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Profiles of our Retired Sisters
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Sister Mary Agnes Jen
Sister Marita Zeller
Sister Lucy Chang helps older adults learn about China today
Sister Lucy Chang grew up in China in a Catholic family and attended Catholic elementary and high schools. “My father had a good position at the post office and I grew up in a comfortable, happy home until the war broke out, when Japan attacked China and occupied China for eight years,” she said.
Sister Lucy came to the United States in 1947 and was received as a novice in 1948. After her first vows she was supposed to go back to China to teach at the high school the School Sisters sponsored in Qingdao (Tsingtao). “By 1949 all of the School Sisters were being called back to Milwaukee because of the Communist Party takeover of China,” Sister Lucy said. “I could not go back home as I planned.”
Sister Lucy faced challenges in the United States. “At first the differences in language and culture did not bother me – I did not feel different. But then language was a bigger issue than I thought it would be,” she recalled. Even though Sister Lucy felt welcomed by the sisters, sometimes it felt superficial because of the language barriers. “It was hard for me to teach for the first three years because I myself was getting accustomed to the English language,” she stated. She did feel welcomed though, and other sisters included her on visiting days when families came to visit and she had no family members in the U.S.
Everything about the American culture was new to her. She recalled one vivid memory of the young sisters in the dorm celebrating the 4th of July holiday. “Everyone in the dorm ran to the windows to watch the fireworks and they were so excited by the burst of the firecrackers and the pop-pop-pop. But I was afraid because the sounds of fireworks exploding reminded me of the war when I was a teenager.”
Sister Lucy’s appreciation of her own culture has grown as she has gotten older. Part of that appreciation is due to the classes she teaches in the enrichment program for older adults at Clement Manor. “I had to do my own research in order to teach classes like ‘China in the 21st Century’ and ‘Major Religions in China’ and others,” she said. She found that people are sometimes living with notions about China that are several decades old, so she is glad to be able to inform people about China today. When possible, Sister Lucy reads Chinese newspapers, keeps up with current events in China, and tries to stay in communication with Chinese people.
Sister Mary Agnes Jen appreciates her Chinese “roots”
Sister Mary Agnes Jen was born in Manchuria, China where she was a boarder at a school sponsored by the School Sisters of St. Francis. When she entered the School Sister community in the U.S., her experience was a mixture of joy and challenge. “The joy was the love and interest shown to me as a person from China,” she said. “People asked me many questions and I was able to answer them.”
She had some exposure to American culture while still in China because she belonged to a parish served by several American Maryknoll priests. “I also spent five years at our former St. Joseph Middle School in Qingdao (Tsingtao), China and being so close to the 14 American sisters who were there was great exposure to their culture,” Sister Mary Agnes said.
While Sister Mary Agnes felt very welcomed when she joined the School Sisters of St. Francis, she also had a feeling of being a “showcase” at times because people would say, “Meet our Chinese sister,” often without using her name. “Names are very important and I always wanted to be known by my name, not just as a Chinese sister,” she stated.
The appreciation she has for her culture has grown over the years. “I was not comfortable when people would say that I was Americanized. As I got older I found myself going back to my roots in my thinking and my expressions. I love it because I am a true Chinese person now,” she claimed. Sister Mary Agnes feels that today the School Sisters integrate differences into their own identity as a community. “I believe this is true and I am very glad.”
Sister Marita Zeller reflects on issues of race and justice
Sister Marita Zeller shared her history: “Holy Angels School in Chicago serves African American students. I went to Holy Angels twice, first to be a seventh grade teacher, and the second time to do a number of things both in the school and in the parish. I went thinking about what I could do personally for the cause of working against racism. Instead, after 20 years of service, I see that it was nothing that I did. No, my own life was changed and enriched beyond my expectations as I opened myself to such a warm and loving people who have an innate love of Scripture.”
The school parents, the women of Christ Renews His Parish, and the adults in R.C.I.A. taught Sister Marita the deep meaning of faith. “In bad situations you have to have faith. The stories the people told of not having money for food, clothing, shelter, of having family members involved in drugs or in prison, or of the racism they faced in the work place filled me with admiration for the strength of their persistent faith and hope,” she said.
Reflecting on the issue of race today, Sister Marita asserts that it is imperative that we continue to address this issue in many ways, especially by listening to African Americans themselves. “The relationships I formed and the studies I have participated in have been wonderful. It was such an awakening to be able to read the Bible from the point of view of different ethnic groups. My entire experience, as it has been for so many of our sisters, of entering and being welcomed into the African American community, is a gift beyond measure. Let us be ever grateful that God has graced the School Sisters of St. Francis with several African American sisters, who have been putting up with us almost 60 years now.”