10
i
Street roots
í
1 k T T a
Aug. 2, 2013
A
j
i lO B H u
P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F M A R Q U E T T E U N IV E R S IT Y A R C H IV E S
N uns and priests march in protest o f racial discrimination in the 1960s.
Divine calling
The documentary ‘B and o f Sisters’ explores
US. Catholic n u n s’ passion for social justice
producing a documentary about Catholic
nuns in the social justice movement,
concentrating on sisters in her area.
ister Lillian Murphy may be a nun, but
Although Mercy Housing is based in
that doesn’t mean she spends her days
Denver, the nonprofit owns and manages
dressed in a habit. True, after she
became a Catholic nun in 1959 she donned affordable housing units in Chicago. Murphy
flew out to meet Fishman.
the distinctive garment for a few years.
Fishman filmed Murphy when the nun
These days, however, you’ll find her wearing
visited a property that housed formerly
slacks, a blouse and a sweater. She feels no
homeless people. “They were eloquent
sorrow that, in the mid-60s, she hung up
about how housing helped them get back on
her habit.
their feet,” Murphy said.
“In the scheme of things, it’s very
In all, filming for Murphy’s segment
unimportant,” said Murphy.
lasted less than a day, but by then Fishman
Many sisters stopped wearing the habit
had been working on the documentary for
around the same time, which was a big deal
more than four years, beginning in 2007. In
for some Catholic parishioners, Murphy
the way that many nuns speak of a calling to
said, speaking by phone from Denver. More
church and God, Fishman had her own
important to the nuns was their call to God
calling: to make a movie about nuns. And
and the commitment to help those in need.
the light of inspiration shone upon her after
For Murphy, that commitment led to 15
she read about the so-called “nun study.”
years as a hospital administrator and, in the
late 80s, set her on the path to become the
CEO of Mercy Housing, a national nonprofit
Will and grace
that provides affordable housing across the
In 2002, Fishman received a book called
country. Nine communities of Catholic
“Aging with Grace,” which details a long
sisters help the nonprofit realize its goal,
term research project in which nearly 700
including the Bellevue, Wash.-based Sisters
nuns aged 74 or older were examined for
of St. Joseph of Peace, Murphy said. In
signs of Alzheimer’s. She found the sisters
Washington state, Mercy Housing owns and
manages more than 1,800 units of affordable portrayed in the book warm, passionate,
funny — and active.
housing.
“Even when they’re in their '70s, they’re
Murphy’s work helping low-income
just
not ready to retire and take it easy,”
people will soon find another outlet in
Fishman said.
Seattle, though this opportunity will be less
After she decided to make the film, her
about a local housing unit and more about a
first
plan was to recount the sweeping 300-
local movie screen. She is one of almost a
year history of Catholic nuns in the U.S. But
dozen sisters profiled in “Band of Sisters,”
she relinquished that lofty goal when she
an independent documentary that focuses
realized she’d always been drawn to issues
on the call many Catholic nuns feel to work
of social justice. Then all Fishman had to do
for social justice and equality. The film
was find sisters who aligned with that
screens at the Hollywood Theater in
vision.
Portland on Aug. 4.
She looked no further than the peace and
Murphy became a part of the film in the
fall of 2011 after she was contacted by Mary justice committee in her own parish. There,
she’d already forged a connection with
Fishman, a filmmaker in Chicago. Fishman
Sister JoAnn Persch and Sister Pat Murphy.
was deep in the throes of directing and
BY ROSETTE ROY ALE
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R
Band of Sisters
will be shown at
the Hollywood
Theater Sunday,
Aug. 4.
3:00 p.m. and 7:30
p.m. Tickets may
be purchased in
advance at the
box office and
online at
hollywoodtheatre.
org
S
P H O T O BY
These two Roman Catholic nuns made
regular visits to McHenry County Jail,
roughly 65 miles northeast of Chicago, to
meet with immigrant detainees. She
decided to follow the pair of sisters, to try
to record their work.
“It’s a four-year story,” Fishman said.
Like most good stories, the tale of Persch
and Murphy came with high points and low.
On the upside, the sisters pressed Illinois
legislators to pass a bill that would ensure
immigrant detainees in that state have
access to pastoral care. The pair succeeded:
The law went into effect in June 2009.
Fishman took her camera to the Illinois
State House to film the sisters interacting
with legislators.
But on the downside, Fishman found out
that not everyone welcomed a camera.
Since the sisters visited detainees in the
county jail, Fishman wanted to film the pair
inside as they offered pastoral care. She
See NUNS page 11
a liso n green