Print Issue: October 10, 2002

Hawthorne Dominicans Live To Serve The Dying - Easing The Way

By Will Thomas, Staff Intern

ATLANTA - They live to serve. They do it with a mixture of prayer and faith, love and compassion, as well as a good dose of humor.

At Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home, the Hawthorne Dominican Sisters have dedicated their lives to caring for those labeled as "incurable." In one day, a Hawthorne Dominican sister can see the beauty of life, the reality of death, and the workings of the Holy Spirit in their community.

Established in 1939, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home stands on Pollard Boulevard in Atlanta below Turner Field. (Photos by Michael Alexander)

"When a patient comes in, we don't think about how the patient is going to die, we take it a day at a time," said Sister Marian Galliers, OP, who has been serving cancer patients for the past 25 years. "Because this is the day that they are living, we are going to make it as happy and as comfortable as we can."

The women Religious of this diverse community range in age from their early 20s to 90s. Some were born into Catholicism; others are converts. All are imbued with a peaceful, yet energetic enthusiasm for their work.

Msgr. Richard Lopez, chaplain of the home, reflected on the joyous ministry that these women Religious give to their dying patients. "Chesterton said that joy was the one infallible sign of the presence of God, and you can see it in these nuns all the time. Despite the difficulty and challenging aspects of their work they have the joy that comes from doing the will of God."

The thought of creating an atmosphere where peace and warmth, where love and understanding, prevail over the negative perceptions of death has been the mission of these homes from the beginning. Here in Atlanta, the home, located in the shadow of Turner Field, has been in existence since 1939, providing comfort to people suffering from cancer regardless of race, religion or ability to pay. The generosity of the public, donations and fund-raising efforts of its 450-plus member auxiliary support the home.

Sister Marian Galliers, OP, extends a cup of water to 43-year-old colon cancer patient Gloria Ann Puckett. Sister Galliers has served at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home since 1981. Sister Martha Baron, OP, enjoys a moment with cancer home patient Mildred Jones, 72, and resident canary, Chris. Sister Baron, a native of Clarence, Pa., will celebrate her golden jubilee as a sister on the 19th of this month, when she'll fly up to the motherhouse in Hawthorne, N.Y., for a celebration.

This year during the 46th annual luncheon held at Holy Spirit Church, Atlanta, the auxiliary was able to raise more than $60,000 for the home, said Diane Tanger, auxiliary president. That money will be used for medical supplies and other needs at the home, as determined by the mother superior, she said.

That simplicity and joy of these women Religious is the legacy of the order's foundress, Rose Hawthorne Lathrop. The daughter of famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne, and a convert to Catholicism, she left her life of intellectual society and privilege to serve in the somber slums of New York City. In 1900, she was approved to wear the Dominican habit. Her ideal was to have a place where those who were stricken with cancer could come and live out there final days on earth in peace and love. Today in the United States there are six modern, fully equipped homes staffed by Hawthorne Dominican women Religious, where hundreds of cancer patients are physically and spiritually cared for. During the recent luncheon at Holy Spirit, the crowd was delighted when Archbishop John F. Donoghue announced that the U.S. Catholic bishops have begun the process for the foundress's canonization.

While their equipment is more modern, the philosophy of Rose Hawthorne Lathrop and cofounder Alice Huber hasn't changed. "We've been doing the same thing the same way, just as Mother Rose envisioned, just a little bit more modern," said Sister Galliers. "We are not struggling from hand to mouth like they were years ago. I mean mother sometimes wouldn't have enough money to pay for dinner, then all of a sudden there would be a knock at the door and someone would say, 'here is a basket of bread.'So in the beginning it was hard. She would even write articles in the newspapers to plead for money."

While the frugality of the sisters and the generosity of the public have helped sustain the home, the condition of the patients here reflects the current health care environment. The terminally ill come within days - and sometimes hours of death - due to changes in how hospitals are reimbursed by insurance companies.

"Years ago, patients would be in the home for up to six weeks," said Sister Edwin, OP, who recently came from a Hawthorne Dominican home in Fall River, Mass. "Now it's often just 24 hours (before death). Still, people are grateful that they have this place for their loved ones to die in peace."

Sister Miriam Smith, OP, superior of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home, talks with Msgr. Edward Dillon, pastor of Holy Spirit Church, Atlanta, during the annual luncheon. Yvette Ravry and Matty Perez, parishioners of Holy Spirit Church and luncheon committee chairs, approached Msgr. Dillon about having this year's function at the parish.

A typical day here is reflected in the life of Sister Galliers, who starts her day at 5 a.m. After she finishes her prayer in private, she goes and checks on the patients to see what kind of night they had, and relieves those on the night watch. At 6:10 a.m., she heads to the building's chapel, to join her fellow sisters for morning prayer, where Msgr. Lopez celebrates Mass. After Mass, she goes upstairs to the women's floor to turn on the lights. She then lights candles and assists Msgr. Lopez, who blesses the patients, and gives communion to those who are Catholic.

At 7 a.m., Sister Galliers feeds the patients breakfast, prepared by their kitchen staff.

"The employees, the sisters, and the patients all eat the same thing, so it's not like we eat steak and they eat hamburgers," she said with good humor.

The rest of the morning consists of checking on their patients (each sisters usually has about five patients), giving baths, changing sheets, personal prayers in private, and counseling. At noon, Sister Galliers assists in feeding the patients lunch, which is usually the heaviest meal of the day. Then she walks upstairs and joins her sisters in their private quarters to eat lunch and watch videos of various homilies from different priests.

After 1 p.m., Sister Galliers does her assigned chores, orders supplies for the home, and does some bookkeeping. The sisters also have daytime prayer that they recite in private at their convenience. At 4 p.m. she prepares to gather for evening prayer in the chapel and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament with her fellow sisters.

During the evening, she feeds the patients around 5:30 p.m. and then eats herself afterwards. After 6 p.m., she prays her night prayer, and then goes to night duty, if it's her assigned day. If not, the rest of the night may consist of reading, prayer and reflection of the day. By 9 p.m, she usually goes to bed, in order to rest for another day of service.

For Sister Galliers, and the others, their vocation is not a career, but a way of life motivated by intense love of God.

Father Lawrence Schmuhl, SM, center, enjoys the entertainment during the luncheon, which included two a cappella singing groups and a school jazz band. Hundreds of people fill the St. Joseph's Center at Holy Spirit Church, Atlanta, for the 46th annual luncheon and auction sponsored by the auxiliary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home.

Sister Martha Baron, OP, has been serving in the order for over 50 years, and says she has enjoyed it from the beginning. She went to nursing school immediately after high school, and was licensed to take care of newborns.

But instead of easing newborns into their lives, she is helping ease the way for the dying into eternal life.

"It is only by the grace of god that you can really do it; there is no other way. you have to know that life is only temporal down here; there is an eternal life," said Sister Baron.

For information on volunteering at the home or on the auxiliary, call Diane Tanger at (770) 956-8529.