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Thesis Proposal

Susan Van Dusen

Committee: Dr. Heidi Harris (chair), Dr. Karen Kuralt, Prof. Michael Greer

UALR Department of Rhetoric and Writing

They called me the Vivacious Cake Lady. Standing in the center of a taped-off square

of numbers on the floor, I held the cakes high over my head for everyone to see. As a blast

of 1950s classic rock filled the air, the clowns, ballerinas and superheroes began their slow

march around me, strategically stepping on each number and silently wondering if this

time they would be the lucky one.

Many years ago, this was my favorite Halloween tradition: selecting and displaying

cakes while my father-in-law manned the CD player for the cake walk at the St. Michaels

Elementary School Halloween Carnival. From my spot in the center of the masking tape

square, I could see everything going on around me. Kids played games, parents munched on

popcorn, and nuns scurried from place to place keeping the whole operation in check.

With their white habits, silver hearts around their necks and sensible shoes, the

Sisters of Our Lady of Charity and Refuge (Good Shepherd) were the first nuns with whom I

had ever come in contact. Raised a United Methodist, I had certain stereotypical

expectations of nuns. They were either pious, quiet and prayerful or harsh and cruel,

rapping students on the knuckles with rulers and shutting down any fun that might occur

near them.
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This particular group of nuns, who were long-time friends of my husbands family,

did not fill the stereotypical roles. While they were definitely devoted and prayerful, they

also were silly, savvy and stubborn. They were a fixture in the Hot Springs community,

living on a prominent road in a convent they owned outright. Hundreds of parents --

including my in-laws -- had entrusted their children to the nuns care, both at the

elementary school and adjacent daycare center. Other children and refugees had found a

home at their boarding house, and countless businesses had used the services of the

commercial laundry they operated for many years.

It was hard to imagine any of the sisters saying a cross word or causing the slightest

bit of harm to anyone, much less showing an ounce of disloyalty to the vows they had

chosen decades before. It seemed obvious that this was a special group of women, brought

together through disparate circumstances to live as Godly servants for their Church and

community.

So, imagine my surprise in 2007 when news broke that a decree had come forth

from the Vatican declaring six of the sisters as heretics and excommunicating them from

the Church they had sworn to serve. What could these sweet, gentle women, most of whom

were in their 70s and 80s, have possibly done to incur the wrath of the Pope himself?

This thesis will explore, in a creative nonfiction format, how the sisters

membership in a Canadian-based organization known as the Army of Mary (also called the

Community of our Lady of All Nations) led them to become the first people ever known to

be excommunicated in the Diocese of Little Rock. More so than that, it will detail the
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interwoven lives of these women who unwittingly made a mark not only on the history of

Arkansas, but also the entire Roman Catholic Church.

While the more than 100-year history of their convent, known as the Good Shepherd

Home, has already been written and will not be repeated in this thesis, their individual

stories are not recorded. According to a study by the Georgetown University-affiliated

Center of Applied Research in the Apostolate, the number of religious sisters in the United

States has decreased by 132,784 from 1965 to 2014, representing a 72 percent decline in

women choosing the religious life. As fewer and fewer women take the vows of sisterhood,

the stories of those who have chosen this life offer valuable and interesting insight into not

only how these women impact their Church and community, but also how the choice to be a

nun impacts them as individuals.

The advanced ages of the Hot Springs sisters makes this project even more urgent.

Only four of the six excommunicated are still living, with the eldest being 90. One of the

nuns, Sister Mary Anne Lalancette, passed away before this thesis project was conceived.

However, an interview was conducted with Sister Mary Theresa Dionne a few months prior

to her death on March 6, 2017. Preliminary interviews with the remaining four sisters --

Sister Mary Thomas OKeefe, Sister Marietta Fecteau, Sister Mary Gerard Lalacette and

Sister Theresa Marie Lalacette -- have also already been recorded.

In addition to the sisters life stories, this thesis also will look at the life and

influence of the Army of Mary foundress and mystic Marie-Paule Giguere, who is said to

have believed herself to be the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary. Because Sister Marietta

Fecteau had a personal relationship with Giguere, this thesis can offer unique insight into
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how she interacted with and guided the members of her organization, which went from the

status of an official Roman Catholic Pious Association in 1975 to what many now refer to as

either a sect or a cult, depending on the source. It also will look at how the sisters have

continued to live their lives as religious women even after their excommunication through

the support of their fellow Army of Mary members.

Literature Review

The role of Catholic religious women has evolved significantly throughout history.

