Sisters Anne and Joan Walsh, SIW, have taken a long, winding road to get to Regina Health Center (RHC). Their father was a farmer in Limerick, Ireland, and the sisters loved to help around the home and farm. From an early age, they knew they were made to serve.
While in their teens, the local bishop announced that America was looking for nuns to help educate the growing population of Catholic children. Their father had already left for America to find new work. At the time, Ireland had many religious sisters and the young girls responded to the bishop’s call for help.
Four days before Christmas in 1948, they joined a group of about 20 young women who left their homes in Ireland for America to enter the order of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word (SIW.) They attended college and then began teaching at various Cleveland Diocesan schools, eventually landing at the Incarnate Word Academy in Parma Heights, Ohio. Sr. Anne’s favorite subjects to teach were English and history. Sr. Joan loved teaching reading and English, and loved to diagram sentences.
Their students regularly entered the local speech contest organized by St. Edward’s High School—and they regularly won. When Sr. Anne was asked how they did it, she replied in her strong Irish brogue, “We were trained in poetry, speech making and reading in the green fields of Ireland! We were focused and dedicated.”
The sisters like to share fun stories about their early days as Sisters of the Incarnate Word, including a memorable trip to the Cleveland Zoo where they were dressed in full habit and headdress on a hot late spring day. They had to walk the students several blocks from the school to the zoo, which fit with their mantra of never giving up. “It was so hot,” said Sr. Joan. “But we did it. It’s what we came here for.”
Sr. Anne once attended an educational convention in Chicago and had the privilege of hearing Mother Teresa of Calcutta speak. Mother Teresa told them, “Go back to your classrooms, teachers. You have your Calcutta there.” Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II in October 2003.
Sr. Joan’s compassionate nature can be attributed to Mother Brendan, a past superior of the congregation who influenced her through wisdom and gentleness. Sr. Anne’s actions can be attributed to her drive to make an impact on others. “The Spirit of God leads the way. My message to young people is to dream of making a difference in our world. You must hang around with God to do that,” said Sr. Anne.
Her favorite Beatitude is: Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God. She said that Beatitude fit well with her career as a teacher. “I was often called to be a peacemaker, especially following the recess period,” said Sr. Anne.
Mark Yantek, RHC executive director, had the privilege of being a student of the SIW sisters. He said, “They were great educators. It’s why they came here from Ireland, and they did it very well.”
He also remembers times when he wasn’t the “perfect” student and the sisters “helped” show him the way. Mark said he is blessed to be in a position to help care for those who taught him on many levels since RHC is the home of many retired SIW sisters.
Sister Margaret Taylor, congregational leader of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word, said the order is proud to be one of the original 22 congregations to have come to RHC for health care in 1993 when the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine converted a portion of their Motherhouse into a home for retired religious and clergy. Sr. Margaret served as director of admissions at RHC from 2001-2015. She continues her role at RHC as intercongregational liaison, ministering to the needs of religious and clergy.
Both Sr. Joan and Sr. Anne enjoy being residents at RHC. Sr. Anne can quickly tick off a list of what she likes. “I appreciate the cleanliness of RHC and all the activities. They have a terrific band of helpers. It’s a busy place. We can’t do it all. There couldn’t be a better place to be at this time in our lives,” said Sr. Anne. Sr. Joan added, “We love it here at Regina Health Center.”