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Sister Charlotte leaves Kansas for ministry in Prouilhe, France by Rebecca Peak Summer 2007 - Sr Charlotte Unrein began a new phase of her life this year after facing physical issues that made her look at her life critically. Canning home-made jelly and ministering at Salina Hospice has given way to a year of travel and new experiences with an international flavor. She wrote a story about her nursing career that may be published in an upcoming anthology about nurses and she left for France in April. While two surgeries corrected the physical issues causing pain in her body, only a life-style change will keep her healthy. For years, Sr Charlotte prided herself on the number of jars of jam, jelly, and other canned items she has made for the annual Mission Bazaar. However, the tightening of those thousands of lids took a toll on her. Sr Charlotte has stepped down as the official jelly maker for the bazaar, allowing others to pick up the slack in producing the 1,000 jars of jelly and jam that our bazaar patrons enjoy purchasing each year. |
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And so, Sr Charlotte is free to pursue a few dreams. She was asked to submit a story to author LeeAnn Thieman for possible inclusion in her new book, Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul II. LeeAnn has finished editing all the stories that were submitted and is in the process of deciding which ones to include in her book. In the mean time, Sr Charlotte left for a year to France. “The dream of Prouilhe began in 2002 when I was on the Lands of Dominic trip and was asked by the Prioress in Prouilhe to stay,” said Sr Charlotte. While at that time she was unable to do so, she has prayed and kept the idea in mind until now, when the time seemed right. “I know that God has been in this process and as I (held) Prouilhe in prayer, it felt so right,” said Sr Charlotte. This year, Prouihe is celebrating its 800th anniversary as the very first community of Dominican women founded by St Dominic in 1206. As the Dominican Family celebrates, Sr Charlotte will share her talents with the cloistered community in the land where the Dominican family began. The French sisters told her not to be anxious about learning their language, stating “you will learn much from us and we will learn much from you.” While her congregation, family, co-workers, and patients and their families at Hospice of Salina were reluctant to see her go, everyone told her she “deserves something lighter. This is perfect for you!” For herself, Sr Charlotte says, “It’s time for the reflection I have a great longing for.” And what has she found in France? She arrived in Toulouse following several uneventful flights and was met by one of the sisters for the ride to Prouilhe. It was a fast ride, she said, so fast she “was not sure she had ever left the skies!” After a couple days rest, she began to learn the routine of the cloister life. She prayed Vespers, an Evening Prayer, in French with the nuns, and then “said it again later in English because it went so fast!” She settled in her quarters, the guest house, and right away her hospitality gifts were put to use as a Dominican from the States arrived for four months and will be living at the house with her. Two other groups — a chorus group from Poland and a group of 48 Dominicans — arrived for a special gathering from all over Europe and Africa. They were German speaking, so she, with her German heritage, “felt right at home.” She’s met a Sr Rosemary, a Dominican sister from Zambia, where our own Sr Rose Mary Stein and Sr Harriet Agnew, a Kentucky Dominican, had an immersion experience in summer and fall of 2006. So with Sr Rosemary and the other guests she meets, Sr Charlotte is making new international connections in this international community. Sr Charlotte began her international mission experience in the mid-1950s when she was one of the four sisters that began our mission with the Dominican Friars in Nigeria. In those days, she worked as a domestic, helping the nursing and teaching sisters. When she returned to the states, she worked as a seamstress for eight years, before — at the age of 40 — beginning nurse’s training. With her many years of work as a domestic, plus her years of being a nurse, Sr Charlotte, now in her mid-70s, has a lot to offer in her new ministry. “At this time I will be open and allow God to work in my life. I know that my prayer life and my closure to hospice have deepened my life — making me more prayerful, gentle and compassionate,” she said, adding that, as always, she is “asking God to be with me on this latest journey.” |
