Who I Am:
- Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, I am the oldest of five children and the daughter of Rita and Buster Haase, both deceased, who taught me to do God’s Will each day and that gentleness is strength.
- For over 50 years, I am a member of the international Ursuline Order, founded in 1535 by St. Angela Merici in Brescia, Italy. My religious vocation was sealed at a high school senior retreat at the Cenacle Retreat House in New Orleans, LA. I have never looked back.
“The two most important days in your life are: the day you were BORN and the day you discovered WHY.”
—Mark Twain
Where I’ve Been:
- As an educator, I taught students who embodied the marvels of southern hospitality in Louisiana, the cliffs and rivers of Missouri, the corn fields of Illinois, and the wide Texas sky.
- The mountain folks in the hollows of Appalachia and the villagers in the hills of Mexico made me feel at home for many years.
- During the famine of the late 80’s, I ministered in the desert of Sudan, East Africa, feeding starving children.
- The joy of living in an international Ursuline community with sisters from seven different countries of origin was mine in Senegal, West Africa. Besides French, I learned the language of the heart.
- During a year in Rome, Italy, I had the special grace of receiving a personal blessing from St. John Paul II after his Mass in his private chapel.
- Residing in Greenwich, England, I shared many laughs with the Ursuline Sisters who tried unsuccessfully for a year to convert my southern accent into proper British English!
- I was an infant and toddler early educator in an HIV/AIDS daycare center in Mattapan, Massachusetts, and witnessed firsthand the ravages of this disease.
- In Massachusetts I served on the spirituality team of The Boston Home, a long-term care facility for 96 residents living with multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases. In their daily struggles these paralyzed people witnessed to the power of the human spirit.
- With my Franciscan priest brother Albert, I co-hosted, from 2010-2015, “Spirit and Life,” a weekly radio show on the Relevant Radio Network.
What I Do:
- As a speaker, I give days of reflection, individual talks, and parish missions across the U.S.A.
- As an author, I am a regular contributor to Living Faith: Daily Catholic Devotions, and am always thinking about new approaches to the spiritual life.
- My second personality shows her face as Sister Storyteller for local schoolchildren, ages 3-4. My companions, Legs, Legette, Honeysuckle, and Miss Sunshine travel with me and enjoy adventures in Storyland.
Acknowledgements I have received:
- Exceptional Woman Award, Magic 106.7, Greater Media Boston, Massachusetts, May, 2009
- “Making a Difference,” NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, July, 2009
- Cover story and feature article in St. Anthony Messenger Magazine, December, 2009
- Compassionate Care Award, The Boston Home, Dorchester, Massachusetts, October, 2011
- Brescia Ball Honoree, Dedham, Massachusetts, November, 2012
- Honorary Doctor of Theology degree, Stonehill College, Easton, Massachusetts, May, 2014
- First recipient of the “Caritas Dei” award “for being an outstanding witness to the Gospel message of love for God and charity towards others,” Relevant Radio, November 2014
- Ursula Laurus citation, College of New Rochelle, New York, June 2015
- Article in THE LIGUORIAN magazine, May/June 2021 issue