keeping the water pumps working required constant supervision. If the pumps weren't working, it caused a dangerous situation for the miners. My father' s position was changed often, which caused us to have to move frequently.
SVP: Sister, may I ask a question at this point? I'm interested in the geography of the coal mines in relation to the city of Pittsburgh. Were these places relatively close to what we now call Pittsburgh? Were they in the outlying district?
SMEH: They were in the outlying places. I can name some of them...Brownsville, Donaldson, Peter's Creek, etc. It was very difficult to hear what she was saying here. She mentions two mines which had the greatest impact on her, but neither was audible. One sounds like Heckla, which is where the family moved in nineteen hundred six.
SMEH: When we moved to Heckla in nineteen hundred six, there were four children...Carl, Joseph, Cecilia, and myself. Then came John in 1908, and Mildred in 1911. At the age of seven, I entered first grade in a small, four room school, where I spent three weeks. My oldest brother, Carl, had taught me to read and write, so I was promoted to the second grade. Father O' Donnell, our pastor, came to Heckla every Friday afternoon to instruct us in Catechism. During the week, my mother supervised our assignments. Father O'Donnell was a strict teacher and insisted on our memorizing the Baltimore Catechism. In September of 1910, Carl and I were transferred to St. Joseph's in Mt. Pleasant. We had already received our First Communion. It was the first time children under twelve could receive. One of the things I remember vividly is that the day before we received our first Holy Communion, we met at school in the morning.• Father O'Donnell conducted what we would call a day of reflection. Our confessions were heard in the afternoon. We were instructed to be quiet. That night at supper, Carl and I were served by ourselves. Then , we prayed the litany before the May altar and went to bed. This experience helped us to realize how serious receiving Holy Communion should be. In nineteen hundred eleven, we moved to Standard Shaft, the largest of the· Frick mines. Living here, I made a life long friend, Sarah Jackson, later Sister Angeline Jackson. Every day, we walked to and from school together. On Sundays, we took a walk in the afternoon. Every week, our mothers sent us to a nearby farm to purchase butter. The farm lady always said: "Come right in girls." She would wrap the butter in wax paper, put it into our baskets, and then.co ver it with a sheet of paper, which was a tabloid. Sarah and I would always unwrap the butter and read the sheet which contained horror stories about runaway nuns and priests. Sarah and I would have a good laugh about it. I decided to give one of these sheets to my father, expecting the same reaction.
However, he crumbled it up and threw it into the fire. Our growing up years were uneventful. We were a closely knit family. Our lives centered mainly around home, church, and school. With the exception of Sarah, I made few friends. Sometimes we went to a movie.
Here, she says something about her brother, Carl, bringing home books in June, which he had from St. Vincent's. It was inaudible. One afternoon, my mother sent me into the kitchen to watch a pot of apple jelly on the stove, while she went out to the garden. I kept one eye on the
3
stove and the other away. Before I knew it, the jelly was running over. As punishment, I had to stand for one hour between the wall and the stove on a hot summer day.
My childhood ended in nineteen fourteen with the death of my mother. I did not return to school, but remained at home to help my father hold the family together. With six small children, there was always something to take my time baby sitting or household chore.
SVP: Sister, how old were you at the time.of y,o ur mother's death?
SMEH: I was fourteen. After her death, I took on more responsibility. My father and I managed to keep the family together. I remained with my family for three years. One day, I received a letter from Sister Patrice McGuire, my seventh grade teacher. The letter said that I must remind my father that I should return to school. The next day, I returned to Seton Hill to register. for the eighth grade in the Fall of nineteen-seventeen. Away from home in a boarding school, I missed family and Sarah Jackson. I didn't make many friends, as·I was shy and three years older than · my classmates. The- daily schedule was much like that of the novitiate. We rose at seven, went. to prayers in the oratory, went for a walk around the building, and ate breakfast.
SVP: Sister, you're speaking now of the academy at Seton Hill? Is that where you went to school? That's where yoti received a letter from Sister Patrice?
