Sister of Sacrifice: Biography of Sister M. Optata Fries Fspa

© 2009 Joyce Thompson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 5/13/2009

ISBN: 978-1-4389-7348-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4678-7439-7 (ebk)

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Timeline Of Events In Sister Optata Fries Life

CHAPTER 1 - Family And Vocation

CHAPTER 2 - China

CHAPTER 3 - Guam

CHAPTER 4 - Returning Home

Glossary

Dedication

To my son, Jason and my family

who are the greatest gifts God

could ever give me.

Acknowledgments

I could never have completed this story without the help of the following people:

To Sister Optata herself, who had the faith in me to be able to put her incredible life story together. I told her on various occasions over the years that her story needed to be written down. Little did I know that she would hand me several envelopes of letters and some pictures only to tell me to see what I could do with them. Even in death I felt her spirit around me guiding me as I worked on arranging her letters and getting more and more information from various sources.

A special Thank You to the Sisters of St. Rose Convent in La Crosse, Wisconsin for keeping safe the letters they received from Sister Optata while she was in China and Guam. Without all of those letters, most of the details of Sister’s missionary years would remain untold.

To my mother, Rita Berendes who saved so many wonderful letters from Sister and gave them to me to use. She also shared many of the pictures that Sister Optata sent her over the years along with her own personal ones that are seen in this book.

To my son, Jason Thompson whose vast knowledge of a computer was invaluable to a person without a great deal of computer skills before this project was started. You made things so much easier for me and were so patient with all the questions I had throughout the writing of this book. This wonderful story would never have been completed this well without your expertise. All your guidance and help with the set up and pictures made this process a work of joy and love.

To Todd Fries, the Grand Nephew of Sister Optata, for providing me with a photo CD with many pictures from China and Guam that I did not have. Thank you so much, Todd for sharing them. These pictures certainly added a great visual aspect to this story.

To a wonderful teacher and friend, Bryan Snyder who helped me get this story started. I was lost on just where to begin and you suggested that I use Sister Optata’s own letters – word for word. Thank you, Bryan, it worked.

Thank you to all of my family and friends for your suggestions and guidance while I worked on this project. Your prayers and faith that this story could be written gave me the will and drive to keep going.

Introduction

This book has been a long time in the making. I am a cousin of Sister Optata’s (my Grandmother Nelly Donskey and Sister were first cousins). I grew up listening to Sister’s stories of her days in China and later on in Guam. I lived in Wisconsin when I was young and my family would go to St. Rose Convent in La Crosse often to visit Sister when she was there. Over the years I was always in awe at her amazing memory of facts and dates.

During one of our visits when she was home from Guam, I suggested that she needed to write a book of her life. Some time later, she wrote to me and said that she had started her memoirs and sent me a cassette tape and a couple pages she had typed about the early years of her life. On a visit to St. Rose in July 1994, my mother and I were visiting and I started making notes of her conversation on the various subjects I was asking about. She went back to her room and brought back two envelopes for me, one was marked China and the other Guam. Inside the envelopes were both original and copies of letters she (and two from Sister Charitina) had written and were sent to St. Rose. (Some as you will see in this book are dated as far back as 1939.) These letters detailed her days in China and Guam and she asked me to take them and see what I could do with the information. My first job was to arrange everything in chronological order but I found gaps in the story. I pulled out all the letters I had saved from her and also got all the letters my mother had saved and used those to fill in some of the missing information.

I still wasn’t sure just how best to use all of this information. If I changed the letters to read as though I was writing it, it did not sound right. I was working at a high school in Tempe, Arizona when I started this project and asked one of the English teachers whom I really admired just how to begin. He said many books were written using the actual letters – just as they were. From that moment things began to fall into place. Except for a few changes in grammar or sentence structure (thanks to the computer age to help correct those things), and some personal notes throughout the book, this story is from Sister Optata’s actual letters, word for word. Thanks to the wonderful sisters at St. Rose Convent for saving her letters and the ones my family had, I got started. I was still missing bits and pieces of her time in China, especially the years she spent in the concentration camp, so I e-mailed St. Rose to see if they had some letters or articles I might not have gotten from Sister. Archivist, Sister Mary Ann Gschwind took time to look through their records and I received an envelope with copies of letters, documents and several interviews that gave me all the missing data I needed.

