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by Sister Celia Sánchez, OLVM
Christmas 2004 marked my first Christmas at Victory Noll. It was also my first White Christmas and the first time I had the privilege of spending time in the archives. Sr. Lucy Marie Vega, Archivist, showed me where the photographs, letters, books, artifacts and documents and even a trunk that belonged to Fr. Sigstein were located.
 Photo: Sr. Celia Sánchez, OLVM.
I began with the photographs. I thought of my own family’s black and white pictures that we cherish as a way of connecting with our history. I found a picture of Fr. Sigstein as a teenager, standing with his father and mother. At that age, everything is possible. I wondered if Fr. Sigstein had any inkling what his future would hold. I found several pictures of him as a young seminarian and priest in Chicago. It took me a couple of hours to get through the other photographs; I didn’t want to miss any.
Next I took down several boxes of letters. They were from Julia Doyle, our first Sister. She wrote to Fr. Sigstein, describing the towns they entered, their living quarters, the people and their homes, the needs that were often unmet. I was able to see Julia as a pioneer, adapting and responding to her surroundings. Sometimes she needed to ask questions. She felt comfortable sharing her thoughts and opinions with Fr. Sigstein.
What impressed me was Fr. Sigstein’s organization and his tenderness and love for the Sisters. He always began with My dear spiritual daughter. His concern for them and his constant prayer for them came through in his writings. He worried that they be properly prepared and dressed for the cold weather. He wanted them to have enough good and nourishing food. He also worried about their health because of overwork; it was important to have time for adequate rest. If they were safe, healthy and happy, only then could they give all for the Reign of God.
I found a picture of Julia taken shortly before she died and a diary that recorded in detail her last days. Her courage to take a chance with a congregation that was barely being formed, her vision to see what needed to be done in the missions and her faith and willingness to put all these things in God’s hands are some of the things I take away from this experience.
I wanted to see some of the catechetical material the Sisters had authored. There were books, booklets, plays, games, music and lesson plans. It made me think of the time they took preparing their classes and how I prepare for mine. My hope is to be imaginative and find ways to share my faith and help others grow in their faith.
Photo: Sr. Lucy Marie Vega, OLVM, archivist.
I came across The Missionary Catechist magazine which I had never seen before. I saw the photographs of the postulants and the habit of the novices and Sisters. I saw photographs of the younger faces of the Sisters I know now. It gave me immense pleasure to see pictures of some of the Sisters who are now in Camilla Memory Care Center.
These are the things I saw, read and learned in my short time in the archives. Fr. Sigstein was a man of great vision, yet organized and practical. He also had a lot of faith that women would come to his Society. In so many letters he expressed this faith and even though the numbers of women had not arrived, he went forward with the planning and the building. Sr. Blanche Marie Richardson told Father to be careful not to send young women who thought that reaching sanctification came just from praying all the time. They might be disappointed once they arrived at the mission. In her words, she said: “We don’t need any nuns.”
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