By Father P. A. Dora

They intend to work somewhere in a 13-county area. The exact nature of the work is presently undecided, but it definitely will involve service to others. The options include various forms of social work and perhaps even small retreats for women. Meanwhile, they are establishing a simple and prayerful life in their new surroundings.

Such are the goals of four Adrian Dominican Sister who recently have arrived in Cumming.

"In today's terminology 'simplicity' best describes the vow of poverty," said Sister Joan Peters.

They arrived in Cumming in early July and began immediately to settle in. They hadn't been there very long at all when a local electrician working on their house warned them: "You ladies are going to have a hard time." As the sisters recall the incident, it is obvious that they took the comment not as a warning but as a challenge.

The challenge which they saw was to fit into their surroundings and to initiate the kind of life which would permit them to work with others.

They have placed as their first priority the spiritual development of their small community. Prayer comes before all else -- both personal prayer and group prayer. Theirs is not, however, a contemplative life. They hope to share their own spiritual life with others.

Perhaps, they say, it will be possible to provide retreat opportunities for women. Just in case, they are furnishing an extra room in the basement of the house. They also have inherited an old playhouse out in the backyard which might be used as a private meditation room.

While their work is expected to center around social work in the rural area, they bring a wide variety of personal and professional experience with them. Sister Kathryn Cliatt, OP, has a background in education and she spent the last nine years in counseling and administration in Tampa, Fla.

Sister Jean Cassidy, OP, has been involved in mental health work and community and family service for the last seven years.

Sister Joanne Peters, OP, has worked in elementary education and for the past three years has been director and administrator for a retreat center in Adrian, Mich., at the motherhouse of the congregation.

Sister June Racicot, OP, also has worked in Tampa, Fla., where she was involved in secondary religious education for the past five years.

The sisters will be working in the Rural East Deanery as an extension of Catholic Social Services, Inc., of the archdiocese. A Campaign for Human Development grant will help to establish the project.

This represents the first extension of such social services outside the Atlanta area by the archdiocese.

Funds also have been pledged by the seven parishes in the deanery and from the Adrian Dominican congregation which will subsidize the sisters' living costs.

They live in an ordinary house on the outskirts of Cumming and the building also serves as the parish center for the new Good Shepherd Church. Adjoining the house is a recently completed chapel for the parishioners.

Beyond the spiritual life is the need to provide a day-to-day existence. Here is where the simplicity comes in. "As a matter of principle we realized that we could not profess a life of poverty and live an upper middle class life," Sister June asserted.

Since they didn't have the money to furnish the home, they decided to make their own furniture. They got a book on the subject and started to work. By now, the entire place is furnished and in the process the sisters have set up a complete woodworking shop in another small building in the backyard.

Next is the matter of food. They try to grow as much as they can in the way of vegetables and fruit. In fact, they arranged to spend a day at the house about a month before they moved in. During that day they got a good start on the garden so as to be better prepared once they took up residence.

This style of life not only is practical from the economic standpoint but, according to Sister Joanne, it is a necessary part of serving the poor. "If you 're going to bring hope to the poor, you have to share their life. We realized that we could learn from them," she explained.

When they speak of the poor, they don't necessarily mean those who have no money. In a certain sense, they explain, all people are poor and thus all are in need of Christian service. "Jesus didn't change the political, economic, social or religious institutions in His time, but He freed people to be human," said Sister Kathryn. It is in this spirit, she stated, that they intend to render service.

Sister Jean amplified this idea. She explained that they, like everyone else, live in a particular social system, but that they strive to maintain their freedom within that system. The freedom, she added, is not a selfish freedom, but rather the freedom to serve others.

They continue to face the challenge of fitting into the surroundings while preparing for a ministry of service. They are realistic enough to expect difficulties and setbacks, but as sister Kathryn said, they continually return to one theme: "We never allow ourselves to become too busy to pray."