In practice, Catherine’s goal of promoting ecumenism required a different attitude to the secular world than that held by the traditional female orders, whose Rules regulating their clothing and behaviour restricted them from mingling freely even with fellow Catholics. The new order would permit its members to participate in local public educational and welfare projects which benefited all the people. These activities would provide opportunities for the sisters to reach out to lapsed Catholics, and even those who were indifferent to any religion might be drawn into the Church.
Father Coughlan himself was familiar with the poverty and loneliness which was the lot of most of the Ukrainian immigrants then struggling to make a living on the prairies. Priests of his order had been working with them in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, since 1904, when the first great wave of Ukrainian immigrants had arrived. Both he and Archbishop McNeil were also very aware that the Protestant denominations, particularly the Presbyterians, had been working steadily for some time among the rural immigrant communities. They were now well entrenched in some areas and well equipped to proselytize the second great wave from the Ukraine which had begun again after the war. McNeil and Coughlan agreed with Catherine that unless the Church began soon to increase its efforts to reclaim those whose birthright was the Catholic faith, it might never succeed in doing so. They also agreed, however, that before proceeding further with their plans, Catherine should work for a short time in a western rural Ukrainian settlement to investigate whether these people would be receptive to the idea of women committed to the religious life working as teachers in their communities. She agreed to return to the West and seek a teaching position in a Ukrainian immigrant settlement and assess the situation for them.
Then Father Coughlan mentioned that he had heard of an Australian religious community, the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, known as the “Josephites,” which had been founded to attack a problem similar to the one identified by Catherine. Its work had now extended to New Zealand. The two clerics thought that it might be worth while to investigate the Josephites’ experiences as a useful preparation for the mission that Catherine was proposing to undertake in Canada. Archbishop McNeil said he intended to write the order and ask for suggestions on a training program for novices which they had found suitable for this type of enterprise.9
Obedient to their request, Catherine returned to Regina in early February. She replenished her dwindling savings by working as a substitute teacher for three weeks with the Regina Separate School Board. At an interview with the Saskatchewan Chief Inspector of Schools and the Inspector for the District of Macklin, she was told that no schools in Ukrainian districts were available, but they promised to keep her in mind if a need arose. In the meantime, would she accept a position as principal of a two-room school in Denzil, near Macklin, starting on 1 March at a yearly salary of $1,600? She accepted at once, for this was a splendid salary; and Denzil was not too remote — only 135 miles west of Saskatoon on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. They also offered to hire Adeline McConnell for the school’s junior section, but unfortunately she was unable to leave her Alberta post. The board instead hired a teacher from Ottawa, who arrived on 1 April, and the two women decided to share the rent of a furnished house in Denzil. Catherine remembered this posting with great pleasure, one which was both interesting and successful. She worked hard, even giving classes at night so eager were the children to catch up on their schooling. An added bonus was that her colleague, Miss Lenore Ferry, was a willing helper, a superior teacher, a cultured companion, and a Roman Catholic who was in sympathy with Catherine’s future plans. Together they managed to prepare all of the Grade 8 students for the provincial departmental examinations in June.
On 12 March, Father Coughlan wrote to Catherine with the disconcerting message that Archbishop McNeil had not yet written to the sisters in New Zealand, nor had he taken any other action to establish their new order. The archbishop had said that he was considering asking the Sisters of St. Joseph of the London diocese to undertake the Ukrainian missionary work. Father Coughlan said he was able to dissuade him from that plan by pointing out that it would not work, and that “I had obligations towards yourself and perhaps others who wished to devote themselves as religious to the Ukrainian mission work and that I wished to help you attain your desires.” Father Coughlan had then offered to write the New Zealand sisters himself and “propose to them to receive you and perhaps some others in their Novitiate and when the Novitiate is over, to send you back here with some other Sisters of their Order to start the great work.”
Father Coughlan then broke the news that if this plan worked out, Catherine would have to finance her own way to Australia, as neither he or the archbishop had any funds available. He said he could do no more at present as he was leaving shortly for Rome for a meeting of his order’s general chapter, and would not return until mid-July. He assured Catherine that she could rely on him not to forget and that he would “do all in my power to further this great work and I shall also help you all that I can to attain the realization of your holy desires.”10 Catherine responded immediately, hoping to reassure him before he left for Rome that she was still enthusiastic about their project. She had asked Mother St. Andrew of the Sacred Heart Academy in Regina about the Josephites. She was from New Zealand and was familiar with the order whose motherhouse was in Australia, but who had a house in Auckland. “She informed me that they have greatly modified their rule and are no longer going out into the outlying villages as they did when the Order started. That is the great necessity here — sisters who could live in places like Denzil.” She went on to describe the local situation. The present principal of the school was a good teacher and a faithful Catholic, but as often happened he had made enemies in the community because of his involvement in local politics, and he had lost his job. It was but “one case in thousands in these wild western places.” The girl who had taught the junior class had formerly been in a rural school, living in a teacher’s residence. “Then she came here but boarding conditions even here, were very disagreeable for her so she left for her home in P.E.I. There are several schools around here which cannot get teachers and where the teachers do come, they start planning to leave just as soon as possible … These schools are not fit for lady teachers and even men can’t stand it.”
I’ll be making one hundred and sixty a month with forty for board and will be able to save a few hundred between now and July.
There are many Catholics all around here — Germans. The priest speaks English very poorly. He has several little churches to attend and lives four miles from Denzil at St. Henry’s Church. We have Mass here twice a month and sometimes during the week. Fr. Bieler seems to be suffering greatly from nerve strain.
The only solution for the teacher problem here would be sisters. Catechism is supposed to be taught in the school after hours but there has been a distressing clash caused by misunderstanding between the Priest and teachers. It has been so hot lately that I don’t teach catechism yet. I am waiting for the troubled waters to calm a little bit. I’m “lying low” …
Yes, I certainly am ready to go to Australia, if that happens to be the best thing to do. And, I am happy to be able to say that I can finance myself in every way. With the scheme only in the head it would be difficult don’t you think, to get people really interested in it? When there is something definite and sure arranged, I would not be surprised if many find it exactly what they’ve been looking for. The western girls want to work in the West. Would it be a good plan to advertise in the Catholic papers for applicants, and also have some good convincing writer like Rev. Father Daly compose an article on the subject for the Catholic Press? …
I am enclosing here a letter from the Rev. Mother at Graymoor, the place you told me about. She also sent a booklet and an application form. Aspirants are received between the ages of 15 and 35. One of the printed questions in the application form is “Have you been in any other Community as Professed, Novice or Postulant? If so explain cause of leaving.” I sent a reply to the Rev. Mother Superior explaining that I was waiting for counsel from my spiritual adviser.
Your letter was most comforting and encouraging. Father Coughlan, as you say, “if we fail we can feel that we have done our best.” If we fail in what we are attempting to do now, something better will develop, don’t you think? …
I don’t think I’m praying enough. I had hoped to be where