Title
Interview with Paulette Gladis
Files
Download Transcript of interview (357 KB)
Loading...
Description
Sister Paulette Gladis talks with Kelly Brooks about the history of the CSJs in St. Louis, her time in hospital administration, and the importance of partnering with lay people and associates.
Collection
SisterStory
Length of Interview
41:21
Date of Interview
Spring 2015
Document Type
Oral History
Digital Format
1 MP3 (37.8 MB)
Digital Publisher
Fontbonne University Archives
City
St. Louis, MO
Disciplines
History of Religion | Oral History | United States History | Women's History
Copyright Note
These oral histories are made available by Fontbonne University for research, educational, scholarly, and/or creative purposes only. All uses should adhere to the principle of fair use established under Section 107 of Title 17 the 1976 Copyright Act. More on fair use is available here: https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/.
Rights Statement
Additional Notes
Kelly Brooks is a junior majoring in speech language pathology at Fontbonne University in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. She is actively involved in and on the board for both the organization related to her major and the ambassadorial organization for the university. She has been involved in a variety of volunteering efforts over the years, her favorite of which was working with students at St. Joseph’s Institute for the Deaf during a summer camp. She loves music, reading, and, most of all, spending time with family and friends. She is a proud Roman Catholic with a strong Irish heritage, and she tries to live her life by her grandma’s favorite saying – “Let go and let God.”
While creating my schedule for spring of 2015, I ran into a little snag – I didn’t have enough classes. I scoured the course schedule only to decide that there was absolutely nothing that I wanted to take. I am not usually a negative person, but as I sat there staring at my schedule, trying to choose an elective completely unrelated to my major, all I could do was dwell on the thought that every single elective seemed like a waste of time. I decided that the best way to tackle the problem was through prayer. So I threw up a little prayer to God that my schedule would all work out, and, boy, did He answer! A couple of days later I was invited to join this class. It could not have been a more perfect solution!
I was born and raised a Roman Catholic and I hold my faith very close to my heart. I have experienced a great deal of both hardships and spectacular blessings in my twenty-one years on this planet, and I have found God by my side through every single one. Sometimes it was harder to find Him than others, but He was always there. It is for that reason that I say with great conviction that I am a very religious person and I proclaim with tremendous pride that I am a Catholic. The Catholic faith is my connection to God, and that faith influences every decision I make – right down to which elective I should take.
My faith was handed down to me by my mom’s side of the family, but it was also taught to me throughout my years spent in Catholic grade school and high school. During those years I encountered many Catholic sisters, and I never thought twice about it. My family used to invite all of the parish sisters over for dinner when I was in grade school, and that didn’t seem strange at all! When I got to college I realized just how many people were not blessed with the opportunity that I had to meet and know a great deal of sisters. From my second grade teacher who gave us chocolate after every recess, to my cousins in Ireland who lovingly forced me to sing in front of large groups of people, I have been around sisters my whole life, and they have all amazed me. Each and every one of them is a unique individual, all tied together by a passion and a zeal for faith and service that I have never seen matched. It is because of all of my wonderful, blessed experiences with sisters that I could not be more excited to start this project or more thankful that God helped me to plan my schedule!