From Maryland to Pakistan - Faith in Action with Sr. Joan Correia

In this episode, Sister Joan Correia shares her story with Sister Jeanne Shary. A devoted member of the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill since 1964, Sister Joan reflects on two ministries that shaped her life and touched countless others—first in Easton, Maryland, and later in Pakistan.

From the rural communities of the Eastern Shore to the vibrant culture of South Asia, Sister Joan’s journey is one of courage, adaptability, and profound faith. Her stories reveal how love in action can transcend borders, languages, and traditions.

Transcript

UNKNOWN: 0:00

do

SPEAKER_00: 0:10

Welcome to Sacred Stories, a special audio series honoring the rich legacy of the Dominican Sisters of Spark Hill as we mark 150 years of faith, service, and community. Through conversations with sisters, associates, ministry partners, alumni, and friends, we explore the wisdom and experiences and enduring impact of the Spark Hill mission. In this episode, Sister Joan Correa shares her story with Sister Jean Sherry. A devoted member of the Dominican Sisters of Spark Hill since 1964, Sister Joan reflects on two deeply meaningful ministries that shaped her life and touched countless others, first in Easton, Maryland, and later in Pakistan. So from the rural communities of the Eastern Shore to the vibrant culture of South Asia, Sister Joan's journey is one of courage, adaptability, and profound faith. Her stories reveal how love in action can transcend borders, languages, and traditions.

SPEAKER_02: 1:14

My name is Sister Joan Correa. I entered the Dominican Sisters of Spark Hill in 1964, and I taught in St. Peter and Paul School from 1970 to 1974, and have been in touch with many of those people for the last more than 50 years.

SPEAKER_01: 1:34

Can I ask you, what kind of a degree prepares you for the kind of career that you've had?

SPEAKER_02: 1:39

Each ministry that I went to I learned things that seemed to prepare me for the next step in the journey. Being a Dominican sister means being joyful. It means being prayerful. It means being compassionate and able to reach out to people. That's what Dominican sisters do. All the wonderful sisters I've met through the years. When I began in leadership, I was only 34 years old. And I didn't know a lot of the older sisters, so I used to go up to Sienna Hall, and I would go into a room, and they would tell me their stories. I learned so much about some of the history of the community and the stories of these wonderful women, all of whom are in heaven right now. But that was a very special experience. time for me. Well, when I first went to St. Peter and Paul, my first year at Christmas, and we started in September, I walked into the assembly that they were having for Christmas, and the high school and grade school were connected, so everybody was in the auditorium, and there weren't enough chairs. We didn't have enough seats. So when I walked in, I saw two senior boys sitting in the back of the auditorium on the floor with their first grade siblings on their laps. And that said to me, this is more than a school. It's a community. It's a family. And that really impressed me. And the other the other very impressive time that I had at St. Peter and Paul. Father John Hines was the priest who taught religion to some of the classes, and we went on retreats overnight, several nights, a couple of nights, retreats. And at those times, I really got to hear the stories of the students, other than... teaching what their lives were like, what their concerns were, how they felt. And I really got connected to them in that manner. That was a wonderful, wonderful experience. It was the only Catholic school for about a 30 to 40 mile radius. And growing up in the Bronx where I could walk to four different schools, when I told some of my students that they couldn't believe it, they couldn't imagine walking to four different Catholic schools. We got mail that said, the Catholic school, Eastern Maryland. Well, I can tell you that when I was in St. Peter and Paul, I made my final vows. And I chose to do it down there. And it was at a very simple mass event. in the auditorium where some of our sisters were, my family came, and a number of the students I taught and their families. And that experience has stayed with me for many, many years. The other thing that happened to me, when I first went to St. Peter and Paul, we still were sent to places. And while I was there, maybe in my first couple of weeks, we now had the opportunity for personal option and to choose where we wanted to be. And I thought to myself, I want to go closer to home. That was in my head. And one of my students' mother, who came to Mass every morning, came to Mass and put a banner up in front of the altar that said, You are where you are, that Christ may be there. Well, I got the message. And once I changed my attitude, I fell in love with St. Peter and Paul. And I still, as I said, keep in touch with many of the students. I had the opportunity while I was in leadership to visit Pakistan. It caught me. So I was privileged to live mainly with native Pakistani sisters, and we visited the hospitals, we visited the outlying areas where there were Christian populations. It was really eye-opening. My experience in ministry has helped me to stay and seeing God in working in the circumstances of life and in the people that I come in contact with. The Dominican Sisters of Spark Hill are women of joy, women of compassion, women who reach out to others. And you can see that if you come into Dominican Convents in Spark Hill, you will see it. I used to think that if somebody came to rob us, we'd probably offer them lunch first. That's how open and welcoming... the sisters

SPEAKER_00: 7:21

are. Thank you for joining us for this episode of Sacred Stories, celebrating 150 years of the Dominican Sisters of Sparkhill. We're grateful to our guests for sharing her journey and to you, our listeners, for being part of this celebration of faith, service, and community. Until next time, may peace, hope, and compassion guide our way.

UNKNOWN: 8:08

music music