A Story of
the Sisters of Christ the King and Anaham, 1944-2013
In 1944, Tl’Etinqox
Chief Casimir Bob offered land to the Sisters of Christ the King. Archbishop Duke built the convent. The sisters offered to serve the people,
which they did for decades. At one time,
Anaham had ten sisters.
"Sister Nurse"
The sisters were
nurses. In those days, people rarely
travelled. For many of us, these sisters
were better than doctors. People would
travel by horse and wagon to see “sister nurse.” Sister Theresa would travel by horse and
wagon, in all kinds of weather, to treat the sick. The convent was our pharmacy.
The sisters ran the
hospital near their convent. They
treated people from all over. They
delivered babies. They saved lives. Oldtimers will remember the day the hospital
burned down, in June, 1958, on a hot day.
People came running to rescue as
many patients as they could, but some patients died in the fire.
The convent was
also our source of religious inspiration and religious articles. Who didn’t get a rosary or scapular from
them?
"Teaching All Subjects"
The sisters were
also teachers. They taught in our schools,
and not only catechism. The first school
was a one-room cabin by the priest’s house.
The second school was Raphael Alphonse’s old house. The third school was Late Johnny Harry’s house. Then the present school was built, with
electricity and plumbing, which the earlier schools did not have. Sister Assumption taught in the one-room
cabins and in the present school. Soon
there will be a new school.
Many people remember
the sisters teaching all subjects in the school. Until the 1970s, all the teachers were
sisters. Even the first teachers who
were not sisters were Catholic: Mr. Joe McIsaac
and Ms. Joy Zelamaya, for example.
Sister Eileen would be in the school
early every day to supervise floor hockey, and there until late at night. Under her leadership, the school won
tournaments in floor and ice hockey, in Anaham and elsewhere. When she blew her whistle, children and staff
jumped.
The sisters also brought school
students on field trips. One memorable
annual trip was to the May Ball Festivities at Alexis Creek. Students square danced, as they did at other
times during the school year. The
sisters even ran clubs, such as Brownies, Girl Guides, Cubs, and Boy Scouts.
The annual school Christmas concert
was a fun and glittery event. It
required lots of preparation. One year,
the school performed “The Nutcracker.”
Another year’s theme was “Around the World.” Students had fancy costumes and did dances
from different cultures: Dutch, Italian,
Chinese, Japanese, and prairie Indian, for example. Another year, the students acted out “Twas
the Night Before Christmas.” At the end
of the concert, people would honor the nativity scene. Sometimes there was a real baby in the nativity scene.
"Happy and Relaxing"
Sister Rose, our special Sister Rose,
collected and distributed clothes for years.
She had a green thumb, and her garden was beautiful every year. Many of us stole apples from her tree. Sorry, Sister. There were even chickens for awhile. Sister
Rose wanted to be buried in Anaham, but she rests in peace in Quebec, near
other sisters and their Mother House.
Perhaps there’s an apple tree there.
The beautiful grounds around the
convent were a great place for children
to play. How happy and relaxing that was
for us kids. Some children even stayed
in the convent for awhile.
The sisters prepared generations of
us for sacraments. They did this
throughout the Chilcotin: Stone,
Redstone, Nemiah, Toosey, and Alexandria.
For baptism, communion, and
confirmation, the sisters were our patient, caring teachers. A sister would help nervous parents and
godparents during baptism.
Sisters saw many priests serve in
Anaham, and they fed many of these priests at the convent. Father Haggarty was a frequent diner. Now that he is in Lillooet without any sisters to help, perhaps
he can cook. Father John is in North
Vancouver and Father Maynard is in Edmonton.
Perhaps they can cook now, too.
The people gave the sisters fish and moose. The sisters gave the people their dedication.
The sisters served with many priests, brothers, bishops, chiefs, and
councillors.
The sisters also made spiritual house calls. They would visit homes during May, the Month
of Mary. They brought communion to the
sick and to elders. They would always be
ready when a family was bringing a body back before a funeral: the church would be open, clean, and
welcoming in those hard times. They
would pray with us. They would pray for
us. They became part of us.
"Busy Times"
At Thanksgiving, Christmas, and
Easter, busy times, the sisters would decorate the church, with help from the
community. At Thanksgiving, each helper
would bring something. Each would go
home with something.
During advent, the church was
beautifully decorated, with a nativity scene, branches, and candles. If a sister chose you to light an advent
candle, you would feel like a very special person. Up in the loft, the children would sing along. These young participants would remember
Midnight Mass for years. The church
would be warm and crowded. The New
Year’s Eve celebration would sometimes
be in the convent chapel.
During Holy Week, sisters would
choose the readers, as they would for weekly masses. Being asked to read at a mass was an honor.
Many times during the year, children
and their families went to the convent chapel in the wee hours. This was before everyone had
electricity. The convent would be a warm
and bright place.
"Favorite Sisters"
Each of us has favorite sisters. Some
were here for a long time. Some were
here for a short time. Some went away
for awhile and came back. Some went to
other countries: Haiti, Philippines,
Korea, and countries in Africa, for example.
Some sisters retired. All were
special: Sister Marcella, Sister
Hisako, Sister Joanne, Sister Jackie, Sister Gemma, Sister Henriette, Sisters
Sheila and Elnora playing guitars, Sister Edwina, and Sister Joan with her
beautiful singing voice.
Sister Helen had a volkswagon, which
people would race on horseback, and a little house where she taught pottery and
other crafts. Sister Eileen played the
church organ, and drove fast, until a deer hit her. She says she didn’t hit the deer. She says the deer hit her.
Sister Theresa was called Sister St.
Paul, when sisters had saint’s names, not their own names: Sister Lucienne (Sister Assumption), Sister
Evva (Sister Veronica), Sister Irma (Sister Gabrielle), just to name a few. In 1994, the sisters celebrated 50 years of
service in the Kamloops diocese.
"In Our Hearts"
Chief Casimir Bob welcomed the
sisters to Anaham. Today his grandson,
Chief Joe Alphonse (me), and councillors, thank the sisters for 69 years of
service.
This is a sad time and a happy time. We say farewell to the sisters, who have been
here so long and done so much. We miss them
already, and they’re not gone yet. Come
visit anytime. We’ll ask the deer to
stay out of the way.
The sisters leave our land, but they
stay in our hearts.
-Written by Carla Alphonse and
Michael Wynne
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