A poem in honor of Sr. Eva Regina Martin, S.S.F., 1939-201

Brown, Joseph, S.J.

English

University of Dayton

Journal of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium Volume 8 Article 4 12-1-2014 “To See What the End Will Be” Joseph Brown S.J. Catholic Theological Union Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/jbcts  Part of the Catholic Studies Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Brown, Joseph S.J. (2014) "“To See What the End Will Be”," Journal of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium: Vol. 8, Article 4. Available at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/jbcts/vol8/iss1/4 This Essay is brought to you for free and open access by eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium by an authorized editor of eCommons. For more information, please contact mschlangen1@udayton.edu, ecommons@udayton.edu. 17 The Journal of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium VIII (2014): 17-20. “To See What the End Will Be” (In honor of Sr. Eva Regina Martin, SSF, 1939-2014) By Fr. Joseph Brown, S.J.  I. No They told the first one and then year after year another   no   until the house was built  the clothes were stitched   the old castaways  and the invisible babies were fed  and soothed  and then there were enough faces to form a choir of hope   healing their own hearts   they twisted scorn into praise and then dispossessed into the wilderness they planted  harvested  and shared among the restless wandering spirits a little light   a little music   and little by little the world found them and then   they all said   yes  II. it was how she walked up the path mother prayers grandmother secrets    the dreams  of babies had been rolled up carefully in remnants from the quilts    packed into the satchel she dragged along    18                                        Fr. Joseph Brown, S.J. III. Teaching touching   holding  more  tightly  the very ones most afraid the world became a festival of heroes   where not  even dreams could root  But when the lightning flashed that summer morning And the corrupted sermon that had long silenced  The mother-wisdom and ways of her house came hurtling back the air she screamed her loss another old woman (placed there I know   by the one who refused English to ever touch her  teeth) said, “But you learned it all any way you could”  IV.  The satchel   once again went away and came back overflowing for our feast  Was she conjure woman? Yes. No one knew how  deep her eyes could see  the    yes   that was merely static in the streets spoke loudly in iron  stone  remnants  beads and feathers and whispers never failed to satisfy  and now it is our   no   that we know  To See What the End Will Be                                       19 fallen to the floor we demanded the miracle that exhausted her at the last  And  no   was prayed and sung and caressed In the vigil of those weeping before the tomb was readied  Until  the first one  flung the light and dissolved the shadowed room reaching her hand    she said    now and the gentle sister of us all  said  yes  yes  --Luke 9 April 2014   20                                        Fr. Joseph Brown, S.J.  Clarion Herald photo by Frank J. Methe Sr. Mary Eva Regina Martin, SSF.Born in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, in 1939.  Entered the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family on September 8, 1959, professed First Vows on August 15, 1962, and Perpetual Vows August 15, 1967. Masters in Black Theology from Xavier University. Doctorate in African American Studies from Temple University (1994).  Educator and Administrator of Catholic schools in Louisiana and Texas. Curator, Archivist, Consultant.  Sr. Eva Regina was elected to leadership in her Community and served as a General Councilor, Vicar General, and succumbed to death, April 7, 2014, while presiding in office as Congregational Leader.  Sr. Eva Regina with Dr. C. Vanessa White1                                                             1 Photo by Kathleen Dorsey Bellow, D.Min. 

“To See What the End Will Be”

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“To See What the End Will Be”

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