Sister Sheral Marshall

Sister Sheral Marshal

The seeds of my wanting to be of service to others and my sense of justice were planted early. Growing up, I saw my mom frequently visiting an elderly couple on our block who had no children and few other visitors. If a neighbor had a death in the family, she would go to share their sorrow, often bringing over a freshly baked cake. My dad’s folks lived with us as we three girls were growing up and mom showed great patience with my grandmother who was in a wheelchair and had terrible arthritis. And even with seven to cook and keep house for, she found time to volunteer in the school cafeteria. My dad worked for Honeywell, making bids on heating and air conditioning systems. One afternoon, he came home and asked us, “Guess who the chief engineer at Sutter Hospital is?” And before we could answer, he replied, “Mary Wilson! Isn’t that great?” In the early 60’s, women were not expected, nor allowed, to be in
positions of leadership, so this was truly amazing. We three girls learned early that we could do anything we put our minds to and be anything we wanted to be!

The good example of our parish priests also made an impression on me. They were all foreign-born Irish, with one newly ordained arriving each summer as the one with one year under his belt was transferred to another parish. By their example, the dedication of the Sisters who taught me raised the question of possibly following in their footsteps: Sisters of Mercy in elementary school (with classes of 50 students and no aide), joined by Notre Dames and
Franciscans as teachers for high school. Each of them had a distinct personality, but everyone’s commitment shone through. When Sr. Carole Marie read us one of the gospel stories, she had us in the boat with Jesus, feeling the spray on our faces, and wondering along with the disciples: “Who is this man?” Belonging to the Sodality and the Heralds (a Franciscan group for high schoolers) and monthly afternoons at the Cenacle Retreat House deepened my spirituality as did visiting convalescent homes where we witnessed how much the people there welcomed our coming.

The early 60’s were a time of great cultural change in our country, though I’d guess that most of us, adults and young people, couldn’t imagine just how major the changes would be. The beginning of the Peace Corps in 1961 awakened Americans, myself included, to the needs of the broader world and invited our generation to volunteer in service. Vatican II attempted to bring the Church into dialogue with the contemporary world and took place intermittently from 1962 to 1965. The Hippie Movement began in 1964 along with anti-war protests and much newly public activism. My reading of Maryknoll magazine, and the words of John Kennedy also played a part in my decision to enter. “Ask not what your country can do for you,” he challenged, “ask what you can do for your country.” I modified that a bit to consider what I might do for God, for the Church, and for the people I’d be serving.

Nineteen (19) of us from all over the West Coast entered the Franciscans in Redwood City, California, in August 1965. We were “trying it out” to see if it fit and how we would or wouldn’t be at home in this community of women of different ages and backgrounds and distinct responses to the changes from Vatican II. We had wonderful theology teachers who explained Vatican II, Church history, and moral theology and opened our eyes to the riches of the

scriptures. Our classes about Saints Francis and Clare and Catherine Daemen, the foundress of our particular Franciscan community, and their approach to God and life was also part of the preparation for the vows we’d take after the three years of postulancy and novitiate. My group, we were twelve, was the last to receive the long habit and white veil of a novice. Some of the Sisters welcomed the change to shorter habits and veils, then soon after, to clothing of basic colors and no veils; for others, it was a difficult, major shift.

Reflecting on the experiences I’ve had over the 56 years I’ve been in our Franciscan community, great feelings of gratitude come over me! Working in three parishes for a total of 33 years in San Francisco, Pacifica and San Bruno, I’ve been enriched by coordinating the catechumenate process for those wanting to become Catholic or to return to the practice of their faith; training liturgical ministers and preparing the church for the various seasons; encouraging social
concerns activities outside of our parish, like the monthly food distribution program for low- income families, begun by the First Filipino United Church of Christ; and regular shared meals and interaction with the local Muslim community, so we might get to know and better understand each other. Our parishioners’ origins from Mexico, El Salvador, the Philippines, Tonga, Samoa, Ireland, Malta, Italy, and Vietnam also inspired me with the celebrations of
some of their religious/cultural traditions, especially for the Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter seasons.

The Irish Sisters of the Presentation have staffed St. Robert’s School and Parish since 1970 and enriched my 15 years there. They encouraged me and other parishioners to volunteer in Mississippi and New Orleans, where their congregation ministers, over six Christmas vacations to assist families devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The generosity of volunteers from many states and of many ages was more than matched by the outpouring of gratitude as we dry-
walled and painted the musty rooms of their beloved homes.

Since we’re an international congregation, my perspective on life has also been broadened by getting to know some of our Sisters from the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico during meetings in Rome. I’ve actually visited Sisters in all these countries except Indonesia and Guatemala on their “home turf” and have seen how they live our charism in their varied cultural contexts. In 1996, I had the blessing of spending three weeks in our two provinces in Brazil as part of a cultural exchange among our provinces. When I was visiting Altamira in the Amazon, the Sisters showed me the timber, cut and ready for export, stolen by wealthy, international interests from the Indigenous communities who have owned and worked the land for generations. Dorothy Stang, a North American Sister of Notre Dame, was killed in 2005 for her years-long efforts to teach the people their rights and encouraging sustainable farming techniques she presented a threat to loggers, land speculators who plundered farmers land.

In the summer of 2019, Catholic Charities USA sent out a request for Sisters to volunteer at the shelters for immigrants crossing the southern border. I spent a week in Laredo, Texas where we welcomed families, some of whom had relatives nearby and others who would take a bus halfway across the country. They were delighted with the unbelievable gifts of a change of clothes, showers, beds, and meals at the center. I was touched by seeing a mother who breast-fed her peaceful baby while her husband showered. I often thank God for all the blessings of my life and hope to stay open for whatever the Spirit has in mind for me in the future!