A Modern Naomi and Ruth: Sisters Patrick Ann O’Connor and Thelma Schlomer

“Be diligent in serving the poor. Love the poor, honor them, my children, as you would honor Christ Himself.”

St. Louise de Marillac

By Sebastian Isaacs, Communications Intern

(From left) Sisters Thelma Schlomer and Patrick Ann O’Connor have shared a friendship since 1970.

In the book of Ruth, we encounter a familiar story of love and loyal companionship between the widowed Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi. After the death of her sons, Naomi urged their wives to return to their own families in Moab as Naomi prepared to leave for Bethlehem.

Ruth chose instead to follow Naomi to Judah, pronouncing, “Don’t urge me to leave you or turn back from you” (Ruth 1:16). Though the two women were different in many aspects, including age and cultural background, and Naomi could not tell Ruth how long their journey would be nor how much treachery they would endure, Ruth’s devotion persisted.

S. Thelma Schlomer and S. Patrick Ann illustrate a Ruth-like dedication to each other by recalling the rest of Ruth’s declaration: “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God.”

Having been friends and coworkers since 1970, as well as housemates since 2000, Sisters Thelma and Patrick Ann make for an inseparable pair, a modern Ruth and Naomi supporting each other through the joys, trials, and changes of their lives.

The two women first met when S. Thelma was hired to teach fourth grade at St. Lawrence School in Price Hill. The attentive atmosphere of the workplace, as well as the close-knit faculty, allowed their professional relationship to blossom into a longtime friendship.

“The school was well run,” S. Thelma grins, remembering the years when S. Patrick Ann was her principal. She says, “It was true of where I taught previously that you didn’t become friends with the principal.”

S. Thelma, who was not yet a member of the congregation, found many friendships at St. Lawrence. She was warmly received by her Sister-teachers Timothy Ann Schroeder and Ann Patrick Lynch, as well as her principal, S. Patrick Ann.

S. Patrick Ann’s first impression was that S. Thelma was an excellent teacher: “I knew the kids were a priority to her and we got along. Something just clicked between us. For example, our shared interests in coaching girls volleyball and basketball.”

S. Thelma had her reservations upon entering a new workplace, but, “Because of S. Patrick’s Ann’s leadership, the faculty operated so smoothly. Everybody did their job, and we could get together socially and do things,” such as annual camping trips the teachers enjoyed at the end of each school year.

Sisters Thelma Schlomer (left) and Patrick Ann O’Connor (right) spent many years ministering in Catholic education, including at St. Dominic and St. Lawrence Schools.

Having such strong friendships with the Sister-teachers, S. Thelma already had one foot in the door of the congregation when she entered in 1981. She recalls the “glowing” letters of recommendation that her coworkers wrote, and how supported she felt during her Novitiate years.

For S. Patrick Ann, the Sisters of Charity who taught her at St. Mary School in Marion, Ohio, influenced her decision to enter directly after graduating high school in 1956. Being a part of such a large Band of entrants, routine was crucial during her Novitiate while S. Thelma saw more freedom, having entered 25 years later with a smaller group of eight.

Despite the contrast in their Novitiates, S. Patrick Ann says of S. Thelma: “I supported her, hoping her vocation would become a reality.”

After years of ministering in separate locations, Sisters Thelma Schlomer (left) and Patrick Ann O’Connor were reunited in ministry in 2007, serving together in the Sisters of Charity Finance Office.

Following S. Thelma’s canonical year, she taught at St. Dominic School until 1985, where she moved to teach at Holy Family School in Price Hill. S. Patrick continued to serve as principal at St. Dominic School until 2003. Upon retiring, she began ministering in the Sisters of Charity Finance Office.

S. Thelma taught for a number of years at Holy Family School in Price Hill and Seton High School. In 2007, she took a position in the Sisters of Charity Finance Office where again their professional careers crossed. Like Ruth and Naomi, S. Thelma believes, “We minister in different ways, but we know that we’re serving the same mission.”

Although they served in different ministries and lived in different communities over the years, they became housemates in 2000, which allowed their relationship to strengthen.

S. Thelma shares a story of planting beans while S. Patrick Ann was in the hospital a few years ago, explaining that she had to call S. Patrick Ann to ask how, where, and when to plant the seeds. With her guidance, S. Thelma used a ruler to plant the seeds precisely in S. Patrick Ann’s garden. Though she never sported a green thumb, she was able to appreciate S. Patrick Ann’s love for gardening as she watched the plants sprout.

Perhaps the Sisters’ differences show most prevalently through their home life, where S. Thelma does most of the talking and S. Patrick Ann finds it “refreshing.”

“Patrick Ann likes to read, I like to do puzzles,” S. Thelma tells of their various hobbies. “One time she gave me a book and said, ‘Oh, you’ll really like this book.’ I’m still on page one.”

S. Patrick Ann retires to bed early, and S. Thelma says she stays up late, “still working on the first page.”

One of the hobbies Sisters Patrick Ann O’Connor (left) and Thelma Schlomer share is golf.

One activity the Sisters enjoy doing together is golf. S. Patrick Ann began playing in high school and remembers going out with her father two or three times a week after supper. S. Thelma took up the game after meeting S. Patrick Ann, drawn in by both the challenge and the great exercise it offers.

Their shared love of golf and other sports has strengthened their friendship through the years. But their shared mission as Sisters of Charity has sustained them at an even deeper level—even in their ordinary conversations.

S. Thelma reflects, “Our conversations have become a prayer. How we discuss, what we discuss, that for me becomes a prayer. We rely on a higher power to hear what’s going on and intervene.”

She continues, “I think part of being a Sister of Charity is being there for one another, understanding one another, being vulnerable and able to listen. S. Patrick Ann brings that out in me.”

As the years pass and the two Sisters continue to walk with one another through every stage of life, their conditions and lifestyles naturally change, but one thing remains constant: their love and appreciation for each other’s gifts.

“Constant for me is the love and respect that I have for Patrick Ann, for whatever she’s doing, however she’s ministering, whoever she’s dealing with,” S. Thelma shares. “Her loyalty, devotion, and love for this Community are always evident.”

Reminiscing on their long friendship, S. Patrick Ann reflects, “You start to hope other people experience this. And when you don’t see it, you wonder what you can do to make life better for other people, because you’ve had the opportunity to experience it.”

“Everybody needs somebody in their life that they can trust, that will hold them to be their best self,” S. Thelma says. “Every Naomi needs a Ruth. Every Mary needs a Martha, just like Thelma needs a Patrick Ann.”

The post A Modern Naomi and Ruth: Sisters Patrick Ann O’Connor and Thelma Schlomer first appeared on Sisters of Charity.