Many of these changes, particularly in recent years, has resulted from a desire to influence

societal reform beyond what can be accomplished through traditional Church-related

duties. Although it will not be a primary focus of this thesis, I will look at how these

changing attitudes helped to open the door for the Sisters of Charity to stand up to Church

leadership and chart a new course for their personal and collective lives.

To illustrate the overall evolution of sisterhood, McGuinness (2013) traces the role

of nuns in the United States from colonial time through present day. The books chapters

focus on the theme of service and how nuns have served their community, children, the

sick, the poor, and the disenfranchised through the years. It illustrates the evolving role of

nuns as social advocates on issues including discrimination, the death penalty and the

environment. Similarly, McCauley (2014) looks at several studies and articles about the

lives of women religious and the role they play in such issues as public health, social

welfare and education. The author examines how religious life has empowered women and
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changed the course of their lives by giving them roles of value and importance in society,

while also teaching them self worth and autonomy.

While outsiders can provide valuable information into role of nuns in society, the

women who have taken the vows of sisterhood offer a perspective and insight others

cannot match. Delrosso et al explore the real-life voices of current and former Catholic

nuns and, by doing so, contribute to the global conversation about the role of women in the

Catholic Church today. Through autobiography, fiction, poetry, and prose, Sisters and

former nuns write about their lived experiences with Catholicism, both in accordance and

in conflict with the institutional Church. Their stories demonstrate how these women act

out their missions of social justice, challenge cultural and governmental policies, and

attempt to reconcile their unruliness with their religious orders and the structures of the

church hierarchy.

As a nun herself, Brock (2010) looks at the traditional view of nuns as

self-sacrificing women devoted single-mindedly to the churchs work and compares it to

the reality of todays nuns who exercise personal decision making and authority in their

own lives. The author offers both an insiders and outsiders view of the lives of nuns,

including how their beliefs and personal devotion to social reform can make them agents of

change, even in a church where they are denied leadership positions. Offering a rare

glimpse into the personal lives of modern-day nuns, Rogers (2011) compiles 94 oral

history interviews conducted with nuns between the years of 1991 and 1995. The

interviewees represent a wide cross section of women religious from 15 states. The books

introduction provides a rich history of nuns in the United States both before and after
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Vatican II, offering a glimpse into their lives and how the role of nuns has evolved, and even

been challenged, during the 20th and 21st centuries. While these interviews in Rogers text

reflect a series of individual histories, my thesis will interweave the narratives of the

Sisters of the Charity into one cohesive story, illustrating how their interwoven lives are

influenced by their personal choices and relationships with each other.

Because nuns have played vital roles in their Church and community for centuries, it

is important to include an examination of how and why their numbers are rapidly

declining, both in the United States and around the world. Ebaugh et al (1996) examine the

declining population of nuns in 50 countries by looking at correlations between that

phenomenon and increased educational and job opportunities for women. The authors

conclude that women in religious orders are influenced by social structures within society.

Gray (2014), in a blog published by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at

Georgetown University, looks specifically at the causes of the declining numbers of

religious sisters in the United States, as well as attitudes and beliefs about sisterhood.

Marian Devotion

One of the hallmarks of Catholicism and Catholic sisterhood is an adoration of the

Virgin Mary. This devotion is particularly essential to the overarching story that will be

presented in my thesis. To shed light on this centuries-old tradition and its influence

through the ages, Maunder (2008) presents a collection of articles that take a look at

Marian devotion from medieval through modern times. The authors cover a large range of

topics from Marian art and goddess cults to Marys depiction in the New Testament and the
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link between Mary and the figure of Wisdom. Each article contains a bibliography of

sources useful for delving deeper into the these topics. Krebs (2017) also discusses Marian

apparitions and devotions since the early 19th century. The article states that any of these

modern apparitions are interconnected and raise important questions, including the

problem of how they should be categorized and studied. Bringing the topic exclusively into

modern times, Margry (2009) discusses how the increase in Marian apparitions during the

second half of the 20th century should be examined related to the social, political and

religious phenomena of the time. The author also looks at how these visions are

interpreted by the church and their effect on the faith of followers, particularly those with

strong devotion to Mary.

The Army of Mary, a Canadian-based Marian devotional organization central to this

thesis, was formerly accepted by the Church and named a pious association by Cardinal

Maurice Roy in 1975. The group, however, came under great scrutiny in the early 21st

century due to claims related to its foundress Marie-Paule Giguere. Defining the link

between the Army of Mary and the Sisters of Charity will be essential in explaining the

sisters 2007 excommunication. Offering an unbiased look at this controversial

organization, Baumann and Gordon (2003) include a description of the Army of Mary, its

beliefs and its history in their comprehensive four-volume encyclopedia of world religions.

