By Paula Day

Sister Patricia Clune, C.S.J., recalls that her father would bring street clothes along on the family’s monthly visits when she was preparing to become a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet. He would ask his second oldest child if she was “ready to come home.”

That was 25 years ago, and it was his way of signaling to her that “all would be okay” if she changed her mind about her decision to become a Religious sister.

They would play tennis on those visits, and novitiate friends would ask her later how she could waste time playing tennis. In fact, the playing "spoke reams to him,” Sister Patricia points out. “It told him I was still normal. He’s so proud (of me). He comes to Atlanta every chance he gets.”

Sister Patricia, celebrating her silver jubilee as a Religious, credits family support and being encouraged to be independent as major factors in her life choice. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet taught her in elementary and secondary schools in her native Kansas City, Missouri.

“Their lives touched mine,” she recalls. “I always knew in my heart I would be a sister. I never thought about it till I was a senior. I think most people were shocked.”

A life of service to the Church was not unfamiliar to her. An uncle, her father’s brother, was a priest in the Kansas City, Kansas archdiocese. Five great-aunts were Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas. “I was the first renegade to leave,” Sister Patricia says laughingly, referring to her decision to enter a congregation other than the Sisters of Charity.

The St. Louis Province of the order numbers approximately 850 members. It is the parent foundation of the congregation in the U.S. which now has four provinces. Early members migrated to St. Louis from France in 1826 and sisters of the province have been a strong presence in the archdiocese of Atlanta for many years. Sisters Celine Gorman and Teresa Termini, who minister in the archdiocese, celebrated diamond and golden jubilees this year.

Sister Patricia says that one of the things the congregation has struggled with is recognizing and valuing the unity that can exist in diversity.

“The Sisters of St. Joseph in this section (of the country) have grown together as a group because we’ve struggled together around social justice issues. We’ve committed ourselves to educating ourselves on those issues and made a conscious effort to value one another’s opinions.”

Sister Patricia has spent 17 of her 25 years as a Religious in Atlanta. As a young sister she came to teach at St. Joseph’s School in Marietta and remained four years. Following an interlude of four years teaching elementary grades in St. Louis, she returned as second grade teach to St. Anthony’s School in Atlanta’s West End. When asked, after another four years, if she would accept the position of principal, she agreed to try it out for a year. “Nine years later I’m glad I made the decision to continue.”

Sister Patricia points out that she’s “grown in the community here, as a Religious woman. I’ve spent more time in Atlanta than in Kansas City.”

“This is an exciting time in the Church in the archdiocese and in the community. We have a new provincial team, one being Kathy Tomlin.” Sister Kathy Tomlin works for the Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta in social justice education and legislation. She lives with Sister Patricia and two other sisters of St. Joseph in the convent next to St. Anthony’s School.

“And there’s the new archbishop. There’s hope in the community and hope in the diocese. It’s an exciting time to be here.”

Sister Patricia’s schedule continues at breakneck speed. The parish has postponed the celebration of her jubilee until this fall. Before she returns to Kansas City for an Aug. 6 celebration with the 11 others in her group and the community at large, she will participate in a National Catholic Education Association program, “Academy for Principals,” in Washington, D.C. She was one of 80 chosen from 500 applicants to attend this “first-class.” Funded by the Knights of Columbus, the academy’s goal is to develop curriculum for principals in Catholic schools that would help them be more effective leaders.

To sustain her hectic pace, Sister Patricia relies on the support of her prayer and communal life “through Scripture reading, reflection and interaction with friends.”

“Relationships are important to me. I love nothing better than spending time with a friend. We have a renewal period every year. It’s nice to take time to see what direction my life is heading and how I’m growing in my relationship to God,” she said.

“The community here has been instrumental in helping me develop my faith life. For example, we set aside time to pray and see where we’re going in our journeys. The four of us here are about the same age and we help one another grow as individuals. I find if I’m not okay in my relationship with God or another person it affects my ministry, so I need input to keep lines of communication with God and others open.”

The support of the community was helpful this spring when Peter Clune, now 72, had quadruple bypass surgery. Sister Patricia was able to return to Kansas City and spend three weeks in April with her mother, Mary Joe, and her father during the surgery and post-operative period.

Reflecting on her years as a Religious, Sister Patricia says, “My life has really been a pure gift. I’ve been blessed in so many ways – a positive outlook on life, a good sense of humor – I like who I am. My life has been so rich. I don’t know how it could be richer.”

“My life in community has been very happy. You can choose to be happy and I’ve chosen to be happy. I’ve chosen to be at St. Anthony’s because I feel at home here. To be a really effective minister, you have to feel at home where you’re working.”