This story was originally published by the Ledger-Enquirer.
When the last two Sisters of Mercy remaining in Columbus retired in December, 162 years of nuns serving the community came to a close.
It’s part of a national trend. The number of nuns, also called religious sisters, serving in the United States declined by 80% from 1965 (178,740) to 2023 (35,680) despite the number of Catholics affiliated with a parish increasing by 53% during the same time span (from 44.3 million to 67.8 million) and the number of priests seeing a more gradual decline of 43% (from 59,426 to 34,092), according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
The decline in the number of nuns is attributed to several reasons, according to patheos.com, a website exploring issues of religion and spirituality. Most of the reasons are linked to the expanded career options Catholic women have now compared to six decades ago.
Sisters of Mercy arrive in Columbus
The Sisters of Mercy started serving Columbus in 1862, one year into the Civil War, when five nuns came by wagon from St. Augustine, Florida.
According to the order’s research, the sisters named the school they opened in Columbus after St. Joseph because they prayed to him along their journey, and they were thankful to arrive safely.
During the Civil War, in addition to teaching, the nuns used St. Joseph Academy as a place to nurse the wounded, especially women and children.
In 1952, St. Joseph Academy closed, but Holy Family School opened to continue Catholic education in Columbus. It later was renamed St. Anne School.
In 1962, Pacelli High School was completed on property next to St. Anne School. The Sisters of Mercy were on the staff at both schools.
In 1964, the order sold its convent on Third Avenue and built a new one next to St. Anne School on Trinity Drive.
Credit: Mike Haskey
Credit: Mike Haskey
By then, coinciding with the national trend, the number of nuns in Columbus peaked to around 20 in the 1960s, then started to decline.
In 1982, the Sisters of Mercy downsized their convent into a smaller home on Woodmont Court, and their Third Avenue convent was remodeled for the St. Anne Catholic Church rectory and parish office.
The final location for the Sisters of Mercy’s convent in Columbus was, from 2010-24, on Pine Needle Drive, in a home owned by Madonna and David Hart.
Sisters of Mercy service in Columbus
In addition to serving the St. Anne church and school community, the Sisters of Mercy influenced Columbus through outreach, religious education, liturgical ministries, Bible study groups, hospital chaplaincy, jail ministry, post-abortion ministry, homeless ministry, diocesan ministry and spiritual direction.
Perhaps no scene better summarizes the gratitude the St. Anne community has for the Sisters of Mercy than the retirement ceremony celebrating the 14 years of service Sister Margaret Downing and Sister Pat Thompson gave to Columbus.
Students and staff packed the Pacelli gym. They roared with cheers when the sisters put on the special basketball jerseys made in their honor. And they hugged them with tears when it was time to say farewell.
“Our ministry here for the two of us is ending, but our connection to this community is very strong, and the legacy that we have here is very strong,” Sister Margaret told the Ledger-Enquirer. “The excitement of the school celebration really spoke volumes to me.”
The nuns ensured an empty chair was next to them during the ceremony as a visual reminder of the order’s history that preceded them.
“We stand on the shoulders of those who were here before us,” Sister Pat said. “The legacy continues in the lives of the people that we’ve touched and in the lives of the people who have touched us.”
Credit: Mike Haskey
Credit: Mike Haskey
Kristen Schlies, retired Pacelli media specialist, worked for 18 years in the Catholic schools of Columbus. She described what Sister Margaret and Sister Pat have meant to this community.
“They’re just great spiritual leaders, always willing to pray for any of your needs, always helping others,” she said. “They’re the last two in the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy. We wouldn’t have this school without the Sisters of Mercy.”
Pacelli Principal Carolyn Brewster, an educator at St. Anne-Pacelli for 10 years, saw the positive impact the nuns made in a variety of ways, such as reading to students in elementary school, advising board members and raising money to help families pay tuition.
“We still have priests on campus, but it’s a different approach, a different angle towards faith that I think the sisters bring,” said Brewster.
Brewster explained what that looks like and sounds like.
“More motherly, softer,” she said.
Just ask Pacelli senior Mary Liz Snipes. She recalled the time when she was in middle school and visited Sister Margaret and Sister Pat in their convent to help them make get-well cards. Snipes confided in them that she was struggling to fit in and make friends with classmates after being home-schooled since first grade.
“They told me to not worry about what anybody has to say,” said Snipes. “Just worry about how the Lord sees you and how people can see your light.”
Snipes often reflected on that advice to help her make a smooth and successful transition into high school.
“That was something I’ve kept close to my heart,” she said. “It changed my self-confidence and how I chose my friends and who I wanted to surround myself with. Taking their advice, I let Jesus’ grace radiate off of me.”
When the Ledger-Enquirer shared Snipes’ tribute with them, Sister Margaret and Sister Pat called it an example of why they became nuns about 60 years ago and why they continued until health issues prompted them to retire.
“I really feel God’s continued call and God’s continued desire to draw me closer to Him and to draw me closer to His people,” Sister Pat said, “that I may share His work with them and help build the kingdom of God. So it’s an ongoing call that I respond to every day.”
Sister Margaret echoed that sentiment when she said, “It’s something that I live and something that I promise, that I renew every day, to live as I feel called by God, to serve God’s people and to make my life a response to God’s great love.”
And they’ve loved sharing such love in Columbus.
“This is a wonderful place for that,” Sister Margaret said. “I think that’s why we’ve been so happy here. There’s always been a way to be in connection, in relationship with these wonderful people here in Columbus.”
Sister Pat added: “Columbus is filled with people who are ready to welcome you, who are ready to engage with you, who are deeply — for the most part — a deeply spiritual community, across the board, in terms of all faiths.”
Credit: Ledger-Enquirer
Credit: Ledger-Enquirer
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