Sr. Elizabeth Carey was the sixth sister who arrived in the United States from Ireland to support the new mission, established in 1954. She was part of a team of pioneers who began school at SS. Simon and Judas. In this interview, she tells us about her experiences in Phoenix and other missions that followed.
How did it come about that you would be sent to Arizona?
I had already made my final profession and knew the other Loreto Sisters who were here in Arizona as they were from County Westmeath, so I was sent to replace Sr. Carmel in 1955. (Sr. Maria Sheerin was also sent with Sr. Elizabeth to Arizona at that time, but she only stayed one year as she was called to do further studies.)
Did you have any reservations about coming to Arizona?
Like the original five, I thought I may not return to Ireland again, but, five years later, I was lucky enough to be able to travel to see my family! As the Loreto Sisters grew in numbers throughout the United States, we often traveled to attend meetings in other cities in the U.S, or other countries, and were given the opportunity to visit our families in Ireland.
Did you live in the convent here on campus?
No, the convent wasn’t built yet, so we lived in a house on 27th Drive in the beginning years. We burned our garbage right at the house in those days, and never crossed the irrigation ditch. Sr. Eithne cooked meals each day for the five of us.
We would walk to the 6:15 a.m. Mass or occasionally one of the parishioners would pick us up and drive us to Mass. After the 6:15 a.m. Mass we would go back to our house and eat breakfast and then walk back again for the start of the school day.
(Just a note: This parishioner drove a convertible and the nuns wore full length black habits in those days, so that was probably quite an interesting sight to see 5 nuns in a convertible!)
What was the walk to school like in the mid-50’s? I imagine a bit different than it is today?
Oh, yes! Quite different, as it was not a paved four-lane lane road at that time. It was a dingy little road, and our shoes were always dusty and often there were snakes on the road which was interesting!
What grade did you teach when you arrived?
I taught 1st grade for several years in the classroom that is now Room 8 (4th grade). After that, I taught 6th grade. In those days we were adding new classrooms each summer so there was always great anticipation in the air for the next grade to be added.
What was a typical day like for you as a teacher?
We sometimes had nearly 60 students in a class, so it was crowded! We had 10 desks across and 6 deep. We ate our lunch in the classroom as we didn’t have a cafeteria yet. In the early years, the teachers didn’t have breaks during the day, but the children did have time for sports. At one time, Fr. Johnico was assigned to our parish and could often be found playing basketball with the students which they loved.
We were with the children from the moment they arrived on campus, usually by bike or by foot, as the students came from the surrounding neighborhood, until they went home in the afternoon.
One fond memory of teaching at that time is that the school’s neighbor was the Roer Bird Farm, and you could often hear the birds singing during the day which was so lovely.
Did you have other activities for the students to be involved in?
It was decided that we should begin a band program so all the Loreto’s needed to learn to play musical instruments so that we could then teach the children. It was not enough to just teach piano or violin, we needed to learn the flute, clarinet and trumpet. Our teacher was a man by the name of Steve Ryan and we took our lessons from him and then would practice often, much to dismay of some who asked if “some ‘ol cow was dying!” We persevered though, and eventually got the hang of it and started a Band program which was held before and after school.
The Diocese of Phoenix was establishes only in 1969 – did that have an effect on the Loreto Sisters in those early years?
It did impact us because we would have to travel to Tucson each Saturday morning to plan our curriculum and there was no I-17 to travel on. The roads were not good, as they are now, so it was a long journey for the five of us who rode there each week in a station wagon. The Diocese of Tucson was led by Bishop Gehrke at the time.
We were very conscious of the fact that we were teaching in America now, and we made sure to learn as much as we could from other sisters in the Phoenix area so we could get accustomed to the teaching methods in the U.S.
You mentioned earlier that you lived on 27th Drive – when did you begin to live in the convent?
After our stay at the house on 27th Drive, we moved to what is now the Lifehouse. It was owned by the Burke Family and was pretty cozy for the five of us, but we were happy to be on campus. We all slept two to a room and each night one of us had to take our turn sleeping on the couch. After a time in the Lifehouse, the convent was built, and it was grand to see the progress each week. We moved into the convent around 1959, which was a very exciting time for all of us.
Did the priests come over for dinner then like they do now?
They did, but in the very early years, it wasn’t customary for the priest to eat at the table with us, so they would enjoy their meal in another area. The first priest to sit and eat with us was Fr. Horman. He said Mass in the Chapel for us in the morning and then just decided to sit down at the table and join us! It was wonderful!
You weren’t always here with us at SS. Simon & Jude. Can you talk a bit about the other places you worked?
I went to Prescott in about 1972. That was an interesting situation because we were replacing nuns from the St. Joseph of Carondelet order who had been in existence for 96 years! You can imagine how difficult it was to take their place, so we needed to be very sensitive to that when we were beginning our time there.
I also spent time in Flagstaff at the request of Fr. Felt who was Pastor there at that time. He thought because the University was there, we could teach and continue our studies at the same time.
Did you enjoy each of the different cities you lived in here in Arizona?
Definitely YES! All of the Loreto Sisters always felt welcomed wherever we went and felt that each community we were part of always “took us into their hearts.”
