Not so weak after all
This I hadn’t heard:
OREGON, Ohio — For at least a half-century, “Little Sisters of the Poor” has been used as a euphemism in college sports to describe a weak opponent. Its roots trace back to an emphatic victory by Senator Robert Taft of Ohio in his 1950 re-election, which the mayor of Cleveland compared to the “Notre Dame football team beating the Little Sisters of the Poor.”
I didn’t know “the Little Sisters of the Poor” meant anything other than, well, the Little Sisters of the Poor (I wrote about my experiences with the order and their work in 2009, when their foundress, St. Jeanne Jugan, was canonized). Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee had the opposite problem. When he used the term disparagingly and publicly while talking tough about OSU football, he found out fast who the real Little Sisters are. And the result has been a boon for the good the sisters do in areas other than college sports:
Gee will privately present a check to the Little Sisters on Saturday. Four sisters, three staff members and five residents, three of whom are in wheelchairs, will be attending the game [against Toledo this weekend] at Gee’s invitation.
More important to the Little Sisters is the awareness that Gee’s gaffe has caused, helping spread word of their work and mission.
Pete Thamel’s New York Times story is worth your time. I love the way the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is standing tall behind the Ohio State mascot in the main photo.
Also worth reading, from the NYT’s 9/11 coverage, is this story by David W. Dunlap about firefighters leaving their mark in the rafters of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Don’t miss the photos.
Go Sisters!!! Quote of the season: “We don’t have any alumni; our alumni die and go to heaven.”
Maybe the NYT isn’t the evil empire after all.
Great story on the Little Sisters, though the usual appelation for a weak sports opponent is “cupcake” or “sacrificial lamb.”
Thanks, Mollie. I needed some upbeat news :-)
When I was a child two of the Little Sisters used to come begging regularly, always in good humor. What I particularly liked about the order was that their home for the poor was a lovely old 19th century brick building, sort of Gothic, with big window, high ceilings, and well attended formal garden. It was obvious the sisters didn’t skimp with their brothers and sisters. Great order.
Ann Olivier:
I have the same memory of two (always two by two) Little Sisters of the Poor coming to the door of my family home.
I know they made an “indelible mark” on my mind with their humility and service.
Gee is an interesting and very likable guy. Not much of a news story and – I thought – not very well written – but it’s cute.
The present Mother General of the Little Sisters of Poor is Mother Celine of the Visitation Raber (yes, Raber). Born in San Francisco, she is the first American to hold that post in the Community’s more than 150 year history. I had the good fortune to meet Mother Celine earlier this year. She is warm, welcoming, and very unpretentious. Obviously, I have a weakness for unpretentious people!
Clearly, I need to know more about this Visitation Raber. When I googled it, all I could find was a bunch of obits for Rabers with their visitation hours listed.
Here is a prayer to St. Jeanne Jugan from the Little Sisters Web site:
Let us pray to Saint Jeanne Jugan who shows us how far we must be willing to go if God so wishes to ask us. Through the intercession of Saint Jeanne Jugan, let us ask Jesus to take away our blindness which hinders us from seeing him in others; any paralyzing effects that hinder us from loving him in others; any coldness in our hearts that has not warmed up to his grace.
The Little Sisters of The Poor have a beautiful complex in a high end residential neighborhood of San Francisco. When they expanded and rebuilt the out of date building years ago the super wealthy neighbors took them to the board of supervisors as a delaying tactic. A wealthy Presidio Heights, youthful matron made the case that increasing the beds would cause traffic and parking problems in her neighborhood. An old rabbi rose to testify with one of those soaring rabbinical voices ‘I wish it was true, pretty lady, that visitors to these old people would park all over your beautiful lawn every weekend but fear not, pretty lady, that certainly won’t happen’…. end of hearing.
The Little Sisters run a home in Louisville. I remember these sisters, too, in downtown St. Louis years ago when I lived/worked there. Truly, these good women put many of our hierarchs to shame.
Somewhat off topic, but a sports headline of the early 1940s (either from Philadelphia or NY) comes to mind, from the coverage of parochial schools’ football: “St. Francis Beats Holy Child.” (Perhaps they were looking ahead to the warning recently made by Fr. Weinandy, OFM, about the dangers lurking in the thickets of theologians. . . . )
I knew Mother Celine when I worked at the Little Sister Home in Baltimore in the late ’60′s. I am happy to hear that she is the Superior General. She is a remarkable woman with boundless energy and a sharp mind.
Great story, Ed. G, great story :-)