From ES: I've
known Cornelia from the early 1970's. She and I waited together to process into
chapel for my Life Profession at Vails Gate. The thing I most admired or appreciated
about her was her sense – and practice – of fairness and justice.
From Benedicta: I've known Cornelia since 1973. I enjoyed her sense of humor.
From Ellen Francis: I've known Cornelia since I was a first-year seminarian at General
Seminary in New York City in the fall of 1997. I most appreciated her
forthrightness; there was never anything wishy-washy about her. When I was
doing supply work at Church of Our Savior in Chinatown NYC, we used to have
long talks on the bus going and coming from the church on Sunday mornings. I
will also treasure the memories of taking her to the Parkinson's Support Group
over the past several years.
From Carol Andrew: I have known Cornelia for 42 years. The thing I most
appreciated about her was her fairness. Also, in spite of disliking change, she
presided over the biggest change we have ever had: from a single Superior to a
Leadership Council.
From Rosina:
I met Cornelia when I came to the community
in December 1978. I appreciate her love for working with the downtrodden and
those who have not. I enjoyed my time living with her in our house in Manhattan
where we ministered to the Cambodian women in Brooklyn, people from China in
Chinatown, and many others she taught English to. When we went to Kumasi every
times she visited Ghana, we had a swell time participating in the churches –
she felt no reservation. She also shared her love with me about her work in
Nassau.
I found Cornelia a teacher through and
through with a passion to teach no matter how inadequate or unskilled the
student might have been. She would find a way to reach the student. Her last
words to me when I returned to Augusta as a CPE Supervisor, as she read the handbook
that I had put together, were "Think how your father would be very proud
of what you have done with yourself.” That touched me so much because my father
was a school teacher/master for 61 years and appreciated great achievements of
his students and especially his children. Cornelia and I bonded because of her
love for Africa and "third world countries."
From Barbara Lee: I’ve
known Sr Cornelia since 1972 at Vails Gate. What I most appreciated about her was
her peaceful, prayerful, and wise presence and knowing that I could trust her.
From Grace:
I have lived in the Order for 3 years with
Cornelia, and she was the sister who did my behavioral assessment before
entering as a postulant. She was surprised with one of my answers to her
questionnaire which asked: what is one of your strengths? I said listening. She
said "no one had answered like that before." In her last weeks and
whenever I would visit her at The Place at Martinez, she would always ask when
I was starting CPE school. She was very supportive of my ministry and education
process. I can still hear her asking, “When does your school start again?” I
have such wonderful memories of the two of us buying cokes from the vending
machine and sitting on the front porch of The Place watching the clouds and
rainstorms blow in.
We would take walks, and she would tell me
what it was like to be the Superior of OSH. It was unfortunate that she could
not take the trip to the Bahamas with me last January 2012 due to her
hospitalization in November 2011. She is greatly missed by me and by the Bahamian
Associates, who send their condolences as well.
From Mary Lois: I’ve
known Cornelia for 20 years. She was a role model for me and always available
with help and advice.
From Linda Elston:
I made my first visit to OSH in Vails Gate
in 2001. Cornelia was out of town so I did not meet her until my aspirant visit
in early 2002. Her first words to me were, “Oh, you’re back,” in a rather harsh
voice. I wasn’t sure about this lady until she conducted an interview with me
during that visit. There I experienced a compassionate Cornelia. The first
words out of her mouth were a recognizing that my parents had died two days
apart from one another. I felt her empathy. Five months later I entered the
Order, and once Cornelia learned I was a hard worker, it was evident she liked
me.
My memories of Cornelia, until recently, are
mostly funny. One winter morning maybe in 2003, I was sacristan and setting up
the chapel in the dark. The snow had frozen our two big bells, so I brought my
big bowl bell into the chapel to try it out. Bong, bong, bong! The next thing I
heard was a very loud “Who is that?!” I couldn’t see her, but Cornelia was
sitting in back of the chapel, and I had unknowingly interrupted her prayer
time.
Fast-forwarding to the last six weeks of
Cornelia’s life, I had the scary (to me) task of being Cornelia’s primary
medical proxy. I didn’t know what treasured opportunities that would give me –
three of them, in particular.
About six weeks before her death, Cornelia
and I went to Yo Pizza, our favorite Monday lunch hang-out. She got such a kick
out of getting out and about and was very much her Cornelia self in spite of
the effects that Parkinson’s had on her mind. One week before she died, I
visited Cornelia at the nursing home, and she was busily packing, thinking that
the sisters were moving back to Vails Gate, so of course she was getting ready,
too. She was SO happy at her work. Then, she stopped and looked me straight in
the eye and said, “I’m going home.” My heart almost stopped, and I responded,
“Cornelia, sometimes that sounds really good to me too.” I believe something in
her knew that she was about to truly “go home.”
Cornelia got ambulanced to the hospital ER four
days before she died. I met her there. The next three hours I will never
forget. Cornelia let me massage her feet and give her a little healing touch
like I used to, and we talked in our straight-forward way just like Cornelia
and I always talked. And of course, she joked with the nurse and doctor. Her
humor was a real part of her.
One of the most unexpected encounters I had
with Cornelia was about a year before I made my Life Vow in the Order. I was
struggling with the decision and talking with Cornelia about it. Cornelia
suggested I just try it for a couple of years. I nearly fell out of my chair
that someone would offer a freedom like that.
From Ann Prentice: I met Cornelia during my aspirant visit in
February 1990, just after my 50th birthday. She said OSH had been
hoping not to accept anyone over 40! After that she was unfailingly ENCOURAGING
about my vocation "through all the changes and chances of this life."
From Ruth: I
have many memories about Cornelia, but what I remember most clearly and as I
told her – When she was Superior, besides doing a very fine job with its
inherent responsibilities, she took very good care of her own spiritual needs.
