in the tiny cabin that became the sisters’ first Illinois home, and her dedication to the Sacred Heart of Jesus revealed a compassion for the poor and outcast that fueled her efforts toward justice. When no one else could direct the attention of the unruly teen-age boys at the school, she could. Once she went to bat for a former student who was wrongly accused of murder and incarcerated on death row, even seeking an audience with the governor to successfully plead the young man’s case.
Sister M. Agnes’ passion for justice lives on in the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois. Does it live in you?
Sister Mary Agnes and I are soul mates! We share in common an Irish heritage, a sense of adventure, and a passion for justice. I draw great encouragement from her example. Was her missionary spirit the same that inspired me to leave Ireland for the United States? Was the lingering spirit of her desire to be a countercultural sign what drew me to the Springfield Dominicans?
Certainly, her passion for justice informs mine. Her inspiration to act was one of her former students. Mine is the Downstate Innocence Project, which works to free the falsely accused of our day. Like Agnes, I, too, am an educator. Walking in her footsteps, I labor to be a compassionate, supportive, and encouraging presence for the young people I teach. And, just as it would have been for my sister Agnes, I rely on the still point of prayer and contemplation as the source of my energy for preaching the Gospel of Jesus wherever I am each day.
