STORIES

"The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom' like the jonquil it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice, with joy and singing." Isaiah 35:1-2 Srs. Rosemary and Blaise engaging in one of the favorite Springtime pastimes at St. Catharine's!	WHY THE JONQUIL? "January left St. Catharine a mass of blackened ruins. With the sisters scattered, the students dispersed and the residents living in cramped unsuitable conditions, the future seemed bleak. But in March the jonquils, the March lilies, raised their golden heads all over the desolate valley. Jonquils are hardy, not hothouse plants requiring delicate care like orchids. They persevere and spread out. Wild and survivors, they were a symbol of hope, a signadou (sign from God), to the Kentucky Dominicans who themselves are a bit wild and definitely survivors. Once again the sisters set about rebuilding convent and school." Comments from after the fire taken from Signadou by Sister Paschala Noonan, OP. Picture by Pat Daly, OPA. At the first sign of Spring, the question from all over the country speeds its way to St. Catharine's, "Are the jonquils out?" When the answer, "Yes!" is sent back, the words of Isaiah once again ring in our hearts.
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Is it an "a" or an "e"? Is it Catharine or Catherine? The legend says that when the stonecutter carved the name of our patron saint on the front of the building, he misspelled Catherine and instead of an "e" he chiseled an "a". Rather than hurt his feelings we left it that way and used the "a" in all our written documents. Nice story -- --BUT-- the truth is that we adapted the Italian spelling of Catarina de Sienna thus we are St. Catharine of Siena with an "a".