SMEH: Yes. Morning classes began about nine AM. At eleven thirty, we assembled in the recreation hall before going to lunch. Afternoon classes began at one and ended at four. Then we all went for a long walk accompanied by one of the sisters. We never went beyond the statue of the angel at St. Mary's. They were the days! ·
. '
SVP: What were the classes like? Are you going to develop that idea, or are you just going to tell us the kind of classes you took?
SMEH:I took regular eighth grade classes...Math, Spelling, Geography, History, etc. I believe she said that Sister Theodosia Murtha was one of her teachers. At fiv, e o 'd o .ck; we went to supper. We marched in line, in silence, from the recreation hall to the dining.room. We said Grace together, and dinner was served at five-thirty.
SVP: Were you permitted to talk during your dinner meal?
SMEH: Definitely no. I couldn't hear what all she was saying here. After dinner, we went to Study Hour at.seven o'clock. By eight-thirty, we were back in the dormitory to 'prepare for bed. At nine o'clock we prayed, and nine-fifte.en, it was ·lights out!
SVP: Tell me this. What was the nature of the night prayer?
SMEH: I would say...the Our Father, the Hail Mary, act of Faith, Hope, and Love. Of course we also said the De Profundis when the bell rang.
SMEH: By nineteen-seventeen, the United States had joined our allies in a World War I effort to help our soldiers. The Red Cross had set up centers where articles were collected and·prepared to send to our troops overseas in England and.France. Periodically, we met with the professed sisters and faculty in their community room on Second Administration, where we rolled
4
bandages, knit socks, scarves, etc. for this war effort. Meeting there made me aware of the striking contrast between the peace and quiet there as opposed to the noise and turmoil in the students' residence.
In the Spring of that year, nineteen hundred seventeen, we made a sev n day, silent retreat. I began to think about my religious life. I felt more prayerful and wanted to dedicate my life to God. My father supported my choice of vocation. Then on September eighth, nineteen hundred eighteen, I entered the Saint Joseph Novitiate at Seton Hill. Before being eligible to teach school, I learned that you had to be a high school graduate. I was the second candidate to enter on September eighth, nineteen-eighteen. There were six of us: Sister M. Gervase Shields, Sister Marie Dolores Haney, Sister Ann Catherine McDermott, Sister M. Agnes Daugherty, Sister Mary Samuel Klingensmith, and myself. All ofus persevered. Today, only Sister Agnes and I are living. Our days were full from morning until night with duties, such as: making beds, washing dishes, cleaning floors, serving meals, etc. We worked in the laundry on Mondays and · Tuesdays. We also worked at the switchboard. After supper and dishes, we recreated until eight fiftee-n, said night prayers, and from there prepared for bed. Lights were out at nine-fifteen.
Mother Rose Genevieve Rodgers was our first mistress of novices. She taught us to be prayerful, work carefully, and instructed us in the Constitutions and the Praiseworthy Customs of the community. She taught us to be alert, attentive, and responsive. After breakfast-one morning, Sister Rose Xavier Garrity told me to get dressed to be ready to join the sisters who taught at St. Benedict's School, which is now the Cathedral School, to teach the eighth grade. I said: "Just in case you're not aware of my academic standing, I'm going to be a housekeeper." Her answer was:"Get ready for school, and off I went!" As novices, we were not allowed to talk to the professed sisters, nor to the students. We saw them in the chapel and in the dining room. Most meals were taken in silence. In later years, I realized that the senior sisters at that time...Sister Mary Louis Flick, Sister Mary Xavier Farrell, Sister Rosalia Crates and others were the pioneers of the community, and knew Mother Aloysia Lowe and Mother Ann Regina Ennis personally.
On December eighth, nineteen hundred eighteen, I received the habit as a white cap, and given the name Sister Mary Estelle Hensler. After that, my father called me his dear little white cap novice. The following September eighth, nineteen-nineteen, I received the black cap. Instead of being missioned, I entered the academy as a high school freshman. My class work was sometimes interrupted by my having to do some substitute teaching.
