COMMUNITY DIRECTOR, NOT MOTHER SUPERIOR
by Kristen West McGuire
(Sister Louise Hembrecht is the community director of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. She holds a masters degree in Franciscan Studies from St. Bonaventure University and has taught both junior and senior high school in several states. This interview was conducted in 2008.)
Kristen: Were you a student body president?
Sr. Louise: Actually, I was the vice president, in junior high! I told everyone I wanted to be a sister after fourth grade. I’m not sure what my thought process was at that time. I just knew I wanted to serve God in a special way. I came out of eighth grade and entered aspirancy.
Kristen: So young! Did you ever regret that?
Sr. Louise: No, I’ve never regretted it. I didn’t profess my first vows until I was 21 so it was more than the decision of a 14 year old. The Lord provides surprises and challenges each day. I’ve had the opportunity to grow in prayer and my relationship with the Lord; I live with a terrific group of women who also love the Lord enough to commit their lives to Him.
I’ve gotten to do so many things!
Kristen: And you’re the mother superior now!
Sr. Louise: No, we say, “community director.” It is a role of service as well as leadership and responsibility. The development of leadership ability is continuously part of religious life, beginning as a novice. I loved to read, so I got to choose what new books to buy.
Then it builds. I was 28 when I was asked to be the director of a local community. It’s not necessarily spectacular, but all these things bring forth organizational skills or people skills. I would never say that I am qualified to do what I do. But you don’t do it alone. My council keeps me organized and informed.
Kristen: So, there’s more collaborative leadership going on?
Sr. Louise: Yes, the whole administrative council has responsibilities. We run hospitals and a college. It’s not a job; it’s a ministry. I think the most important thing I do is visit our sisters in the infirmary. My friend, Sr. Leon, is 102 years old. Her mind is so strong and you see that even at that age, her desire to serve is the same as it was. She embodies our charism.
Kristen: Tell me about your charism.
Sr. Louise: We emphasize four areas: simplicity based on faith in a loving God, joyful acceptance of poverty, a love of the Church, and a selfless dedication to the service of others.
Kristen: And you just returned from Rome?
Sr. Louise: Yes, we visited our sister who’s studying theology there, and also met with Father Lemicelli of the Sacred Congregation for Religious. He’s the liaison with the Council of Mother Superiors. We do this every six years or so. We talked about our dreams and our hopes and our struggles.
It’s very helpful.
Kristen: How do you feel about the lack of women’s leadership in the Curia?
Sr. Louise: At one time, women were presidents of universities, principals of high schools and administrators of hospitals. Religious women were more educated than their lay counterparts. After Vatican II, many institutions went from a “mom and pop” type of shop to a more complex institution, especially in health care. Recognizing the gifts of the laity, we tended to step aside, and we wanted to be more with the people. There’s pros and cons to that approach.
But then, it seemed that we had no power or authority in the church. We look at what we can’t do, but not at what we can do. In today’s world, women hold high positions within a diocese, like a chancellor, or under-prefect of a curial office. But, is the goal to have the power? Or is the goal to have the ability to serve?
Sometimes the two go hand in hand. As community director, I have the opportunity to respond to the needs of my sisters and the opportunity to re-awaken their enthusiasm. It’s not about me as a person in power; it is my role to be that leader, to envision what we’re all about.
Kristen: How do you manage conflict with the hierarchy?
Sr. Louise: We have had very good relationships with the bishops where our sisters serve. We make sure the bishop hears about our news from us before he reads it in the paper. It’s just respect, treating everyone with the dignity due to the human person. Whether they are the poor who ask us for help or those in authority, you presume they are trying to do the best they can. If we have different insights, we share them privately.
Kristen: Obviously, the clergy sexual abuse scandal has affected all Catholics. What are your insights?
Sr. Louise: When you look back, the leadership should have acted differently. There are horrible things people do and now we realize this is true more acutely. The relationship between a superior and her sisters is not the same as just a job with employees. We help one another develop new skills for managing a classroom or persevering prayerfully in a bad situation. So, it’s not that you are protecting everybody; you’re just trying to bring out the best in everybody.
What attracts me about the Franciscan spirituality is that God is good; the world is good. When I step aside for prayer, I see God’s footprint in everything. I see that in those who came before me and I hope that’s what I pass on.
