David H. Olwell, Ph.D., State Advocate
April 2025
My Brother Knights,
In March, I was honored to give the eulogy at the conclusion of the Mass of the Resurrection for Sister Frances Wink, SNJM, my mother’s sister and the last of her generation. Sister Frances was 92, and had been a vowed member of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary for 71 years. She had taught in Oregon and Washington, and from 1982 – 1997, she was on the staff of Saint James Cathedral in Seattle. In retirement, she was at the Marylhurst complex at Lake Oswego. She died in hospice 100 yards from the Chapel where she professed her vows. |
I want to reflect on three points, drawn from her life. The first is the importance of Catholic schools; the second the importance of fraternal love; and the third the importance of prayer, and especially the Rosary.
Frances, along with my Mom and my other aunt, attended Holy Names Academy in Seattle for her K 12 education. That schooling was definitive in her formation as a Christian and in discerning her vocation to religious life. In that generation, it was less of a sacrifice for a Catholic family to send their children to Catholic schools, as the religious teaching orders subsidized schooling by their vows of poverty. As a result, Frances and her siblings were very well formed in the faith. Holy Names Academy, in turn, generated many vocations each year to religious life. It was a self-perpetuating pattern that collapsed after Vatican II.
Today, Catholic schools are still essential for the formation and education of Catholic youth, but they are financially out of reach for many Catholic families. Many of our councils do heroic work in helping support parish schools and in helping make them affordable for families. This is critical work for the future of the Church!
To my second point, Frances was a sister: it was her defining relationship. She was close to her brothers Bud and Bob, but particularly close to her two younger sisters, Connie and Mary Jo. She was exceptionally close to her Holy Names sisters. And her fellow Holy Names sisters, in turn, partially inherited the role of aunts for us. We would ask Frances for prayers, almost constantly, and she would pass on the requests to her sisters, who due to the sheer volume and variety of needs, often knew as much (if not more) about our travails as our blood aunts. As we said our goodbyes to Frances, I was struck by the love shown to her by her sisters here at Mary’s Wood. Frances died a good death, on her terms, fortified by the sacraments and the love of family and community, and confident in the promises of Christ. As Knights, we draw that same sense of fraternal love in our order. Our Brother Knights play the same role of support and love for us. And this sustains us through good times and bad, fortifying us, and reinforcing our confidence in the promises of Christ.
Last, Frances was a woman of prayer. The problems of a large, messy, complicated Irish Catholic family were often brought to her for prayer, counsel, and consolation. She encountered more of the people of God in pain In her roles as a teacher, parish worker, and spiritual director, and she prayed for them and comforted them as well. Those prayers were effective!
Many in our culture respond dismissively when we say we are praying for those in need. Yet in the end, that is often the most valuable thing we can do. It doesn’t relieve us from our duty to perform other acts of charity, but it is the foremost act of charity.
Seventy-four plus years of daily rosaries as a postulant, novice, and religious sister adds up to about a million and a half Hail Marys. I believe each of those prayed by Frances was heard, and as the Blessed Virgin Mary did pray for her at the hour of her death, she was welcomed home by our Lord as a truly good and faithful servant.
Catholic formation, fraternity, prayer: these are some of the lessons share this month with you, illuminated by the life of this good woman. As we prepare for the joy of Easter, let us be thankful that the Church is still served by men and women in religious orders and in Holy Orders, and continue to support them and draw inspiration from them.
Vivat Jesus!
Dave Olwell
State Advocate