On the afternoon of New Year's Day in nineteen twenty, I packed my suitcase and met with a professed sister who was waiting for me at the front door. After a while in the railway coach, I asked: "Where are we going?" The answer was Sharpsburg, a place I heard of for the first time. I taught fourth grade for several months in Sharpsburg. Then on a Sunday afternoon, I was changed to Holy Innocents in Sheraden to teach second grade. In March of nineteen-twenty, Sister M. Anita McGinness, who taught painting at Seton Hill died. This event helped to change my life. In June of nineteen-twenty, we returned to Seton Hill for suinmer school. In the Fall, I was missioned to teach at St. Benedict's in Greensburg. On Saturday afternoons, I took drawing lessons from Sister M. Evangelist Yah1 in the art studio. From nineteen twenty-two until nineteen twenty-five, I alternated between going to school at Seton Hill, taking both high school and college subjects, and continuing art lessons with Sister M. Evangelist. By nineteen twenty four, it became apparent that-the only art courses needed in the college were those required for
5
majors in Music and Home Economics. These courses were dropped by Sister M. Evangelist Yahl. Since the courses did not constitute a major, they were electives and could not create a department. In nineteen twenty-five, I was missioned to teach elementary grades in Pittsburgh, mostly seventh grade. At this time I began to take art education courses on Saturday under Lucy (couldn't hear last name), who was a public school art teacher. During the years from nineteen twenty-five through nineteen thirty-two, I learned the ways ofliving on a local mission. During one of these years; I was relieved a semester to .go from school to school to give demonstration lessons in school art. In nineteen thirty-two, the community accepted the offer of a new mission ...Saints Peter and Paul in Tucson, Arizona. Soon, we were involved in other aspects of church service. Besides school teaching, we taught the deaf and blind children, Sunday School, the Indian, summer catechetical work to Mexican children in (I couldn't hear where this was).
SVP: Sister, were you among the first to go the West?
SMEH: We were the pioneer group. While in (inaudible) working with the Mexicans the summer of nineteen thirty-seven, a letter from Greensburg came. It read: "Send Sister Estelle home bag and baggage.
SVP: Who was the major superior at that time?
SMEH: I believe it was Mother Rose Genevieve Rodgers. I arrived in Greensburg via train two days after receiving the letter requesting my return.
The following Monday morning, I registered for classes in Art History at Columbia University. Before leaving Greensburg however, I learned that Sister Evangelist Yahl had a serious heart problem. Because of my interest in Art, Sister Evangelist requested that I study Art History in preparation for the time when she could no longer teach. After six weeks of summer school, I returned to Seton Hill. On August twenty-second, nineteen thirty-seven, Sister Evangelist Yahl died. Within several days after her funeral, Sister M. Cyril Aaron, the Academic Dean, informed me that I would teach Sister Evangelist's classes. After this time, I tried as I usually did to accept any assignment, but this was different. Academically and technically, not only was I unprepared to teach courses to college students, but these students were paying for very competent teaching. I explained my situation.. My explanation was accepted, and a lay teacher was hired to teach these classes. I then enrolled in college courses for the Fall term.
In June of nineteen-forty, I received my undergraduate degree. On commencement night, I boarded a night train for New York. I registered at New York University the morning I arrived. The following year(difficult to hear), I received a Master's degree in Art and returned to Seton Hill for the summer school session. I began my first full year teaching in the college in nineteen forty-one. I taught the required courses in Art, and like. other sisters on the'faculty had other charges. I taught Sunday School classes, monitored students in the dormitories in the evening Monday through Thursday from seven until eleven PM, and helped with college functions. Our places of residence changed from year to year. I lived by the day. During my first years of teaching in the college, the classes were small. As the enrollment became larger, class size increased to about thirty-five. There was also an increase in the number of courses taught. After World War II, campus life changed radically from previous years. There was rebellion and
6
unrest on campuses everywhere. The demands on academic and community life became increasingly difficult. Every aspect of life was changing, and continues to do so. After the first term of teaching in nineteen seventy-six, I realized that my teaching should terminate. This year coincided with the establishment of the Doran Hall Retreat And Renewal Center. Mother Richard Ann Watson appointed Sister Mary Francis Irwin and me to prepar, e the newly purchased Gumberg House, which became the New Generalate residence in nineteen seventy seven. After the community elections, Sister Mary Francis and I moved to Doran Hall to direct the transition from Novitiate to Retreat Center. For five years, I did the same kind of work I would have done had I become a housekeeper.
