St. Patrick and the St. Charles nuns

St. Patrick’s Day always reminds me of the sisters who taught us at St. Charles nearly 50 years ago. They were really into Irish dancing and nearly every recital or spring event included girls (and the guys?) doing Irish jigs.

Our mothers were called upon to sew the costumes — green skirts with green suspenders, white blouses and a green hair accessory.

The  Franciscan sisters who taught us, especially in the pre-Vatican 2 days, were extremely young, early 20s, and they were likely homesick for the East where many came from. They must have been from those Eastern United States Irish-Catholic communities where St. Patrick’s Day was a huge day of celebration.

And so they taught us clueless Northwest girls how to dance Irish jigs. They seemed happy when they taught us, too. Happy St. Pat’s Day, St. Charles sisters of long ago.I don’t know how many of you are even left.