Likewise, Hunt (2001) devotes one chapter of his book on Christian millenarianism to an

examination of the events leading up to the establishment of the Army of Mary and its

belief system and controversies surrounding Giguere. The author also examines the impact

of Christian millenarian ideas in a comparative and historical perspective with a special

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emphasis on contemporary religious movements inspired by these ideas. Millenarianism is

the doctrine of or belief in a future thousand-year age of blessedness, beginning with or

culminating in the second coming of Christ.

Due to the highly disputed claims that Giguere was in fact a reincarnation of the

Virgin Mary, many sources offer a biased view of the organization. In one such article,

Fastiggi (2012) examines the movement from the perspective of the Catholic Church. The

author lends support to the churchs decision to break ties with the Army of Mary, stating

the church acted with justice and prudence in condemning the movement and its

members because of their devotion to Giguere and her claim to be the reincarnation of the

Virgin Mary. One Ottawa Citizen newspaper article by Harvey (2001) provides a more

unbiased view by outlining a vote by Canadian Catholic bishops to condemn the Army of

Mary and its foundress, while another article by the same writer (2000) includes

interviews with Canadian bishops who question the churchs treatment of the Army of

Mary, along with facts and statistics about the organization.

In a closer look at the organization itself, Margry (2012) examines the Army of Mary

and its founder Marie-Paule Giguere, from the movements earliest beginnings and

acceptance by the Catholic Church through its ultimate excommunication. The author

delves into the founding of the Lady of All Nations/Peoples movement in The Netherlands

and its ties to Gigueres Quebec-based movement, looking at both the similarities and

differences between the strands. He also examines Gigueres ability to maintain and grow

her devotees even throughout her break with the Catholic Church and in spite of her

controversial teachings. Likewise, Gareau (2009) uses his Masters thesis to examine the
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history and influence of the organization as well as the claim that Giguere is the incarnation

of the Virgin Mary. He also looks at the ways in which this organization is able to engage

and maintain thousands of followers even following a substantial rift with the Catholic

church resulting in excommunication of all its members. His specific focus is on gendered

analysis of Gigueres influence, while also examining feminist perspectives of several other

religious women.

For a complete understanding of the Army of Marys beliefs, however, it is necessary

to read the writings of its foundress. Marie-Paule (1979) uses her 15-volume work titled

Life of Love to detail her life, calling and ministry in specific detail. It is the

comprehensive work used by the Army of Marys membership for guidance and

understanding of Marie-Paules life and mission. In addition, The Manual of the Army of

Mary (1995) outlines the rules and beliefs governing the organization and how to

establish and operate a chapter. The booklet is distributed by the Army of Mary to its

members.

Sisters of Our Lady of Charity and Refuge (Good Shepherd)

In order to bring the focus of this thesis specifically to the Sisters of Our Lady of

Charity and Refuge (Good Shepherd) in Hot Springs (henceforth called Sisters of Charity),

some background context is required. Catholic Online website offers information on the

founding and mission of the order by St. Jean Eudes in 1641. It also includes the Hot

Springs order in its list of houses in the United States and describes the mission of serving

young women. Focused entirely on the sisters in Hot Springs, Sisters of Our Lady of Charity
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(1951) is a self-published booklet that outlines the history of the local convent written to

introduce young women to the religious life. It contains several photos and details on the

convent and elementary school operated by the sisters. The booklet also describes the

sisters devotion to children and young women in their care.

Excommunication

Because this thesis will tell the story of the excommunication of the Sisters of

Charity, it is necessary to examine how this process takes place and what the ramifications

are for those who experience it. Hyland (1928) uses his doctoral dissertation to outline the

churchs right to excommunicate and the types of excommunication. Although it was

written about 90 years ago, it includes valuable information about the historical

background and basis for excommunication. Likewise, Sander-Staudt (2013) examines the

religious practice of socially ostracizing individuals through practices known as

excommunication and shunning in this unpublished manuscript submitted to the Western

Political Science Association Annual Meeting. These practices, which are used by a number

of religious groups, involve the withdrawal of care and companionship and are used as a

way to silence those to disagree with church teachings. Sander-Staudt argues that while

excommunication and shunning may be most appropriately used as a means of protection

for the society and/or its individual members, it is more often used as way to exert

patriarchal control.

Creative Nonfiction
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In order to combine all of these elements into one cohesive story, I will use a

creative nonfiction format that interweaves the sisters life stories with the Army of Marys

rise and fall and the changing roles of nuns in the Catholic Church.

