StoryCorps: Sr. Monique Therriault (Web Extra)

Catherine: I honestly forget how we first met. I know it was around the sex education program in the schools, but I don’t – were we at a meeting?

Sr. Monique: I love to tell this story, Cathy. I worked at the Christian Life Center. And in order to get out of the office I would do my paperwork, I would write my letters and then I would go and mail it right away. I would go and post it. Because as you know we didn’t have email. And when I got to the mail box I saw this little storefront with two women inside it for several days. And I said, I gotta find out who these folks are.

Catherine: Right next to Marsett’s Laundry.

Sr. Monique: I was going to say it was a laundry! And they were putting in some not very nice furniture: some folding chairs and stuff. And so I went in, and it was you, Cathy. And I believe San-

Catherine: Beth.

Sr. Monique: Beth! You told me that you had done some research. Within a year you had already done some research about that many of the high school girls were getting pregnant. You felt that education was the answer to this. If kids could be told and helped to understand how to relate to one another then they wouldn’t have to be sexually active; or if they were at least how to prevent pregnancies. We had discussions, almost every day, I‘d stop in and say “hello.” So that’s where we met. And then you said, “How do you think your principal, Sr. Paula would feel about talking about sex education in the catholic school?”
And I said, “Sr. Paula is one of the most open wonderful women I know. Let’s talk to her.” And she was very open to it, but she said don’t call “Sex Education.” So we formed a committee with two priests, yourself and Beth, and two women from my parish who happened to be nurses. They thought it was a great idea and we called it the “Who Am I” program, and it started in the first grade. We had all kinds of experiences it was experiential education. And we did it from grades 1 through 8, even in the first year. And I think it was successful enough that it was brought up to the public schools and began to be taught. That curriculum began to be used.

Catherine: But I do love the fact that our first encounters with each other were around sex education and the catholic school. It was an interesting time. And then, we adopted Chris.

Sr. Monique: That became such a wonderful event. That Chris was born and you and John really took time to search out if it was time for you to have a child and you said “yes.” And Chris came into the family and I remember you putting him in my arms, and John saying, “Well, what’s he going to call you? Who are you going to be to this baby?” And I said “Memere” feels good, I would love to be a grandmother. So they’ve called me “Memere” all their lives. They are 26 and your other son Peter was born and I’m “Memere” to him, too. In fact, Peter emails me and says “Hi Mem. How are you.” So we continue our relationship through emails and that’s wonderful. But being a part of their lives was very satisfying. And I did write to the bishop at one point and said, “You don’t have to worry. I am a grandmother, but I do not have biological children.”

Catherine: Well, I remember people staring at you because these little boys would follow you saying, “Meme, can you tie my shoe?” “Meme, can you do this?” And they’d say “Sister Monique?”

Sr. Monique: One time you and John were away for the weekend and I had Chris at the house and I wanted to go to mass and Chris came wherever I went. And there was a baptism that I had to be in the sanctuary. So I had left Chris with a friend in the front pew. But during the ceremony he began to cry, “Meme, Meme!” So I went down and picked him up, and he thought all the applauding in the whole ceremony was for him. And he had a good time. But that was the first time, from the altar, that people heard me called “Meme.” That was wonderful.

Catherine: This is a great opportunity for me to say how much you’ve influenced my life and the life of my children. And my spiritual life. I’m a different kind of spiritual person because of my relationship with you and I love you.

Sr. Monique: Thank you. Our spiritualities are very similar and that’s what we’re based on. Our friendship is based on the spirit that we share about the goodness of people and the goodness of this world.

Catherine: But you taught me that that was spirituality. I think I grew up with a much more traditional view of religion, and you sort of broke that barrier and taught me what real spirituality is. And that was huge.