SVP: After living at Doran Hall you moved to Ennis, which was the formation house for the Novitiate. Is that right?
SMEH: That didn't happen until a few years later.
SMEH: By nineteen eighty-two, the bigger part of my life was spent in an institutional set up. Since renewal in religious life began, there has been experimentation in small group community living. I felt it was my duty to participate. Doran Hall began to be used more and more for lay people, so my personal community life style became less possible. In nineteen eighty-two, I moved to Ennis Hall which was occupied by the sisters on the college faculty. After Christmas, Ennis Hall was named the house of formation for the community. I was assigned to work there. This change in residence was very difficult for the college sisters. In the novitiate, I was in charge of the library, and performed other household tasks. Living in the novitiate today is different compared to sixty-five or even twenty years ago. Just as the life style of everyone living in the United States today is changing, what we in religious life have experienced will take many years to understand.
SVP: Sister, are there any reflections that you would like to make about your life in community? Perhaps, you might have some comment to make about it. the changes and how you see them
affecting the community?
SMEH: I remember telling Sister Theodosia Murtha back in nineteen-seventeen that I wanted to enter. All she said was: "Community life is not a bed of roses!" I found this to be true, but I have faith to believe that God acted through those years, and will continue to do so.
SVP Sister, thank you for sharing your history with us. I'm sure it will be very helpful...motivating to a lot of young women as they come into the Community. I, in fact always enjoy hearing these histories. They' re very enlivening for me.
Sr. Marie Arthur Hamilton: I completed transcribing this oral history of Sister Mary Estelle Hensler on May fifteenth, two thousand twelve.
OH- 13-1
This is·an oral history tape for the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The interviewee is Sister Mary Estelle Hensler. The interviewer is Sr. Virginia Pascaretta. The interview is taking place at Ennis Hall on March seventeenth, nineteen hundred eighty-five.
SVP: Sr. Estelle, we asked you to do a little reflection on your personal life as a Sister of Charity. You agreed to do that. So, we will begin today as we said we would.
SMEH: Today, March seventeenth, at the age of eighty-four, I have lived for sixty-six years at Seton Hill. I was born on July seventh, nineteen hundred in Carrick, which is a suburb of Pittsburgh. At the age of six months, I was carried by my father to a Midnight Mass at a parish church to ring out the old and bring in the new century.
SVP: Sister, what was the parish church?
SMEH: I believe it was St. Wendelin's in Carrick My mother's name was Margaret Elizabeth Klein, eldest daughter of Mary and Peter Klein, and one of eleven children. My father's name was Charles Peter Hensler, son of Peter and Elizabeth Hensler. He was the eldest of eleven children. Both my parents were born and reared in Carrick, were baptized and attended school at St. Wendelin's. They were married in St. Wendelin's Church in eighteen ninety-six:
I was also baptized in St. Wendelin's Church and give the name of Clara Elizabeth Hensler.
My grandparents were German immigrants . They cam-e to America in the eighteen forties to escape political and social unrest in their country. Here in America, they found freedom. Ittook several generations before their children and grandchildren gained economic stability. Here in America, at the same time, the country was being oppressed by the terrible financial Depression following the reconstruction period after the Civil War in eighteen sixty-one and eighteen sixty five. My parents' education, and that of their brothers and sisters ended with the eighth grade.