This style of writing is well illustrated by Gutkind in In Fact: The Best of Creative

Nonfiction, a collection of 25 essays all originally published in the journal he founded titled

Creative Nonfiction. A selection of writers offer a wide range of creative nonfiction

examples, providing insight into the opportunities allowed by this relatively new genre. In

a book-length example of creative nonfiction titled The Deltoid Pumpkin, McPhee, tells

the true story of the Aereon, an experimental aircraft designed as a hybrid of an plane and

an rigid airship and tested in the early 1970s. McPhee weaves the story of the aircraft,

which was shaped like a pumpkin seed, and the individuals who funded and built its

prototype, much as I hope to weave the stories of the sisters lives and influences

surrounding them.

Illustrating a womans perspective on storytelling through the creative nonfiction

format, inspiration can be found in both Orleans classic The Orchid Thief, which tells the

true story of one mans determination to clone an endangered flower, and The White

Album: Essays (FSG Classics), a collection of essays by Didion recording the upheavals and

aftermath of the 1960s.

While this thesis will not be written as individual oral histories, an examination of

that genre can provide insight into how to successfully convey the sisters personal life

stories. Oral histories that could influence the storytelling style of this thesis include the

above-mentioned compilation of 94 nuns oral histories by Rogers titled Habits of Change:

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An Oral History of American Nuns and Terkels recreation of the Great Depression in Hard

Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression through a mosaic of memories from

politicians, business leaders, artists, and writers who experienced that time period

firsthand.

Kramer and Call offer examples and instruction on the creative nonfiction genre I

hope to emulate in Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers Guide from the Nieman

Foundation at Harvard University, through tips from more than 50 journalists and

nonfiction authors gathered at Harvards Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism.

Their topics range from finding the emotional core of the story; the limits of profiles; telling

the story and the truth; and writing about private lives. In another work by Gutkind titled

You Cant Make This Stuff Up: The Complete Guide to Writing Creative Nonfiction -- From

Memoir to Literary Journalism and Everything In Between, describes and illustrates each and

every aspect of the genre, from defining a concept and establishing a writing process to the

final product. Offering new ways of understanding genre, Gutkind, called the godfather of

creative nonfiction, shows writers of all skill levels how to expand and stylize their work.

Miller and Paola also use intensive instruction and an abundance of writing exercises in

Tell it Slant: Creating, Refining, and Publishing Creative Nonfiction to guide writers in the art

of creative nonfictions. They focus on issues such as distinctive voice, the use of prompts to

get started and keep writing, and tackling background research.

Methodology
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The overarching purpose of this project is to record the personal histories of the five

Sisters of Charity and will focus much of its content on information gathered from personal

interviews. I have already received IRB approval and conducted the first round of

interviews with each of the Sisters. Because Sister Theresa passed away shortly after our

interview, the other Sisters will provide some personal recollections of her life to complete

the scope of her story.

I also plan to interview one of the Army of Mary priests who live at the convent for

his perspective on the nuns decision, how he sees their lives conducted on a day-to-day

basis, and how his decision to follow the Army of Mary also has affected his life and work.

I intend to write this thesis in chronological order beginning with the nuns

childhoods, interweaving the corresponding events in Marie-Paules life, and ending with

their present status. Combined with their stories will be background information the area

of Quebec where four of them, and Marie-Paule, grew up; the influence of Marian devotion

on Sisterhood; and how excommunication is used and viewed within the Church.

Proposed Outline

Chapter 1 Early experiences lead the nuns and

Marie-Paule to their religious vocation.

Chapter 2 Becoming a nun has its challenges and

rewards. Marie-Paule faces many personal
obstacles that forge her faith.

Chapter 3 Life at the convent sets the Sisters on their

individual and collective path. Marie-Paule
formalizes the Army of Mary.
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Chapter 4 Marian devotion is central to the lives of

each of the women and nuns a whole.

Chapter 5 A connection is formed between the Sisters

and Marie-Paule.

Chapter 6 Controversy about the Army of Mary leads

to the Sisters choosing excommunication
over their Catholic faith.

Chapter 7 The aftermath of excommunication is

complex and harder on some than others.

Chapter 8 Life continues for the nuns as they live out

Marie-Paules legacy and their unwaivering
faith.

Timeline

Early November 2017 Email proposal draft to chair and

committee members

Late November 2017 Defend proposal

November - December Conduct follow-up interviews

February 23, 2018 Submit drafts of chapters 1 and 2 to

committee

March 30, 2018 Submit drafts of chapters 3 and 4 to

committee

April 27, 2018 Submit drafts of chapters 5 and 6 to

committee

May 25, 2018 Submit drafts of chapters 7 and 8 to

committee

June 22, 2018 Submit final complete draft to committee

Early July 2018 Defend thesis