The rest as they say is history! This was a real work of love and I hope it will be an inspiration to everyone who reads it. I am privileged to be the one she entrusted with this project to put her incredible life story in writing. Sister M. Optata Fries was truly a Sister of Sacrifice her entire life.

Timeline Of Events In Sister Optata Fries Life

.Born July 27, 1903

.Family broken up and put in orphanage by father with her sister Dorothy in 1907

.Lived in Plain, Wisconsin with Liegel family from 1915-1921

.Entered St. Rose Convent in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1921 and took final vows in 1931

.First ten years of ministry spent teaching in the Midwest

.Volunteered in 1928 and each year after to be a missionary in China, and was accepted in 1939

.Taught in China until Japanese takeover of China in World War II

.Was placed by the Japanese in a concentration camp in 1943

.Released in 1945 after the war was over to go back to Wuchang, China

.In 1948 due to Communist takeover in China, returned to United States and taught in Midwest again until she was chosen to go to Guam

.Began missionary work in Guam in 1955

.Pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Rome in 1975 celebrating Golden Jubilee (50th year) as a nun

.Pope John Paul II visited Guam on February 22, 1981

.Celebrated Diamond Jubilee (60th year) as a nun in 1985 and was sent on a tour of France and Italy in September – highlighted with an audience with Pope John Paul II

.Left Guam in 1990 at the age of 87 after 35 years to retire to St. Rose Convent, in La Crosse, Wisconsin

.Moved to Villa St. Joseph Retirement Home in 1996 at St. Joseph’s Ridge, Wisconsin

.Celebrated 70th year as a nun in 1995

.Died April 4, 1997 at the age of 93 in her 72nd year as a religious sister

CHAPTER 1 - Family And Vocation

The following was taken from several pages Sister Optata had typed to begin her biography.

My journey in life began when I was born July 27, 1903, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Joseph and Margaret (Barry) Fries, and was baptized at St. Mary’s Church on Valentine’s Day 1904. We lived there two years after which we moved to North La Crosse, Wisconsin. I had two sisters and two brothers. My sister, May, was six years older than me. My sister Dorothy was four years older, my brother Gregory was two years older, and my brother Arthur is two years younger. Two years after we moved to Wisconsin, our once happy home was broken up. (Sister would never talk about what happened to her mother.) My father, not knowing what to do with us children, consulted his sister, Sister M. Seraphica, who advised him to put us in the care of the sisters at the orphanage, assuring him that we would be well cared for. At first he would not listen to this and said that he would never part with his children. After reconsidering the matter, he finally decided that it would be the wisest thing to do. He himself, however, did not accompany us there, no doubt feeling that it would be too sad a separation. My grandmother, therefore, presented my sister Dorothy who was eight years old, and me then four years old to St. Ann’s Orphanage, while my two brothers, Gregory aged six, and Arthur aged two, were taken to St. Michael’s Orphanage. May, my eldest sister remained with my grandmother.

Fries Family Photo

May (age 10), Dorothy (age 8), Gregory (age 6)

Florence (age 4), Arthur (age 2)

At first we were very homesick, for none of us could speak one word of English, (she didn’t say what language they spoke) but it was not long before we became one of the merry group and joined in all the childish plays and games. Still we eagerly looked forward to the Sundays when we were permitted to see our relatives or our brothers at the boy’s orphanage. At this time our good Sister Antonia, had charge of the little girls. In 1909 I was chosen to be the bride for the Mass of Father Stier, who celebrated his First Mass at St. Rose Convent. The sisters at the convent made the little long white dress I was to wear, and I was frequently privileged to enter those hallowed walls of St. Rose in order to have it fitted. Then, too, during vacations while visiting Sister Seraphica, we would take little strolls through the convent yard and admire the pretty flowers and fishes and in our childlike way we would tell her that we too were going to be sisters when we grew up.

In the spring of 1911, Father Edmund Beyer and the sisters prepared us for our First Holy Communion which we made Easter Sunday, April 16th, at St. Michael’s. Soon after we were transferred to the new St. Michael’s where we enjoyed all the pleasures of childhood and the benefits of country air and freedom.

