Expressions of the Spirit: The Art and Ministry of RSHM Sisters

“Artists remind us that the dimension in which we move, even unconsciously, is always that of the Spirit. Art is like a sail swelling with the wind of the Spirit propelling us forward.” ¹

The RSHM founders understood that the Spirit works through people in many ways. “Love for one another helps us to affirm and rejoice in the gifts that God has given to each of us for the good of others. As individuals and as a community, we are responsible for the development of our talents, the recognition and encouragement of our sisters’ talents, and the creation of an atmosphere where these gifts develop and be fruitful” (Constitutions #29).

For some sisters, artistic expression is part of their DNA from a young age. Shortly after graduating high school, Catherine (Cathy) Deubel, began taking private lessons in freestyle roller skating. “Roller skating was my life,” she said, noting that traveling to new places was a definite perk. In 1960, she along with James Brown, her skating partner, won the New York State Novice Pairs Roller Skating Championship in Buffalo, NY, and placed second at both the Regional Championship in Massachusetts and National Championship inLittle Rock, Arkansas.

Many years later while employed as a Secretary to an Officer at Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife), Cathy attended a talk given by a representative of “Catholics for Latin America.” Subsequently, she decided to leave MetLife to live and serve as a full-time staff member with this organization in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. preparing volunteers for mission work.

This experience eventually led her to various other ministries of service, as well as higher education. As an adult, Cathy returned to school to become an R.N. and later received a B.A. in Sociology. After joining the RSHM, she returned to college and earned an M.S. in Special Education (Guidance and Counseling).

Shortly after attending a Life in the Spirit Seminar led by Sister Ann Tubman, an RSHM and dear friend, Cathy experienced a spiritual awakening and expressed the desire to become a nun. She entered the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary in 1983 and made Final Vows in 1992. She served in many ministries, including The Partnership for the Homeless, Catholic Charities, Highbridge Community Life Center, and Parish Outreach at St. Catharine of Alexandria in Brooklyn, NY. Sister Cathy also lived and served for three years as a member of an RSHM international community in Amacuzac, Mexico.

Sister Cathy served as Provincial Secretary during Sister Rosamond Blanchet’s first two terms as Provincial. At the request of Sister Kathleen Fagan, Provincial, she, along with Sister Anna Maria Lionetti, served as co-directors of the RSHM Vocation Office.

Sister Cathy’s love of dance, previously expressed in roller skating, found a new outlet in liturgical dance. She had opportunities to dance with the St. Ignatius Dance Choir and interpreted sacred music through liturgical dance at a number of RSHM celebrations. Encouraged by Sister Catherine Patten, who recognized her creative ability when she was a member of the 93rd Street RSHM Community, she enrolled in art classes in New York City for a short period of time. At present, she utilizes the Marymount Convent Art room for her watercolor paintings.

While Sister Cathy came to her vocation later in life, two things were certain for Catherine Vincie, RSHM, as a young girl: “I have always been a musician,” playing piano at age six; and “I decided I would be a sister at the age of seven.” Having been taught by Josephites and Dominicans, she desired to enter a community. It wasn’t until she attended Marymount Manhattan College (MMC) and came to know the RSHM that she knew this community was the right fit. At MMC, she majored in piano performance through a cooperative program with the Mannes College of Music. Upon graduating, she entered the RSHM community.

For the first several years during her formation, she taught math and religion at Pius X School in Queens and served in parish ministry. Then, Sister St. John Casey, RSHM, the congregation’s organist, began to work with Sister Catherine, intending that she eventually take over as organist. This led to an opportunity to pursue graduate studies at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, a joint program between Yale’s Music School and Divinity School.

However, God works in mysterious ways. As her liturgical music interests led her deeper into the study of the liturgy, her interest in theology blossomed. She later pursued doctoral studies in liturgical theology as she answered the call to her new ministry as a theologian. Embarking on this journey, she felt conflicted. Did she have to choose between music or theology? She realized, “I don’t have to make a choice; one is always supporting the other.” She used her musical talents to help support herself as she pursued her studies. She ultimately secured a position at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri, teaching liturgical theology. During this time, she also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and discovered that she liked to build and create things with her hands. This interest eventually led to a hobby in woodworking.