As a young boy, my father wanted to study. for the priesthood, but his family could not afford the expense. At the age of twenty, he inarried my mothers He worked as a coal miner, receiving a • small amount daily in wages. My mother said that they saved more the first year of their marriage than the years that followed once the children began to arrive.· My father enrolled in a correspondence course in a stringent mining school to study mining engineering. This qualified him for a position in management in the coal mines of Southwestern Pennsylvania owned by sounded like the H. C. Frick Coal Company. Looking at his text books, I often wondered how he taught himself to work such difficult Math. problems. ·Toe mines were worked mainly by immigrants, brought by Frick from Europe; n9tably Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the Ukraine.
They lived usually in small, four room, houses. These houses were built and owned by the company. They had no indoor plumbing, electricity, or furnace. One room served as a kitchen. The remaining ones were for sleeping. These small patches of houses were surrounded by farms. The trees were usually·cut down to make posts to buttress the place where the coal would come out. These towns had no doctors, dentists, or policemen and firemen for protection. Also, there usually were no schools or churches. These were at some distance to be reached only by walking or by trolley car. Learnin-g new language, new labor techniques, a new way oflife in a strange country often meant that miners were taken advantage of. They were poorly paid for the
2
dangerous work they had to do. They had long working hours, which began at five AM until five PM in the evening. The management personnel worked the same long hours as the miners. My father often worked overtime. They would come to him during the night for some emergency in the mine. Keeping the water pumps working required constant supervision. If the pumps weren't working, it caused a dangerous situation for the miners. My father' s position was changed often, which caused us to have to move frequently.
SVP: Sister, may I ask a question at this point? I'm interested in the geography of the coal mines in relation to the city of Pittsburgh. Were these places relatively close to what we now call Pittsburgh? Were they in the outlying district?
SMEH: They were in the outlying places. I can name some of them...Brownsville, Donaldson, Peter's Creek, etc. It was very difficult to hear what she was saying here. She mentions two mines which had the greatest impact on her, but neither was audible. One sounds like Heckla, which is where the family moved in nineteen hundred six.
SMEH: When we moved to Heckla in nineteen hundred six, there were four children...Carl, Joseph, Cecilia, and myself. Then came John in 1908, and Mildred in 1911. At the age of seven, I entered first grade in a small, four room school, where I spent three weeks. My oldest brother, Carl, had taught me to read and write, so I was promoted to the second grade. Father O' Donnell, our pastor, came to Heckla every Friday afternoon to instruct us in Catechism. During the week, my mother supervised our assignments. Father O'Donnell was a strict teacher and insisted on our memorizing the Baltimore Catechism. In September of 1910, Carl and I were transferred to St. Joseph's in Mt. Pleasant. We had already received our First Communion. It was the first time children under twelve could receive. One of the things I remember vividly is that the day before we received our first Holy Communion, we met at school in the morning.• Father O'Donnell conducted what we would call a day of reflection. Our confessions were heard in the afternoon. We were instructed to be quiet. That night at supper, Carl and I were served by ourselves. Then , we prayed the litany before the May altar and went to bed. This experience helped us to realize how serious receiving Holy Communion should be. In nineteen hundred eleven, we moved to Standard Shaft, the largest of the· Frick mines. Living here, I made a life long friend, Sarah Jackson, later Sister Angeline Jackson. Every day, we walked to and from school together. On Sundays, we took a walk in the afternoon. Every week, our mothers sent us to a nearby farm to purchase butter. The farm lady always said: "Come right in girls." She would wrap the butter in wax paper, put it into our baskets, and then.co ver it with a sheet of paper, which was a tabloid. Sarah and I would always unwrap the butter and read the sheet which contained horror stories about runaway nuns and priests. Sarah and I would have a good laugh about it. I decided to give one of these sheets to my father, expecting the same reaction.
However, he crumbled it up and threw it into the fire. Our growing up years were uneventful. We were a closely knit family. Our lives centered mainly around home, church, and school. With the exception of Sarah, I made few friends. Sometimes we went to a movie.
