Sr. Jackie Picard

BRIEF but SPECTACULAR – Tribute to an RJM

During the Bicentenary we featured contributors’ memories of an RJM who had touched or inspired them in some way. This year’s jubilarians were asked if they had memories to share. Sr. Jackie Picard is the first to reply. Note that all readers of Bridges are warmly invited to contribute. Keep them coming!

– Sr. Mary Leonard Hache

Back in 1967-68, when second year novices were sent out “on mission”. I was assigned to the infirmary in Maryland to “test” whether indeed I truly wanted to study nursing in order to serve our own sisters.

It so happened that Sr. Mary Leonard Hache was returning from her years of ministry in Pakistan and she was asked to give a hand in the infirmary while Sister Anne Marie Lusignan took time for vacation and retreat.

Because there also happened at that time to be a few “extra” patients in the infirmary, Mary Leonard and I did not have much time to share in some of the regular community activities. My recollection is that we ate in the infirmary, prayed in the infirmary and recreated in the infirmary, all the while I was trying to be as “perfect” a novice as I could be, filled with the theology, scripture and congregational documents of the previous postulant and canonical years.

One day Mary Leonard said to me something like: “You know, you studied a lot and you’re trying a lot to live our life, but only one thing is important, that you love Jesus and allow Him to love you.” That message has marked me for life.

– Sr. Jackie Picard, RJM

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