When Sister Eileen Therese Boyle came to Westlock from the Sisters of Charity in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Aug. 15, 1971 to work as a nurse in the Immaculata Hospital run by the Sisters, she came with very little luggage.
“Two white habits and two black habits. That was all. Not what I’m going through now,” she told Town & Country last week.
Over the weekend she returned to the Mother House of the Sisters of Charity of Halifax, where she grew up, attended school and entered the convent.
Leaving Westlock after 47 years, she has a little more luggage than when she arrived and tons of great memories.
She is the last of the Sisters of Charity to leave Westlock and noted the Sisters have been in the community for 90 years.
“When I graduated from Grade 12, I knew I wanted to be a Sister. That’s it,” she said.
In those days, she added, they kind of told you what they wanted you to do.
“I thought teaching, because I had three sisters who were nurses, and I used to be so tired of hearing them talking about patients, but they (Sisters of Charity) decided I was going nursing. I trained in Nova Scotia.”
She explained that she became a Sister first and it took three years to take her first vows and then six more to take the final vows.
After that, it was off to a placement in one of the four hospitals the Sisters operated at the time.
She also explained Aug. 15 was moving day, and she was told she was going to Westlock. And because they operated four hospitals, she had a vague idea of where it was.
“When Monsignor (Rooney, Westlock Parish Priest at the time) met me at the train I was very tearful, coming from Halifax.”
She recalled Monsignor Rooney said: “‘I don’t know why you’re upset; you don’t know how lucky you are coming to Westlock.’
“And I said, ‘What’s so special about Westlock? He said, ‘It’s not Catholic, it’s not Protestant. It’s community. And don’t ever forget it.’ And he was Mr. Westlock. Everybody loved Monsignor.”
She said after serving her time in Westlock as a nurse in 1996, she went to Ottawa to study Pastoral Care.
“I wanted to work in the greater community, so my community in Halifax gave me permission to do that.”
So she returned to Westlock, where she did Meals on Wheels for 13 years, Victim Services Board for 13 years, and 23 years with the Westlock and District Historical Society and 13 years heading up the Westlock and District Food Bank.
“I was involved with a half dozen things,” she recalled.
“But my greatest thing, with my Pastoral Care course, is I could visit the sick or shut-ins that wanted me.
“I also played bingo with the long-term care Monday nights,” she added, recalling July 30 was her last night. “And I loved it, just being able to help and then I visited after that.”
Sister Eileen said that it was during a hospital stay earlier this year that she realized it was time to go home.
“This is it. I want to go (back to the Mother House of the Sisters of Charity in Halifax where she will now make her home) while I have my marbles kind of in a row,” she added.
“I really loved Westlock. I felt very comfortable and I will miss it, but I know I’m doing the right thing. But I will miss Westlock very much.”
And after all these years and to all who know her, she is just Sister Eileen. And she is leaving a lot of those who she considers as family and friends of many years.
But she was never one to look for anything for herself, other than perhaps the satisfaction of a job well done.
In spite of not wanting it, she has found herself the recipient of several awards, including the Queen’s Medal, the Alberta Centennial Medal, a Citizen of the Year award for Westlock, an award from FCSS and a pair of Paul Harris Awards from the Westlock Rotary Club — each included a $1,000 U.S. donation to the Rotary Foundation in her name.
Sister Eileen with her Paul Harris Award ($1,000 U.S.) made to the Rotary Foundation in her honour by the Westlock Rotary Club by president-elect Dwight Brown.
But that wasn’t all. On Aug. 2 she was invited to attend the Rotary Club’s noon lunch meeting, not realizing there were more surprises in store.
Adding to her Paul Harris Awards, president-elect Dwight Brown, on behalf of the club, presented her with her third.
And that was topped off with a $4,000 donation from the club, again in her name, to the Westlock and District Food Bank, which she called the love of her life.
And there was one more surprise from the Town of Westlock.
“When you’re looking at a community and you see a piece of infrastructure, or a program … something that’s going really well and I wonder how they did that and how can we have that for our community, how can I make that work,” said mayor Ralph Leriger.
“When I analyze those things, there’s one common denominator. Everything positive that happens in our world today is because of a champion. That’s it. If it doesn’t have a champion, it isn’t going to happen. You’ve got to have someone with that passion and drive that’s going to make sure it goes on.
“So we (the town and council) really should have had a Sister Eileen Night before she left. Champions are very modest, and they don’t want to be recognized. But we’re going to do it anyway.”
Turning to Sister Eileen, Leriger said: “On behalf of myself as the mayor and our council; our council, through the council grant program, would like to match Rotary’s donation to the food bank (another $4,000 in her name), and just a small gift to remember Westlock by.”
Sister Eileen’s parting words were simply, “Thank you very much. I’m very grateful and I love everybody and I will miss everybody.”
The Westlock Rotary Club donated $4,000 to the food bank in Sister Eileen’s name Aug. 2. L-R: Don Scott, club president Ken Ebeling, Sister Eileen, Helen Renaud, Hertha Hauck, food bank president Sharon Kennedy, Edna Kieser and Connie Kieser.
Yes, after 47 years of being a huge, but quiet part of Westlock, Sister Eileen is returning to the Mother House of the Sisters of Charity in Halifax and their retirement home there, where she may finally, but not likely, retire and enjoy her remaining years. And she goes with the blessings and good wishes from the community for the champion they have come to know and love so much for each and every contribution she has made.