Here, she says something about her brother, Carl, bringing home books in June, which he had from St. Vincent's. It was inaudible. One afternoon, my mother sent me into the kitchen to watch a pot of apple jelly on the stove, while she went out to the garden. I kept one eye on the
3
stove and the other away. Before I knew it, the jelly was running over. As punishment, I had to stand for one hour between the wall and the stove on a hot summer day.
My childhood ended in nineteen fourteen with the death of my mother. I did not return to school, but remained at home to help my father hold the family together. With six small children, there was always something to take my time baby sitting or household chore.
SVP: Sister, how old were you at the time.of y,o ur mother's death?
SMEH: I was fourteen. After her death, I took on more responsibility. My father and I managed to keep the family together. I remained with my family for three years. One day, I received a letter from Sister Patrice McGuire, my seventh grade teacher. The letter said that I must remind my father that I should return to school. The next day, I returned to Seton Hill to register. for the eighth grade in the Fall of nineteen-seventeen. Away from home in a boarding school, I missed family and Sarah Jackson. I didn't make many friends, as·I was shy and three years older than · my classmates. The- daily schedule was much like that of the novitiate. We rose at seven, went. to prayers in the oratory, went for a walk around the building, and ate breakfast.
SVP: Sister, you're speaking now of the academy at Seton Hill? Is that where you went to school? That's where yoti received a letter from Sister Patrice?
SMEH: Yes. Morning classes began about nine AM. At eleven thirty, we assembled in the recreation hall before going to lunch. Afternoon classes began at one and ended at four. Then we all went for a long walk accompanied by one of the sisters. We never went beyond the statue of the angel at St. Mary's. They were the days! ·
. '
SVP: What were the classes like? Are you going to develop that idea, or are you just going to tell us the kind of classes you took?
SMEH:I took regular eighth grade classes...Math, Spelling, Geography, History, etc. I believe she said that Sister Theodosia Murtha was one of her teachers. At fiv, e o 'd o .ck; we went to supper. We marched in line, in silence, from the recreation hall to the dining.room. We said Grace together, and dinner was served at five-thirty.
SVP: Were you permitted to talk during your dinner meal?
SMEH: Definitely no. I couldn't hear what all she was saying here. After dinner, we went to Study Hour at.seven o'clock. By eight-thirty, we were back in the dormitory to 'prepare for bed. At nine o'clock we prayed, and nine-fifte.en, it was ·lights out!
SVP: Tell me this. What was the nature of the night prayer?
SMEH: I would say...the Our Father, the Hail Mary, act of Faith, Hope, and Love. Of course we also said the De Profundis when the bell rang.
SMEH: By nineteen-seventeen, the United States had joined our allies in a World War I effort to help our soldiers. The Red Cross had set up centers where articles were collected and·prepared to send to our troops overseas in England and.France. Periodically, we met with the professed sisters and faculty in their community room on Second Administration, where we rolled
4
bandages, knit socks, scarves, etc. for this war effort. Meeting there made me aware of the striking contrast between the peace and quiet there as opposed to the noise and turmoil in the students' residence.
In the Spring of that year, nineteen hundred seventeen, we made a sev n day, silent retreat. I began to think about my religious life. I felt more prayerful and wanted to dedicate my life to God. My father supported my choice of vocation. Then on September eighth, nineteen hundred eighteen, I entered the Saint Joseph Novitiate at Seton Hill. Before being eligible to teach school, I learned that you had to be a high school graduate. I was the second candidate to enter on September eighth, nineteen-eighteen. There were six of us: Sister M. Gervase Shields, Sister Marie Dolores Haney, Sister Ann Catherine McDermott, Sister M. Agnes Daugherty, Sister Mary Samuel Klingensmith, and myself. All ofus persevered. Today, only Sister Agnes and I are living. Our days were full from morning until night with duties, such as: making beds, washing dishes, cleaning floors, serving meals, etc. We worked in the laundry on Mondays and · Tuesdays. We also worked at the switchboard. After supper and dishes, we recreated until eight fiftee-n, said night prayers, and from there prepared for bed. Lights were out at nine-fifteen.
