‘I Came By Car’ Says Sister Paulita Adrian, OSF

Sister Paulita wears a Hawaiian lei as she celebrates her Diamond Jubilee.

Coming from Indiana, I am often asked, “How did you get to our convent?” And I jokingly answer, “I came by car.”

 To make a long story short, my vocation began in my early years in school, especially in Grades 1-4. The two Sisters I had, seemed to enjoy religious life and teaching. I also had my family  who was faithful in living their faith. All this does not answer how I cam to know our Community. The answer is that I learned about our Community from Father Cronan Murphy, OFM, who had had our Sisters in Petoskey, MI. He was our assistant pastor and was in charge of the C.Y. O. program at our parish. It was through him that I wrote for information to our Community and to several others. I chose our Community because it was Franciscan and because it had previously visited Wisconsin several times and liked the area. The day I entered in August of 1948 was the first time I had seen the Motherhouse or met any of our Sisters.

After my year as a Postulant and my year as a Novice, I was sent out to teach in 1950. During the first years, I was involved in preparing second-grade students for their first confession and Holy Communion. Classes were large in those days, but the Lord gave us the strength and grace to do the work. Doing the Lord’s work of teaching and administrating has taken me to many interesting places besides Wisconsin, such as Honolulu, Hawaii, Yuma, AZ, West Covina, CA, Mingo Junction, OH and Manistique, MI. I have met many wonderful students, parents and friends at these missions, and each place has shown me the various ways God works in my life and in the lives of others.