By Bill Hall

At St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Smyrna, three sisters from the Order of the Humility of Mary have been pioneering in a ministry traditionally reserved for the priest. For the past four years, the sisters have been serving the Church as parish assistants, an activity that includes such diverse functions as making hospital visits, home visits, instructing converts, and developing the youth and adult education classes.

The "team" consists of Sister Elizabeth Lee Heister, a native of Lafferty, Ohio, and Sisters Damian Schirmer and Barbara Lee Walters, both from Cleveland, Ohio. Sister Elizabeth and Sister Damian were on the original team established in the fall of 1967, along with Sister Mary Rita Brennan who left last year. Sister Barbara came in August 1970.

In a recent presentation to the National Association of Women Religious, Sister Damian explained that in the fall of 1967, "We were, strictly speaking, a pilot project and everyone was aware of this. We kept trying to look around the country to find something to compare ourselves with, but we couldn't find any thing to help us know what we were supposed to do."

Father Richard Morrow, pastor of St. Thomas, suggested that the sisters begin their activity by visiting the local hospitals. "So the hospital actually became the very first duty that we performed in our new capacity," said Sister Damian.

Home visits became their next activity, which often presented them with the opportunity to help people with problems. This soon proved to be a very valuable service as many people would not go to the parish center to request assistance. Frequently, the sisters were asked if they heard confessions, to which Sister Barbara had a clever reply. "Yes, we just don't give absolutions."

The structure for the adult education program took shape around the sisters' kitchen table. From these sessions emerged a twofold set of objectives that would reach, first, those who would become a part of the teaching faculty, and second, the broader area of the entire adult population of the parish. The teacher development program placed heavy emphasis on theology and methods of teaching, including child psychology. Advanced courses were also taught on specific topics such as the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles.

When asked to reconstruct a typical week, Sister Elizabeth replied, "On Tuesday and Friday, we make hospital visits. On Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday we make home visits. Some of our activities are done individually, for instance. Sister Damian works with the Building and Budget Committee and the Women's Guild. Sister Barbara works with the high school group, gives instruction to converts, and is a member of the Cobb County Community Council, which works with such organizations as the juvenile court, Big Brothers, Family and Children's Services, and Cobb County Community Aid. I work with the Diocesan Discussion Group and the Apostles of Good Will, which includes the Family-In-Crisis Committee, the Spanish-Speaking Group, and the Prime-Of-Life Committee. We all work with the Liturgy Committee, the Religious Education Committee, and the Saint Vincent de Paul Society. We also publish a bi-weekly parish newsletter called 'Community Happenings!'"

Every Friday, the team has a weekly meeting with Father Morrow to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the parish program. They consider this evaluation process as the essential element that will signal the need for change or expansion into new areas. It will also serve as a constant check against becoming over-extended.

The sisters are willing to share their experience and knowledge with other parishes attempting to establish a similar program, however, they stress the fact that it is important to recognize that the present product at Saint Thomas represents the progress achieved over a four-year period. They emphasize that they could not do it all at once. It is necessary to establish a list of priorities and then go to work.

How did all this begin? While flying to Villa Maria, Pa., for a meeting with Sister Bernadette, superior general for the Order of the Humility of Mary, Father Morrow says that something kept bothering him. He had a new parish of about 300 families, and he was on his way to see Sister Bernadette about the three sisters being assigned to Saint Thomas.

"It just didn't seem right," said Father Morrow, "that we should have three sisters in the parish for just the children. The idea began to evolve in my mind about their being parish assistants, and I put my ideas on the back of an envelope. I also had the idea that there would be a real adult education program as well as one for the youth."

Sister Bernadette was very enthusiastic about Father Morrow's idea, and the St. Thomas team soon became a reality.

It is also significant that the people of St. Thomas parish built their own rectory. At least a dozen parish members devoted a considerable amount of time to the project, and another 50 people helped. The rectory was started in November 1968 and completed in May 1969.

It all began in June 1966 with the official announcement of a new parish, St. Thomas the Apostle of Smyrna.