Mother Rose Genevieve Rodgers was our first mistress of novices. She taught us to be prayerful, work carefully, and instructed us in the Constitutions and the Praiseworthy Customs of the community. She taught us to be alert, attentive, and responsive. After breakfast-one morning, Sister Rose Xavier Garrity told me to get dressed to be ready to join the sisters who taught at St. Benedict's School, which is now the Cathedral School, to teach the eighth grade. I said: "Just in case you're not aware of my academic standing, I'm going to be a housekeeper." Her answer was:"Get ready for school, and off I went!" As novices, we were not allowed to talk to the professed sisters, nor to the students. We saw them in the chapel and in the dining room. Most meals were taken in silence. In later years, I realized that the senior sisters at that time...Sister Mary Louis Flick, Sister Mary Xavier Farrell, Sister Rosalia Crates and others were the pioneers of the community, and knew Mother Aloysia Lowe and Mother Ann Regina Ennis personally.
On December eighth, nineteen hundred eighteen, I received the habit as a white cap, and given the name Sister Mary Estelle Hensler. After that, my father called me his dear little white cap novice. The following September eighth, nineteen-nineteen, I received the black cap. Instead of being missioned, I entered the academy as a high school freshman. My class work was sometimes interrupted by my having to do some substitute teaching.
On the afternoon of New Year's Day in nineteen twenty, I packed my suitcase and met with a professed sister who was waiting for me at the front door. After a while in the railway coach, I asked: "Where are we going?" The answer was Sharpsburg, a place I heard of for the first time. I taught fourth grade for several months in Sharpsburg. Then on a Sunday afternoon, I was changed to Holy Innocents in Sheraden to teach second grade. In March of nineteen-twenty, Sister M. Anita McGinness, who taught painting at Seton Hill died. This event helped to change my life. In June of nineteen-twenty, we returned to Seton Hill for suinmer school. In the Fall, I was missioned to teach at St. Benedict's in Greensburg. On Saturday afternoons, I took drawing lessons from Sister M. Evangelist Yah1 in the art studio. From nineteen twenty-two until nineteen twenty-five, I alternated between going to school at Seton Hill, taking both high school and college subjects, and continuing art lessons with Sister M. Evangelist. By nineteen twenty four, it became apparent that-the only art courses needed in the college were those required for
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majors in Music and Home Economics. These courses were dropped by Sister M. Evangelist Yahl. Since the courses did not constitute a major, they were electives and could not create a department. In nineteen twenty-five, I was missioned to teach elementary grades in Pittsburgh, mostly seventh grade. At this time I began to take art education courses on Saturday under Lucy (couldn't hear last name), who was a public school art teacher. During the years from nineteen twenty-five through nineteen thirty-two, I learned the ways ofliving on a local mission. During one of these years; I was relieved a semester to .go from school to school to give demonstration lessons in school art. In nineteen thirty-two, the community accepted the offer of a new mission ...Saints Peter and Paul in Tucson, Arizona. Soon, we were involved in other aspects of church service. Besides school teaching, we taught the deaf and blind children, Sunday School, the Indian, summer catechetical work to Mexican children in (I couldn't hear where this was).
SVP: Sister, were you among the first to go the West?
SMEH: We were the pioneer group. While in (inaudible) working with the Mexicans the summer of nineteen thirty-seven, a letter from Greensburg came. It read: "Send Sister Estelle home bag and baggage.
SVP: Who was the major superior at that time?
SMEH: I believe it was Mother Rose Genevieve Rodgers. I arrived in Greensburg via train two days after receiving the letter requesting my return.