She taught at Aquinas for 20 years until she was asked to join the Eastern American Province’s Leadership Council in 2015 and continues as a councilor today. She has also written numerous articles and book chapters, as well as three books: Worship and the New Cosmology, Celebrating Divine Mystery: A Primer in Liturgical Theology, and The Assembly in Christian Initiation. Additionally, Sister Catherine has given many presentations across the country as well as in Europe. Most recently, she participated in the “Assisi Conference”

– an international, interdenominational, Orthodox and Roman Catholic effort to examine whether our present worship practices are adequate to help build a consistent ethic of care for our planet in crisis. In addition, she participated in a second Assisi Conference for Roman Catholic theologians with the goal of establishing a Solemnity of Creation in the Roman Calendar that would take place during the Season of Creation (September 1 – October 4). Sister Catherine is also part of the U.S. Roman Catholic theological group working with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops toward this same goal.

With all of this work, music remains an integral part of her life. Sister Catherine worked part-time as a church organist while studying for her doctorate at Catholic University. She has played the organ at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for several community and Marymount Manhattan College anniversary events. She is also the organist for some RSHM liturgical celebrations and has performed concerts at the community’s chapel in Tarrytown. “I appreciate the community’s support for the gifts that I have and have tried to give back what I have learned as a gift to the community,” she stated.

Like Sisters Cathy and Catherine, Sister Edith Hart, RSHM, was blessed with gifts of artistry. At a young age, she was drawn to creating things with her hands, often playing with Tinker Toys and erector sets. This artistic talent ran in her family. Her great-grandfather was a watchmaker and engraver, and her mother was always interested in making art with fabric and later oil paint.

Most of her childhood was spent in Sag Harbor, attending the Sacred Heart of Mary Academy in Sag Harbor from grade 2 through high school, and in 1957 expressed an interest in joining the RSHM. After she entered, she taught second grade for nine years at St. John’s School in McLean, VA. Under Superior General Rita Rowley, who insisted that all sisters receive an education, Sister Edith was able to pursue a degree in art at Catholic University. There she took Master’s level classes in art history and studio drawing and painting, then completed her undergraduate degree at Marymount College in Tarrytown.

While she was accepted into graduate programs at both NYU and Pratt, she put her plans on hold when she took a leave of absence from the congregation. She took a job in Washington, DC public schools, and taught art to elementary school students for nine years. In 1977 she was introduced to art conservation and offered an apprenticeship which sparked a new passion and eventually led to full-time work. Upon completing her apprenticeship, she pursued a career in art conservation while feeling a pullback to the RSHM community.

Desiring to return to an RSHM community in New York, she secured a position in an art conservation studio in New York City, working on works of art on paper. This was followed by an extraordinary opportunity to work in Boston on the archives of Walter Gropius, the founder of the Bauhaus movement, under the supervision of the paper conservators at Harvard’s Fogg Museum. She also took art history courses while in Boston.

When that ended, she returned to New York. While looking for something in her field, she returned to teaching. Eventually, she found a position as an assistant to an art conservator in Poughkeepsie, who became a friend and mentor. Simultaneously, she also began work at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in paper conservation, under the mentorship of another noted conservator, who also became a fast friend. With the encouragement of these women and the support of the RSHM community, Sister Edith started her own practice in 1986. For more than 30 years she worked in her studio in Tarrytown. She performed work for well-known galleries and museums in New York City. Much of her work was on works of art on paper of renowned Latin American artists, including Diego Rivera, and European artists including Rembrandt and Picasso. “I am most grateful for the God-given skills that I have and that have been trained and enhancedby the generosity of people who offered me opportunities and encouragement to do this work,” she said.

Most memorable was her experience working on the Institute and Province archives, as well as participating in the renewal of the Mother House at Beziers. She worked on many RSHM works of art on paper, including portraits of the Institute’s early General Superiors. She also worked on restoring Mother Butler’s passport which had suffered some tears and damage.

Now that she is retired, she has time to return to her art. Having handled varied pieces of art over the years has influenced her own artistic style, and she is thankful for the RSHM community’s support in pursuing her gift.

¹ Pope Francis, Address to Artists for the 50th Anniversary of the Inauguration of the Vatican Museums Collection of Modern Art, June 12, 2023.