Several members of the McCorry extended family traveled to Chicago for services Monday and Tuesday for Sr. Mary Benedicta, who died last week at age 98. David Schield, the youngest of the seven Schield children, shared with me this eulogy that he delivered at the funeral mass. Thanks for sending this along, David:
Good Morning, and thank
you for attending this service for my Sister Benedicta, or my Auntie B as we
called her. I’d like to start out with an acknowledgement to Aunt Teresa Jonas
and Sister Acquinice [the two surviving McCorry siblings of their generation] …
and then there were two.
 |
| Sr. Benedicta doing missionary work in Peru in the early 1960s. |
Without trying to lessen
anything to Aunt Teresa, I have special condolences for Rita. Benedicta and
Acquinice kind of go together like, well, as Forrest Gump would say, ”like peas
and carrots.” Even though they spent
years apart teaching in different schools, they’ve been together for the last several
years, and while the rest of the McCorry girls and brother were raising families,
they were each other’s family, as were the rest of you in this room. My special thoughts and prayers to you
Sister; may God’s strength be with you to cope and move forward.
When Sister Acquinice
asked me to speak today on behalf of the family, my first reaction was about
how honored I am to be asked. I then
started wondering why. Why would Acquinice
ask me? I’m the youngest of seven in my
family, yet not the youngest of the McCorry clan. There are 7 of us Schields, 4 McCorrys, 9
Mullins, and 10 in the Jonas family. We
also didn’t really live close to the Sisters; we were a few hours north in Wisconsin,
so we didn’t get as much opportunity to spend time with them as my other
cousins did down in the Milwaukee area.
Then it dawned on me. I was born
on August 16, the same day that Benedicta took and celebrated her Perpetual Vows
as a Sister of Mercy. She entered the
convent on Sept 8, 1936, took her first vows on March 19, 1939, and her
perpetual vows on Aug 16, 1942. This year she celebrated her 80-year
Jubilee. On the back of the card
celebrating this achievement is this quote from Benedicta:
"As a Sister of Mercy, my passion for justice has guided my
life of service. My passion for justice was first learned from my immigrant
father who brought the poor home for the holidays. Later, I was attracted to
the works of Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy because of their focus
on serving the poor. That same passion continues to inspire me through each
Sister of Mercy, and I am most grateful to be a part of this ministry
throughout my life."
Because I was asked to speak on behalf of the family, I get to
share some of my personal memories of Sister Benedicta which include once when
I was about 5 or 6 years old. I was
quite a skinny little kid, and I mean skinny, so skinny you could literally
count my ribs. I had a picture taken between Auntie A & B. Both were wearing their habits at the time
and I had my shirt off from playing outside.
So imagine me, a little skinny kid, between two Sisters of Mercy, in
their habits…well, it looked like a promotional poster for UNICEF. As it turns out, I’ve safely overcome my really
skinny days of youth and blossomed into a healthy Irish, McCorry-Clan boy!
Another time, and again when I was still quite young and in
grade school, our parents offered our cottage, Never Never Land, up in
Hatfield, Wis., for a Sisters of Mercy week retreat. It was at a time when the
sisters all still wore habits every day.
I don’t remember exactly how many sisters attended, but upon being
invited with my parents for a dinner one evening, I was amazed, awe-struck, and
slightly bewildered, at the site of several Wimple and veils around the room,
some on lamps, others on shelves, etc.
But that’s not all, after a pre-dinner Manhattan or two; I literally got
to witness the singing of Kumbaya around the campfire! The next day at school I was able to report
to my classmates, that YES, nuns do really have hair!
 |
| David Schield |
I share these stories partly because I think Auntie B would
appreciate the chuckle. She was lively
and full of energy and spirit, and she wanted others to be the same. She was appreciative and reverent, but with
an amazing open mind and understanding of another’s individual journey. Benedicta was always willing to challenge
herself, as she demonstrated with her trips to Peru and Ireland, and one riding
down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon on a mule. She knew life’s journeys for others were also
filled with challenges, but not always the kind where a few photos for memories
could be folded into a book for safekeeping.
Rather, she knew the real challenges people faced and she tried to be as
helpful and merciful as she could be.
Later in my life when we lived in Vernon Hills, north of Chicago, we did get
the chance to have Sister Benedicta and Acquinice out to our house for an
occasional dinner. We even had them one
time when we lived in Detroit when they were there for a Sisters of Mercy
event. I was always amazed at how open
she was about events happening in our world, particularly was her tolerance for
those who may not follow the teachings of the church very closely. As my sister
Wendy shared…”She lived her life by the
creed that everyone deserves understanding, respect, and love.” My brother Jim added, “She was a true Irish Spirit who had energy, patience, understanding,
and lots of love for everyone. I admired
how she prayed, and made everyone feel good about praying.”
Eleanor was born on May
21, 1918 to Bridgett and Charles McCorry, both Irish immigrants who found their
way via Pittsburgh to the Milwaukee area where they met and married. Eleanor dedicated her life to the Lord when
she entered the convent in 1936, and never lost sight of her mission. We, as her family, were especially lucky to
witness her kindness and compassion, but also her strong will and drive. As the eldest in her family, I think she took
it upon herself to run the clan. She was
there for her brother and sisters and helped them to try to be better parents,
for which her siblings, and we, their offspring, all benefited. Beyond her family, just think of the
hundreds, and likely thousands of young children, adolescents, and adults whose
path crossed Benedicta’s. Imagine the
goodness she shared, and the discipline she encouraged in all of these people and
how that has played out in what each of them has become today.
So while we are all
saddened by the loss of this beautiful person, we know that her impact on us
has helped make us all better people. That should bring a smile to our faces … and
that’s how she would want it to be.