The following Monday morning, I registered for classes in Art History at Columbia University. Before leaving Greensburg however, I learned that Sister Evangelist Yahl had a serious heart problem. Because of my interest in Art, Sister Evangelist requested that I study Art History in preparation for the time when she could no longer teach. After six weeks of summer school, I returned to Seton Hill. On August twenty-second, nineteen thirty-seven, Sister Evangelist Yahl died. Within several days after her funeral, Sister M. Cyril Aaron, the Academic Dean, informed me that I would teach Sister Evangelist's classes. After this time, I tried as I usually did to accept any assignment, but this was different. Academically and technically, not only was I unprepared to teach courses to college students, but these students were paying for very competent teaching. I explained my situation.. My explanation was accepted, and a lay teacher was hired to teach these classes. I then enrolled in college courses for the Fall term.
In June of nineteen-forty, I received my undergraduate degree. On commencement night, I boarded a night train for New York. I registered at New York University the morning I arrived. The following year(difficult to hear), I received a Master's degree in Art and returned to Seton Hill for the summer school session. I began my first full year teaching in the college in nineteen forty-one. I taught the required courses in Art, and like. other sisters on the'faculty had other charges. I taught Sunday School classes, monitored students in the dormitories in the evening Monday through Thursday from seven until eleven PM, and helped with college functions. Our places of residence changed from year to year. I lived by the day. During my first years of teaching in the college, the classes were small. As the enrollment became larger, class size increased to about thirty-five. There was also an increase in the number of courses taught. After World War II, campus life changed radically from previous years. There was rebellion and
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unrest on campuses everywhere. The demands on academic and community life became increasingly difficult. Every aspect of life was changing, and continues to do so. After the first term of teaching in nineteen seventy-six, I realized that my teaching should terminate. This year coincided with the establishment of the Doran Hall Retreat And Renewal Center. Mother Richard Ann Watson appointed Sister Mary Francis Irwin and me to prepar, e the newly purchased Gumberg House, which became the New Generalate residence in nineteen seventy seven. After the community elections, Sister Mary Francis and I moved to Doran Hall to direct the transition from Novitiate to Retreat Center. For five years, I did the same kind of work I would have done had I become a housekeeper.
SVP: After living at Doran Hall you moved to Ennis, which was the formation house for the Novitiate. Is that right?
SMEH: That didn't happen until a few years later.
SMEH: By nineteen eighty-two, the bigger part of my life was spent in an institutional set up. Since renewal in religious life began, there has been experimentation in small group community living. I felt it was my duty to participate. Doran Hall began to be used more and more for lay people, so my personal community life style became less possible. In nineteen eighty-two, I moved to Ennis Hall which was occupied by the sisters on the college faculty. After Christmas, Ennis Hall was named the house of formation for the community. I was assigned to work there. This change in residence was very difficult for the college sisters. In the novitiate, I was in charge of the library, and performed other household tasks. Living in the novitiate today is different compared to sixty-five or even twenty years ago. Just as the life style of everyone living in the United States today is changing, what we in religious life have experienced will take many years to understand.
SVP: Sister, are there any reflections that you would like to make about your life in community? Perhaps, you might have some comment to make about it. the changes and how you see them
affecting the community?
SMEH: I remember telling Sister Theodosia Murtha back in nineteen-seventeen that I wanted to enter. All she said was: "Community life is not a bed of roses!" I found this to be true, but I have faith to believe that God acted through those years, and will continue to do so.
SVP Sister, thank you for sharing your history with us. I'm sure it will be very helpful...motivating to a lot of young women as they come into the Community. I, in fact always enjoy hearing these histories. They' re very enlivening for me.
Sr. Marie Arthur Hamilton: I completed transcribing this oral history of Sister Mary Estelle Hensler on May fifteenth, two thousand twelve.
Original Format
Audio cassette tape
Duration
31:02
09:50
09:50
Bit Rate/Frequency
96kHz
Collection
Citation
Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, “Oral History: Sister Mary Estelle Hensler,” Collections of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill Archives, accessed April 25, 2024, https://scsharchives.com/items/show/672.
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