The Murphys: There were never such devoted sisters

That's made a lot easier by the fact that Sister Monica's sister is also a Sister.

Sister Maureen Murphy, CSJ, a parish outreach worker at St. Casimir's School in Albany, currently directs the school's summer camp, while Sister Monica directs Pyramid Life Center, the Diocese's 800-acre camp high in the Adirondack Mountains.

Trading places

Whenever Sister Maureen makes the 200-mile drive to Pyramid Lake to help open or close the camp, for example, Sister Monica said, "I don't have to tell her what to do. She knows the whole background of everything."

And on a recent visit to Sister Maureen's workplace, Sister Monica greeted children and staff like an old hand.

Family and faith

"In those days, Sisters didn't drive," Sister Monica remembered. "The nuns would always be calling up [my father], asking for a ride. We had the opportunity to see nuns as human beings."

The pair fondly remembers their own Sunday drives during which the family would sing together for fun, often on the way to visit the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, where their great-grandfather served as caretaker. In fact, they claim that taking pleasure in simple things was good preparation for religious life.

"Parents think they have to provide all these 'things,'" Sister Maureen remarked. "They don't have to provide the best clothes, the best shoes. We saw someone able to bring up four children on one salary."

Reinforcement

Best of all, they had Rev. Robert Hart. The priest from St. Mary's parish made it his mission to get parish youth involved in projects to help the poor and stay active in the Church. He even took all the children of the parish to a nearby summer camp he borrowed for their use.

"You started as second-graders; and by the time you got to high school, you were counselors," Sister Monica remembered.

Father Hart demonstrated his own faith in ways that impressed the children. Sister Monica remembered starting the camp day with Mass and ending it with night prayer. Late in the evening, campers would see the light burning in the priest's cabin as he prayed his Office before bed.

"He was a very popular man, but the thing that would stand out is that he was a spiritual man," she stated.

Parents' role

"There wasn't a question; they were married forever," Sister Monica said, so "the idea of making a lifetime commitment wouldn't be unusual for us."

For both Sister Maureen and Sister Monica, religious life just "felt right." Each entered the convent after high school, taught high-school math for many years and eventually switched to youth ministry.

Ironically, both began religious life during the turbulent years of the '60s, when many of their predecessors were leaving. But they still met many dedicated religious who inspired them to stay.

Good friends

Today, although the pair joke that "you don't know how rare it is for us to be in the same room!" they continue to support each other long-distance in their work, as women religious and as sisters. They particularly enjoy cross-country skiing together and their annual family reunion at Pyramid Lake.

"It's like having a good friend," Sister Maureen explained.

Several vocations from one family might be rare, but the sisters encourage families to be open to their children choosing religious life.

"Don't be fearful that your child will not be happy or fulfilled if they choose this as a vocation," Sister Monica advised. "I see a lot of potential vocations in teenagers. They'll be very happy and fulfilled if it's a vocation for them."

(07-23-98) [[In-content Ad]]