Bernie Feeney Celebrates 75 Years

By Eleanor Craig and Anndavid Naeger

Bernie Feeney celebrated her 75th anniversary as a Sister of Loretto on Aug. 14 and 15. COVID-19 kept her friends in the Infirmary and her family from joining the Motherhouse Community in church and in the dining room, but the coronavirus also meant the Jubilee became a two-day event.

On Aug. 14 Fr. Ben Meyers presided at the usual Saturday Mass, making it an especially prayerful and all-inclusive Jubilee celebration. Many eyes teared up as Maria Visse sang “Gentle Woman” as a response to the first reading.

The resident Community continued the celebration with an elegant dinner set up in the conference room for Bernie and friends. Even though the day was not long enough to remember all of the days of her 75-year journey as a Sister of Loretto, it was long enough to walk in grateful joy with Bernie for her days among many sterling Loretto women.

On Sunday, Aug. 15, the official feast of the Assumption, the usual morning prayer service included a homily by Community historian Eleanor Craig who linked Bernie’s history with the more than 200- year history of Loretto. “This feast of the Assumption was Loretto’s beginning feast, and part of our personal Loretto beginnings as well …. Our earliest sisters made their first and only vows on Aug. 15, 1813, in the log church of St. Charles, up the hill from Little Loretto …. Sister Bernie was received on Aug. 15; she made her first vows on another Aug. 15, and her final vows on a third Aug. 15. Eleanor wondered, “Was August 15 a feast of Mary in 1813? Is that why it was chosen as the day for the dedication of vows?” Eleanor showed us the ancient missal used by Father Nerinckx and said, “Indeed August 15 was even then the Feast of the Assumption. … Our first sisters were purposeful in choosing a Marian feast as the day to declare publicly their personal dedication. … Our sisters chose a day when the Gospel shows Mary proclaiming the greatness of God, the mercy and strength and faithfulness of God acting in her own life and in the lives of her people.”

At noon on Aug. 15, the local Community gathered again in the dining room for the feast. Even though it was not a seven-course meal, it was wonderfully delicious and made even better by a little glass of wine and cards of congratulations to Bernie. We also remembered the other sisters marking anniversaries on the day: Angie Murphy with 74 years, Delores Kincaide with 71, Eva Marie Salas with 69 and Mary Gutzwiller with 33. The event was crowned by two large flower arrangements sent by Co-member Theresa Kinealy which were with us in the church for many days.