Sister Rita Mary Phalen 

There was such excitement in the Phalen family on June 9, 1939. Twin girls were unexpectedly born to Tim and Lu Phalen. Pat, who was six years old, and Jack, who was three, were elated they now had two sisters. The twins were named Rose Marie and Rita Mary. Bill was born 18 months later, and Tim was born six years after that.

Living on a dairy farm gave us plenty of opportunities to enjoy life! We went to St. Clement’s School, where the School Sisters of St. Francis taught. When we were in eighth grade, a priest from Africa gave a missionary talk about spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. The idea of spreading the Good News touched me deeply, to the point of wanting to go to Africa to do it.

When I told the sisters, they said I could spread the Good News by becoming a School Sister. That was my call! I went to St. Joseph High School before being received into the Novitiate in 1956, receiving the name Sister Timothene, and professed in 1958. (My twin sister became a nurse and a wonderful mother!)

Sharing the Good News as I lived in the community was life giving for me: praying together, sharing meals together, listening to each other’s stories, exchanging ideas, recreating together, and simply being with one another.

My first mission was at St. Theresa in Aurora, Illinois, where seven other sisters supported me in community and in my teaching. The next mission was in Rockford, Illinois, where I helped start what is now Holy Family School. Guiding children in first and second grade as they prepared for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion was a privilege. It was important to me to include the parents, so I visited their homes in the evenings for discussion about the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

I then started the St. Francis Kindergarten at Mount St. Francis in Rockford, emphasizing individual learning. I continued individualized teaching in Granite City, Illinois. Later, I spread the Good News in Sycamore, Illinois, as director of religious education for children from kindergarten through high school, including sacramental preparation for Reconciliation, Holy Communion, and Confirmation, along with parent education and participation.

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) process also gave me great joy in spreading the Good News. To walk with people on the journey of adult Baptism and full membership in the Gospel teaching of the Catholic Church was a privilege. At Sycamore, I also coordinated Bible study groups, quarterly weekend retreats for women, and adult education classes using Genesis II. During this time, I also served six years on the Rockford Diocesan Board of Education.

My dream was to spread the Good News in Spanish. I went to Texas and Guanajuato, Mexico, to learn Spanish, and then spread the Good News to St. Nicholas and St. Rita Cascia Parishes in Aurora. In both parishes, I served as director of religious education, ministering in a similar manner as I had in Sycamore. I served on the Diocesan Retirement Board and on the board for Hesed House, a shelter for unhoused people in Aurora.

When I retired from parish ministry, I was called to spread the Good News as a chaplain at Copley Hospital in Aurora. How moving it was to be prayerfully present at the bedside of people as they stepped into eternity, to comfort parents, or to praise God with families whose loved one recovered from a sickness or an accident.

I embraced two opportunities to share the Good News with the School Sisters from other countries. I was privileged to be part of the Living Aware program in India for three months, teaching in Raisin in North India and visiting our Sisters and the people in South India. The poverty I witnessed overwhelmed me. I also took part in the Inter Congregational Experience, in which I shared prayer, ideas, and food, coming to a deeper awareness of cultural diversity and the bonds that unite us as one community.

I also was asked to serve as formation director for the School Sisters of St. Francis. This was a wonderful chance to spread the Good News. During this time, three women entered the community and professed vows, and two women made final vows.

In my work with Associate Relationship, I saw an opportunity to share the Good News with people whose spirituality and mission were so in tune with the School Sisters of St. Francis. Over the years, 21 men and women I worked with said “Yes.” Presently, there are 15, as three have stepped into Paradise and three have needed to withdraw. There are two groups who gather to share their thoughts and ideas on a book. Until I retired, we met monthly in the associates’ homes; now we meet monthly through Zoom.

As much as I loved living and ministering in a parish, it became necessary to retire. Living at Maria Linden in Milwaukee has been a wonderful choice. There is an active group of School Sisters as well as a friendly group of tenants.

Congratulations, Sister Rita Mary, for sharing the charism of the School Sisters of St. Francis with the various groups of people you have touched in your ministry during these 70 years.