On Tuesday of this week, my LOL juggling team, ages 12 to 14, went to St. Charles Children’s Home in Rochester, NH. This is one of our favorite venues of the year. St. Charles is run by a group of Catholic nuns, led by Sister Maximillian. They service children who, as Sister puts it, the foster care system has failed. Others are there because it is a locked facility, so they are safe from potential abduction. My students played with the children there, then did an excellent 45 minute show, had lunch with them, and played some more before heading back to school. Many of my students left a piece of their hearts in Rochester that day.
Sister Maximillian is an amazing lady. She was excited to tell me that St. Charles has begun two new programs. First of all, they host monthly retreats for adoptive families. Since so many of the children adopted from St. Charles have special needs and psychological trauma in their pasts, these retreats are meeting a huge need.
More exciting to me, though, is that the city of Rochester approached Sister Maximillian last summer to see if they would host students from their schools who have been suspended. Instead of being at home, often unsupervised, suspended students now go to St. Charles where they are supervised, are required to keep up with their assignments, and are in a loving environment. Sister laughingly told me, “We’re in the schools all the time, now, for conferences and meetings. No one can see a nun without thinking of God. They may hate God or love God, but the people in the Rochester schools can’t help thinking about God these days.”
Later in the day she told us of a child in the home who, upon arrival, frequently screamed at the sisters, “I hate you!” They had to patiently love on the child, assuring him that they respected him too much to ever speak to him the way he spoke to them. Over time, he’s come around, and now loves to be rocked by the nuns each morning and each evening.
How freeing it must be to not be ensnared by people’s hate; to be so confident in God’s love, that love is one’s natural response to hatred; to be so free of worldly ambitions that one can take the time needed to love on those hardest to love. Sister Maximillian has been a role model to all three of our girls, especially influencing Jona-Lynn. I thank God that we’ve gotten to know her over the years, and for all that she and the other sisters do. In her giving up her life to follow Jesus and serve these precious children, she has found freedom, and the joy that comes with freedom is obvious every time we see her.