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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1987)
PAGE 2 — The Georgia Bulletin, July 16, 1987 Jamaican Sisters "Experience" Church In Atlanta BY PAULA DAY Nine Franciscan Missionary Sisters from Jamaica, West Indies, are visiting an Atlanta parish this summer. Affectionately called “the blue sisters’’ in Jamaica because they wear a royal blue habit, the women, who arrived July 7, will spend five weeks as guests of St. Paul of the Cross parish in northwest Atlanta. During their visit, according to Father Tom Brislin, C.P., pastor, the sisters hope to engage in various parish activities. They will mingle with parishioners, visit SUMMER VISITORS — Franciscan Missionary Sisters now visiting St. Paul of the Cross parish are, from left, first row, Sisters Claudette, Jacquelyn Maria, Margaret and Jo Ann, and from left, back row, are Sisters Clodagh Marie, Mary Christine, Marie Goretti, Edmund Mary and Mary Loretto. senior citizens, involve themselves with the parish youth in their summer school, pray with the parish at Sunday liturgies and with the prayer group on Wednesday evenings. Father Brislin wants them “to take in a Braves game” and see the King Center as well as visit the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home for incurable cancer patients. “Oh yes — and eat American apples,” offered a voice from the group. It seems that just as Americans visiting Jamaica enjoy eating its specialties like mangoes, sugar cane or its national dish, ackee, the sisters enjoy American-grown apples. The fruit is not available on the island because of import laws. The Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help of Jamaica, as the group is formally called, is the only local religious order in the Caribbean. It was founded in Jamaica in 1929 as a com munity of the Third Order Regulars of St. Francis of Assisi. The order has 53 pro fessed members and one novice. Its motherhouse is in Kingston, Jamaica. As black women religious, the sisters will be available to visit with young women interested in a vocation of service in the Church as Franciscan Missionaries. Sister Margaret, one of the junior sisters, pointed out that the order also has an associate program in which women can share prayer, meals and apostolic works with the sisters without being professed Fran ciscans. The Order's missions are located throughout the island of Jamaica and ex tend to the Grand Cayman islands. They are involved in the wide range of ministries characteristic of the 20th cen tury Church's needs. These include teaching in Jamaica schools, kindergarten through grade 12, as well as working in nurseries and pre school settings. They work with the elderly in homes for the aged, and teach girls with limited academic abilities in a vocational training center. They have a boarding school and a house of prayer. They do parish pastoral work and teach in religious education programs. Although the sisters belong to a local Jamaican community they have members studying abroad. At the present time one is studying in Boston, another in Miami and two sisters are in England as students. The sisters’ direct connection with Atlanta comes through their relationship with the Passionist fathers. The priests have worked on the Carribean island for almost 30 years. Father Brislin, himself, was assigned to the Passionist’s retreat house in Jamaica for three years. He con ducted a retreat for the Franciscan com munity while stationed there. Sister Marie Goretti, the group's spokesperson and religious superior, said the congregation is “interested in the needs of the Church here in Atlanta.” These needs could possibly involve one or more of the sisters as teachers at the parish school at some future time. St. Paul of the Cross school, grades kindergarten through eight, has an enrollment of 190 students. At one time it was staffed by religious women. Lay teachers now staff the school. Father Brislin admits he “would be delighted if the sisters could come as some teachers in the school.” Arrangements for anyone from the com munity to come to St. Paul of the Cross would require the approval of church authorities in Jamaica as well as here in Atlanta, according to both Sister Marie Goretti and Father Brislin. The sisters are looking forward to the next five weeks and their experience of the Church in Atlanta. 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