SALT LAKE CITY — "In this the autumn of my life there is no place on earth I’d rather be than here at CHRISTUS Saint Joseph Villa," said Sister of Charity Ignatia Driscoll. "As I gaze on the tapestry of my life in the golden glow of my sinking sun I could be saddened by reflecting on my sometimes crazy choices, costly mistakes and useless efforts, but I’m not because I trust that all is Harvest. I truly believe that God has taken every moment of my life in His Hands, that the Holy Spirit spins gold from the bare threads of my threadbare days and so my heart sings!" Sr. Ignatia returned to Salt Lake City and Saint Joseph Villa from the Sister of Charity Mother House in Houston in July. Sr. Ignatia grew up in the southwest corner of Ireland. She celebrated her Golden Jubilee two years ago in 2006. "There was always an urgency inside of me to become a sister," said Sister Ignatia. "Even when I was a teenager and I was having the best of times, there would be a whisper there. I was in secondary school with the Mercy Sisters and they were always asking me if I would like to become a sister, and I said no. I wanted to have children. "Then at one point, and I don’t know what brought it about, but there were six girls from my junior class, and we all entered religious orders. We were a wild bunch, in a good sense, and we had a lot of fun. We all entered different orders, it was an amazing thing. It was not as if we all went together to a particular order, and out of the six only one did not continue." "At that time, I thought I am going to try it and get it over with, and I will find out it is not for me, and I will be at peace," said Sr. Driscoll. "But that is not how it worked out." Sr. Driscoll remembers when she told her mother and father. Her mother got really upset because she thought she was too young and going to the United States was too far away. Her father laughed and said give her two weeks, she will be back. "I think a vocation is a call from God," said Sr. Driscoll. "Everybody has a vocation in something. They see fulfillment in what they can do for others, or a challenge and they do it." Sr. Driscoll entered in Ireland in January. She came to the United States in June by crossing the Atlantic Ocean on the Maritania to New York and then by train to the Mother House in Houston. She studied education and taught almost every grade and was the principal at Kearns-Saint Ann School from the mid 1960s until 1972. "I would have to say those were the best years of my life," said Sr. Driscoll. "I loved those students. They were great years. I was there when the new Saint Ann Church was built and I thought it was absolutely beautiful. When I walk in there now I have so many memories." Sr. Driscoll also taught in Connecticut, and in several schools in Texas, and one in Louisiana. She even went back to Ireland to work with children who really had no home, they were traveling with their families. "I taught fifth through eighth grades," said Sr. Driscoll. "I also taught Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) classes on the weekends, like every sister did in those days. Junior high students were my favorite people. They were so full of life. You cannot take them too seriously." Sr. Driscoll also taught remedial math a Judge Memorial Catholic High School from 1980 to 1986. While she was principal at Kearns-Saint Ann School from the mid 1960s until 1972, Sr. Driscoll spent her time at Saint Joseph Villa. She went back and forth, and often brought her students to visit the residents. She loved being involved in the sporting events with the students such as basketball, track, marching, and pep clubs. "I always knew in the back of my mind, and I told myself when the day came that I was not excited about being in a classroom, I would leave it," said Sr. Driscoll. "I always felt you have to be excited about what you are doing. I always knew my second career would be working with the elderly. "My education background has helped me tremendously in working with the elderly because you do so much programming and planning," she said. "It is a great background for scheduling and making calendars." Sr. Driscoll is in recreational therapy now at Saint Joseph Villa. "I joined an amazing team of caregivers in the Assisted Living Unit," said Sr. Driscoll. " The fact that activities are an integral component in a resident’s life was evident through the successful ongoing program of activities. The existing program includes a combination of large and small group activities, one-to-one, and self-directed activities. It is my hope to maintain and enhance this program with the help of committed fellow staff members. Sr. Driscoll said, "I love working with the elderly. It is lonely to be away from home. In the end of your life you do a lot of thinking. They all have such wonderful stories. When you take the time to listen to their stories, you love them more with each thing you hear them say because every heart is full. "You look at the little smile on their faces," said Sr. Driscoll. "Some of them are carrying such heavy loads inside. Like any life, no life is a bed of roses. I love sharing joy with them. Their kindness to one another is such an example to me. I have learned a lot from being around them. They have so much wisdom to share. "I always worked at St. Joseph Villa when I was at Kearns-Saint Ann and whenever I was in Utah," said Sr. Driscoll. "As for being a sister, I feel like these are the harvest years of being a sister for 50 years, and I am taking more time to look back over my life at things I never really thought about when I was so busy when I was young," said Sr. Driscoll. "I just thank God, I really thank God. Sr. Driscoll got to speak with her father about her being a sister, and he said, "I guess I was wrong." Her mother was fine once she knew Sr. Driscoll was happy. "It was hard for her to let me go so far away. She knew she would not see me," said Sr. Driscoll. "When you are young the world is there and you are going after it." For more information about the Sisters of Charity visit their website at www.sistersofcharity.org.
Stay Connected With Us