Teachers . . . transitions

Sr. Ricardus M. Tuskey, IHM

~~RIP~~

Sister M. Ricardus Tuskey, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Thursday, September 3, 2009 at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.

She was born on June 13, 1928 in Susquehanna, Pa, and given the name Ann Marie. She was the daughter of the late Robert Joseph and Matilda Rubus Tuskey.

She entered the IHM Congregation on September 8, 1945 and made her temporary profession of vows on May 8, 1948 and her final profession of vows on August 2, 1951.

Sister Ricardus served as a teacher for nearly fifty years.

She served in the following schools: Saint John Elementary School in Scranton, Pa, from 1948 to 1950; Holy Angels Elementary School in Hays, Pa, from 1950 to 1951; Academy of IHM in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, from 1951 to 1961; Saint Peter of Alcantara in Port Washington, N.Y. from 1961 to 1966; Saint Ambrose Elementary School in Bridgeport, Conn., from 1966 to 1974; Saint Stephen Elementary School in New York, N.Y. from 1974 to 1982; and at Saint John the Evangelist School in Binghamton, N.Y. from 1982 to 1987 and 1989 to 2002.

From 2002 until the time of her death, Sister served as a prayer minister at the Marian Convent and Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.

She received a Bachelor of Science degree in education and a Master of Science degree in reading education both from Marywood College.

She is preceded in death by two brothers, Robert Bernard and Richard Gerard.She is survived by a brother, Leonard J. of Richmond, Va.; and nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be Wednesday, September 9, at 11:00 a.m. with Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady of Peace Residence, 2300 Adams Avenue in Scranton. Interment will be at St. Catherine Cemetery, Moscow, Pa.

Friends may call at Our Lady of Peace Residence on Tuesday, September 8, between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. A prayer service will be held at 4:30 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to support the retired IHM Sisters c/o the IHM Sisters Retirement Fund, IHM Center, 2300 Adams Avenue, Scranton, PA 18509.

~~~~~

I received a note yesterday morning from Sr. Eleanor Mary of the IHM retirement home, telling me of the death of Sr. Ricardus.

Sr. Ricardus was one of my teachers----a long time ago----56 years, to be exact.

The nuns of Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Academy would come up to Sandpoint to spend two weeks indoctrinating us with our faith and how to practice it.

The first chapter in my book Pocket Girdles mentions Sr. Ricardus who taught me the procedure for the Sacrament of Confession.

Sr. Ricardus taught me well. I can still spout off a pretty good Act of Contrition, and Lord knows, I need to keep it close at hand. I've been contrite a lot in my life.

I was not as contrite as I should be, however, in that First Confession. I neglected to "tell all" to Fr. Dooley who sat behind the screen in the next booth over.

You see our Catholic instructors had also taught us that God sees everything and that God knows everything. I learned that and a lot of other things from the Baltimore Catechism very well, prior to the First Confession.

In my skeptical mind I wondered why, if God knew everything, would I have to tell Fr. Dooley that I stole the neighbors' mail every day for three weeks from 12 mailboxes.

So, I rationalized that he didn't need to know that sin if God already knew, and, at age 7 inside that Confessional, I failed to include it among my list of indiscretions.

Sr. Ricardus never knew, until about 50 years later when I reconnected with her. She was finishing her teaching career in Binghamton, New York. I contacted her, visited with her on the telephone and sent her a copy of Pocket Girdles, which revealed that I had failed to tell the father ALL my sins.

Sr. Ricardus understood.

We kept in touch via letters and telephone calls over the years. She eventually retired to the IHM home in Scranton. I learned from her letters and our last conversation that some of her retired nuns read my books to her out loud, one chapter at a time.

Sr. Ricardus had diabetes and kidney problems, and she could not see.

She loved my books. She loved hearing from me, and she prayed for me.

That meant a lot to this somewhat wayward Catholic who will never cast off her religious roots.

Sr. Ricardus was one of a kind. All of us urchins at St. Joseph's loved her. We still talk about her to this day.

And, as I write, her funeral Mass is about to begin in Scranton. My heart and thoughts will be there with her and her family.

A few Catholic leaders, like Sr. Ricardus, have kept me clinging to my roots for one simple reason. They genuinely cared.

And, that means a lot to this sinner.

God Bless you, Sr. Ricardus, and may you rest in eternal peace.

~~~~~~

I called this posting "Teachers . . . transitions. Now for some upbeat news. I am so proud of Tom Albertson.

He and his family are like family to me. I taught all four Albertson children. I taught with Tom and taught most of my career with his dad Don. His mom Terri was our dearly beloved mail carrier on Great Northern Road for a number of years.

We have shared many funny and poignant moments over the years. And, a few proud ones too.

Tom, a 1982 SHS grad, has just taken over the reins of athletic director at Sandpoint High School. What a fine choice they made to replace one of the finest professionals I worked with throughout my teaching career, Cheryl Klein.

Tom has local roots and a couple of decades of knowledge of the workings of Sandpoint High School and its athletic program. He has distinguished himself as a coach and as a fine classroom math teacher. Above all, he is a wonderful human being and a phenomenal role model.

I'm so happy for him in his new position, and I wish him the best of luck.

And, to Cheryl, another wonderful role model and dedicated professional: I wish you the best of luck in your retirement. I know the road ahead will allow you more time, especially with Molly.

Cheryl's daughter Molly, a 25-year-old Gonzaga University graduate and airline attendant, was recently diagnosed with sarcoma. She is now undergoing intense chemotherapy at the University of Washington where an expert in the field of sarcoma research practices as a surgeon.

Molly has maintained an incredible attitude in this challenge of her life. We've read on Facebook the day-to-day struggles she faces as she does everything in her power to overcome the hurdles ahead.

Now, Cheryl can devote her time to Molly, and if she's as successful as she's been with her students and athletes at Sandpoint High School, Molly's gonna win this battle hands down.

~~~~~

And so, today's posting is about teachers---all having profound influences lasting a lifetime for their students, influences which can never be measured in dollars and cents---but definitely invaluable.

Thank you, Sr. Ricardus, Tom Albertson and Cheryl Klein for your contributions to this noble vocation.