What Would Sr. Petronilla Say?
Susan Wolfrom, class of 1979, writes with humor about Sr. Petronilla, her gratitude for the years on Mary Hill, and the recurring dreams in which Ladycliff survives.
Susan Wolfrom, class of 1979, an English major, remembers Sister Petronilla, who once told her she was too terse and who, when named Emeritus at the 1979 commencement, gave a two-word speech. Wolfrom has ordered two paving stones for Ladycliff Park and explains why she has never returned to the campus. Her roommate Christine Totani Inanc mentions reading this piece in the guestbook, so it was online by the late 2000s. The page itself carries no date.
Dear Ladycliff Alumnae,
How embarrassing. An erstwhile English major, and I had to look up “alumni” to figure out which form of the word to use—what would Sr. Petronilla say?
Actually, years ago, Sr. Petronilla accused me of being too terse in my writing. “You’re too terse, Miss Wolfrom, too terse!” she said. When the title of Emeritus was conferred upon the tiny Sr. Petronilla during the commencement ceremonies of 1979, she tipped her head up to the microphone and said “No speech.” The audience whispered a collective “Whaaat?,” necessitating Sr. Petronilla’s return to the microphone where she clarified: “ I said, ‘no speech!’” There now. Takes one to know one, I think.
I’ve just ordered two paving stones for Ladycliff Park. With my deep, deep love for Ladycliff, and my affection for the good sisters and my classmates, I am profoundly glad to have found a way to express my gratitude for those incomparable years on Mary Hill, in Rosary Hall, in Spellman Library.
I have never returned—heartbreak touched once is once enough. Ladycliff lives on in my dreams, however. A recurring theme: I am leaving, always leaving. You, my friends and classmates, are eternally 23. Although these dreams are harrowing, perhaps it is, after all, a comfort that Ladycliff and you reside, intact, in my memory.
We’re so fine, ’79.
Susan Wolfrom
A few questions
What does the writer remember about Sr. Petronilla?
She recalls Sr. Petronilla telling her, 'You're too terse, Miss Wolfrom.' At the 1979 commencement, when the title of Emeritus was conferred, the tiny Sister said 'No speech' into the microphone and then had to repeat it for the puzzled audience.
Why did she order paving stones?
She ordered two paving stones for Ladycliff Park as a way to express gratitude for her years on Mary Hill, in Rosary Hall and in Spellman Library, and for her affection for the Sisters and her classmates.
Has she gone back to the campus?
She says she has never returned, because heartbreak touched once is enough. Ladycliff lives on in her dreams, where she is always leaving, and she finds comfort that the college and her classmates remain intact in her memory.
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