January 1915 – Another major change…

In January 1915, a young couple that happened to be in La Crosse paid a visit to the orphanage. On seeing so many little girls, they thought they would like to adopt one and told Sister about it. She informed Father Edmund who told them to call on the following day. For some reason unknown to me, I was chosen to go with them. I cannot express the feeling of loneliness that overtook me. I was willing to go; yet I felt that I should never again see my father, brothers and sisters. The next morning Mr. Liegel called and I bid goodbye to all the good sisters and my classmates. With a little box containing a few childish treasures under my arm, I left the orphanage. We immediately took the train for Spring Green, Wisconsin, from which we had a cold bob-sleigh ride eight miles to the little town of Plain, where my future home was to be. My brother, Gregory and sister Dorothy, also left about a week later, one to live with a niece and the other with a nephew of Bishop Schwebach who were living in Caledonia, Minnesota.

At first I was very lonely in my new home, but being of a bashful nature, I tried not to show it during the day. After I had gone to bed, however, I could not control myself, and night after night I would cry myself to sleep. The family had one baby girl who was fourteen months old. We soon became fast friends as I spent a great part of my time playing with her and taking care of her. I had brought only one dress along so I could not start school until Mrs. Liegel had made me several school dresses. I attended the Catholic school, which was taught by the Dominican Sisters. I did not quite complete the eighth grade as there was much work at home with the little ones, now three in number, and because Mrs. Liegel was not well. Added to this were other troubles.

May 21, 1918, a cyclone swept through the south end of the village, in which direction our farm was situated, demolishing all the buildings on the place. It damaged the house so badly that it took several weeks before it was again ready for occupancy. During this time we stayed at the home of Mr. Liegel’s father, which was only a short distance away. This was a hard trial for Mr. Liegel, as he had no insurance on the buildings. The property, which was destroyed, was valued at about $15,000. The Catholic Church was also demolished during this storm. Sometime previous to this it had been repaired with a new slate roof. As the fields of our farm lay almost in a straight line with the church, they were filled with pieces of slate, which had been scattered all over them. Before any work could be done on the fields with machinery, this slate, together with the stones and pieces of wood, which had been carried there by the storm, had to be removed. So while the carpenters were employed on repairing the house, we busied ourselves in ridding the fields of this undesirable material. After several months of hard labor, we succeeded in giving the farm a somewhat homelike appearance again. I have often admired the resignation shown by Mr. Liegel during this difficult trial. Since that time he has been wonderfully blessed, for he seemed to go right on in spite of any difficulties, which beset his way. I might mention that he and his family were very good Catholics

A wonderful visit from her sister…

Shortly after the cyclone, my sister Dorothy whom I had not seen since I left St. Michael’s paid me a visit. When I first saw her I could not speak a word for I cannot describe the feeling that overtook me. It seems it was then I first realized what our separation meant. She spent one short week, which seemed a day with me and then left again. My father also paid me a visit for a few hours between trains. These visits seemed like happy dreams, which did not last, and when all was over I resumed my work as before. Though the Liegel family did what they could for me and treated me with the utmost kindness, I realized it was not my own home and I felt more or less that I was a burden to them. Besides, coming in contact with my girlfriends and seeing their happy homes, my heart ached and I longed for the home that should have been ours. As I grew older, the terrible truth gradually dawned upon me. My mother had abandoned my father and her five children. At first I could not resign myself to it, but since my entrance into the convent, I have found that it is useless to worry about the past. So I have placed our entire family under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother, and feel that she will care and guide each one of them and help them to bear the suffering and trials, which await them in this life.

1921 – a farewell to the Liegel family…

In the winter of 1921, I asked to leave to visit the old home in La Crosse. Mr. Liegel promised me that I could go in the spring and I eagerly looked forward to that time. Sometime in April, shortly before Easter, I made preparations for my visit, which was to last two weeks. When bidding goodbye to the Liegel family, especially the little ones whom I had grown to love very dearly, tears filled my eyes for it seemed it would be a long time before I would see them again. On reaching La Crosse, I went to my grandmother’s home, where I stayed during the next two weeks. My brother Gregory, who at that time was working in La Crosse, tried to give me all the pleasures possible and visited all the old places with me. While visiting the Orphanage, I made known my intention of entering the convent sometime in the near future. Sister Scholastica and Father Hoffman advised me to remain at the Home and enter from there. I was not sure what to do, but followed their advice and entered St. Rose Convent on August 29, 1921. I was invested with the habit and given the name Sister Optata on June 28, 1923 and pronounced my first vows on July 2, 1925 and final vows on June 21, 1931 and became a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA).

Taken from the information provided on the background on the order of the