God bestowed a very special gift on Clare, one that would be an indelible mark of character, one that would follow her through out her lifetime, one that would brighten the world of all she met and that gift of the spirit is joy! A gift not for herself alone, but one to be shared with others.

A famous philosopher, Karl Rahner, once said: “Not everybody has a sense of humor.” That calls for an unselfish concern for the welfare of others and a mysterious sympathy with others which is felt even before they open their mouths.

A good laugh is a sign of love. It may be said to give us a glimpse of, or a first lesson in, the love that God bears for everyone of us. God laughs and rings out crisp and clear even in a doomed world. Is it too much then to imagine that this laugh will convey that, in spite of everything, all is well? Clare believed in this kind of God. She was a free spirit.

In her teaching, praying, and performing good works, her joyful spirit was given to everyone, and God replenished this joy in full measure and poured into her hands all she could possibly hold. God’s strength gave joy to her heart and God’s saving help made her glad in everything she did!

I was enrolled in the CCD program in which Clare was the director... (Relate what it felt to me when it was said that we were to reach the very heights of the full stature of Jesus Christ). And that was no easy task. Coming together and being united in our faith was not enough. We had to study and learn all we could in order to reach our goal. This was not a physical growth, but a mental one! We needed to love Jesus in the tabernacle of divine knowledge.

Clare was clever! We were tested periodically and the winners received a spiritual reward of some kind. This prize was always carried home with great pride. Now this was public elementary school.

Well, time marches on! After high school, many of us attended Our Lady of Victory Business School where we found Clare again preparing others for the work of Christian service in the business world. Her motto was always “Practice makes perfect.” I can hear her still calling out this perfection in my typing class. “Now class: ready? Keep those hands up! Begin! Asdf g space: lkj h space again!

Clare’s hope kept her alive and hopping. She hoped we would remember what we were taught; what to practice, and above all, how to live.

Wherever Clare went, her joy attracted many young women into religious life. Her example was catching! I’m sure if I gathered all these sisters together, we could have something like a religious harem. Wouldn’t that be something? Actually, just to attract even one person to serve God would be the blessing of a lifetime. Can you imagine the endless rejoicing that has taken place in heaven as Clare has been reunited with all the Dominican Sisters of Newburgh and of Hope that have gone before her.

In union with them and with those here, I offer the following prayer: “That they all may be one, Father, as you are in me and I in you, that they all may be one in us” for this do we pray, Father, that the hope and the prayer of your Son may be fulfilled in us this day as we live together, work together, take risks together, suffer together, and rejoice together. Come Lord, Jesus, send your joyful spirit into us to make us one in you and in all. To go back to Karl Rahner’s writing: “Is it too much, then, to imagine that this laugh will convey that, in spite of everything, all is well?”

Amen! Amen!

Marina Salta, OP

It was the early seventy’s, I was either a freshman or sophomore in High School and I was just hired by our Parish Priest to work in the school for the summer. Sister Clare Flanagan was the Principal of St. Mary’s School in Poughkeepsie at the time. I knew who she was, but I had never met her.

Early one morning I found myself in a classroom preparing to paint around the windows, there was a rather unstable scaffold set up which I presumed was intended for me to stand upon. I pushed it slightly with my hand and the whole contraption swayed. There was no way I was climbing up onto that accident waiting to happen. As I headed for the door to lodge my complaint, there she stood, it was herself.

“Good morning, Sister.”
“What’s your name young man?” I told her, “What are you supposed to be doing?”
“I’m supposed to be painting around those windows, but...” “Well, why aren’t you painting?”
At this point I became very distracted. She was really tall, much taller than I had expected.
“Well !”

Returning to the matter at hand, I surprised myself by blurting out, “I’m afraid of heights !”

Her response was characteristically quick, “That’s the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, get up there and start painting.” In a split second I had to decide: was I more afraid of the scaffold or Sister Clare? Up the scaffold I went, and spent the day painting, with an eye on the doorway, just in case. Since that fateful day, I have found myself on a number of ladders and scaffolds and I always think to myself, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Sr. Clare Flanagan.

No truer words can be spoken .... we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Sr. Clare Flanagan. We all have a story or two to tell. She was larger than life, in many respects, and she left an impression.

As time passed, there were many other encounters, I do remember the first smile, her whole face lit up and it revealed her true self, the gentle giant with a kind heart. In her matter of fact way, the question finally was put on the table, “So, you’re going to be a priest” she stated as if it was a done deal. I stammered, and looked for the nearest scaffold.

Our encounters in those early years seemed to always be in passing. It wasn’t until much later that the smiles became more frequent, the conversations profoundly touching and the genuine concern truly loving. Christ was present, and our hearts were no longer troubled.

The greatest task of a disciple is to grow in the likeness of Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. And our Dominican spirituality helps us to achieve this goal through a life dedicated to the ideals of the Order’s motto: to Praise, to Bless and to Preach.

Jesus said, “I am the Way.” How are we to know the way unless we have someone to preach by word and example. Sr. Clare certainly did both. As a religious woman, a Dominican, a teacher, a principal, a servant, she pointed the way and kept us on the straight and narrow.

“I am the Truth,” Jesus proclaimed and to live the Truth in love offers God much praise. “Veritas,” the Truth, the hallmark of the Dominican. Sr. Clare’s life was a daily praise of God through her commitment to the Truth, Jesus Christ, her Spouse. By a life of poverty, chastity and obedience, she offered us a model of fidelity and love for close to 72 years.

Jesus revealed Himself as “The Life.” To possess the fullness of life in Christ is not only a blessing for ourselves but for others as well. Sr. Clare was, and will continue to be, a blessing because she revealed to us the life of Christ. She accomplished this most effectively through her suffering. Her life became one with the Pascal Victim and when we visited her, we visited Him; when we comforted her, we comforted Him; when we cared for her every need, we did it to Him; and thus did she become a source of Blessing for us.

The Way, the Truth and the Life; to Preach, to Praise and to Bless. How fortunate we have been to have had among us one who understood and carried out these great mysteries of our faith. Sr. Clare Flanagan was a true disciple, indeed a giant, not only in the eyes of her many children, but in the eyes of Her Lord and God. May her crown of thorns be replaced with a crown of roses. May she behold forever the beautiful face of her Beloved, and hear His sweet voice bid her come into the everlasting Light and take her place at the banquet table. And from that blessed abode, may she be our advocate, until we meet again.