More from and about Sister Ambrose

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news!

--Isaiah 52:7

Funeral Homily for Sr. Mary Ambrose,
in celebration of her life.

In the first reading we heard: "How beautiful on the mountain are the feet of those who bring the good news" (Isaiah: 52:7). This describes our lives, the story of the human race. We all climb the mountain of life and leave our footprints behind for those who come after us. We can do this because of the footprints of those who went before us, those on whose shoulders we stand.

Of course, the most prominent footprints on the mountain of life are those of Jesus, the footprints made when he walked the earth. Jesus’ footprints are all over the mountain reminding us of the good news: "God wins." No matter what, God wins! Nothing, no thing, no evil, can overtake God. And that’s not all: We are made in God’s image and we are one with God (John: 17), so we win too!

Nothing - no thing - sickness, fear, divorce, separation of any kind, death - nothing need overtake us, throw us into despair, kill us - and the footprints of Jesus throughout his life remind us of the reality - God wins!

At times life can get difficult, seemingly impossible - times when we cannot go on, cannot take another step up the mountain of life - all we have to do is put our feet in the footprints of Jesus and be carried up the mountain.

No one knew this better than Sister Mary Ambrose. She surely placed her footsteps in those of Jesus, especially in her times of illness, and she let him carry her up the mountain.

Perhaps the experience of being carried aloft came from her own footprints placed on the mountain. I can think of two footprints left by Sister. The first footprint is the practical and the second footprint is the profound. These two footprints capture many aspects of Sister’s life and the two footprints walked together in a wonderful rhythm.

Ambrose’s spirituality was earthy, rooted on the solid earth. She had her two feet planted on the ground, anchored in reality. Her spirituality came from the daily experiences of life - her practical side. She lived the saying: "Just do it!" long before Nike came on the scene. She did everything well and in practical, sensible, concrete and clear ways.

Add to this a deep love of people, a compassion and concern for those with whom and for whom she ministered. This compassion and concern came from the profound footprint, those times of silence and solitude - times of prayer and reflection.

Ambrose integrated well the practical and the profound. The practical without the profound could lead to rigidity, to emphasis of things over people, of using people. On the other hand, the profound without the practical could lead to pious platitudes, which negate the intimate relationship with Jesus. We know that Ambrose was not prone to pious platitudes -- in fact, I doubt that she uttered one in her whole life.

The combination of the practical and the profound allowed Ambrose to see God’s hand in everyday life. For Ambrose, God was surely transcendent, as sung in "How Great Thou Art!" However, God was also immanent, close, and very personal. She experienced Jesus walking with her, knowing her, knowing her pain -- and eventually Jesus led her in his footprints up the mountain of life.

In the gospel that Sister picked to be read today, Jesus says: "If you declare me before men and women I will declare you before your Father in heaven."

Ambrose, your whole life - a labor of love - was a declaration of the compassion and love of Jesus. Now may you experience that same love and compassion face-to-face as Jesus brings you to the Father.

"How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet are those who bring Good News." Ambrose, your footprints now shine brilliantly on the mountain of life. You leave those footprints for us - a reminder that God wins! We, your family, your sisters, and your friends, thank you for your faith-filled life - a true labor of love.

Go now in peace, faithful friend of God, take our love with you into paradise, may God’s holy angels lead you to the wide, waiting arms of our God, to the wide, waiting arms of your Mom and Dad.

Mary C. Daniel, O.P.

Helpful Hints
Written by Sr. Ambrose, February, 2002

Helpful Hints For Visiting a Patient in the Hospital

1. If there is someone sitting in the room, call ahead to see if the patient is up to having company. If so, limit the visit to one or two persons at a time.

2. When more than one person is visiting, be sure that both stand on the same side of the bed, so the patient does not have to turn her eyes from side to side to look at each person.

3. If the patient begins to lose focus or is having difficulty staying awake, be sensitive enough to read these signs and cut the visit short. The original five minute stay may have to be cut to two or three minutes. (This will give you the opportunity to go outside in the hall and speak with the person who is sitting with the patient.)

4. If the sick person does not want any visitors at all, realize that this does not mean against you personally. It is just that she does not have the energy to see people.

5. If the patient is taking phone calls, be conscious of her speech, and reduce the length of the call if she sounds tired or weak. No matter what, keep the call short.

6. Be very careful when touching the patient. What you consider to be a normal love pat, may not be the same for the sick one. Don’t grab the foot and move it from side to side. While no harm is meant by this, sudden movements may startle the patient. If her body is already very sensitive to touch, this may cause discomfort.

7. Be careful not to get in the patient’s face because you want to greet her or give her a "hello" kiss.

8. Be conscious of wearing too much perfume or after-shave lotion. Strong odors may overwhelm the sick person.

This article was written with cancer patients, or those with some other serious illness, in mind. . . even though it may apply in other situations, depending on the person. Perhaps, after all is said and done, I speak only for myself.

Written in 2001 by Sister Ambrose, to be read after communion of her funeral Mass by Sister Angeline Magro, O.P.

Well, here we are ALL TOGETHER AS WE SING OUR SONG JOYFULLY.

I would like to thank you for taking and making the time to be present at this Mass of Celebration.

To all of my sisters, my family, and friends - I thank you for your friendship, your support, and your overwhelming love. The Lord has truly blessed me a thousand fold. Each day I thanked Him for your faithful and faith-filled prayers on my behalf. Please do not stop now - I may still need them for a while.

To all of you with whom I have worked - if you were my boss, I thank you for not only allowing me to be me, but also for your guidance, which allowed me to do my thing. If you were my co-worker, I thank you for your gifts and talents, which allowed me to always look good. If you were a student that I had special contact with through clubs or whatever - I thank you for allowing me to grow up with you.

That’s about it. Right now I am sitting with Our Lord on Mt. Tabor… but I'm sitting on my horse Baku (Star Trek Insurrection) enjoying his view!!!