MCCONNELL HOUSE AND PEACE GARDEN
Mr. Phil McConnell! Phil came to St. Catharine in 1918. He was 20 years old and began his work here as a cowhand. When the Sisters needed a general maintenance man at Immaculate Conception Academy in Hastings Nebraska, Phil responded. He lived in Nebraska from 1920 until 1932. He was called back to St. Catharine' s to be the farm manager and over the years held many different jobs: electrician, plumber, farmer, builder, grass cutter, bus driver for the Academy, painter, vegetable grower, dairy man. Probably many Sisters in the community were picked up in Louisville by Mr. Phil and driven to St. Catharine' s on the day they entered the convent. Many sisters remember Mr. Phil driving them in the bus to Holy Rosary, St. Rose or St. Dominic to teach school. People who attended the Academy remember Mr. Phil as the bus driver. The sisters did not start driving regularly until the 60's, so it was not unusual for Mr. Phil to get a call in the middle of the night to take a sister to the hospital. I am sure one of his most interesting jobs was being the private driver for Mother Julia and the Council.
Phil worked for us for 50 years. At his retirement
party, Mother Ulicia made him an unofficial member of the Council. After his
retirement, Mr. Phil continued to live here at his home at St. Catharine. You
would often see him sitting on the front porch ... hat on his head ... hands on
his cane. When you would go by he would lift up his cane and give you a wave and
a smile... hardly ever a word.
"It' s by Mr. Phil' s House." How many times we have us
ed that
expression to orientate
ourselves when referring to various places on the Motherhouse grounds? Mr. Phil'
s house has served us well but sadly, it became unreasonable to continue to
put money into repairing it for sentimental reasons. The damage from termites
was too extensive and other problems made it necessary to make the decision to
tear it down.
It was not long after that Mark Cothern and I
thought about a meditation garden.
Mark ran with the idea
and made the design. A bequest from one of the sisters for a sanctuary
provided the funding and Mark would provide the labor. Decisions were made and
with minor changes things got under way. Rocks from the Valley, rocks from
Mark's land, bricks from McConnell house were used to construct the wall and the
pond. In cool weather and blistering
hot weather you would find Mark working. Charles Wright planted bushes and
trees, Harold Wilkerson had his hand in it, too. Once school was out Shane
Cothern, Mark's son, helped his dad. Gerard Mattingly did all the electrical
work.
The goal of July 1st was in sight.