2002 Dorothy Day Award |
||
Sister Margaret lives with and ministers to the needy and poor elderly members of St. Lucy's Parrish and James Geddes Nursing Home; She is a dearly appreciated member of this community. Friends tell a story about the time Sister Margaret Miller climbed into a bathtub to help bathe a cancer patient. They talk about the way she greets residents at James Geddes Nursing Home with hugs and how she gives away her own furniture to people in the neighborhood. then there's the story about how she stood up to a group of bullies throwing rocks at a young woman on a street on the West Side of Syracuse. In that case, the nun shielded the body of the young woman with her own body. "I didn't know they would stop throwing rocks," Miller said. "I couldn't do anything else but lay on her and trust in the Lord."
|
Miller brushes off praise about her work. "They're
prejudiced around here," she said after greeting several residents of James
Geddes Nursing Home with hugs and questions about their health. About 10
residents showed their affection by applauding at the news she is to be honored
for her work in the neighborhood and with the elderly. Miller has worked
at St. Lucy, 432 Gifford Street since 1979. She grew up in Utica and
entered the religious community of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in
1942. She spent 35 years teaching at Catholic schools in the Syracuse and
Albany dioceses.
Miller points to the influence of her friend, the late Sister Mary Vera, in her work with the poor. In the 1970's, Vera, also a Josephite, helped start Vera House, a shelter for battered women. "I blame her for this," Miller said of her mentor. "She was my pal. She taught me everything. She taught me how to go into houses and not notice anything." Miller's work takes her into homes that are far from spotless. Cleanliness is not the point, she said. "I think we should reach out to people even if they have dirty houses," she said. Miller lives in a neat, simply furnished apartment in a Tully Street complex near St. Lucy. Her walls hold mementos - a plaque made of the slate from St. Lucy's roof, damaged in the 1998 Labor Day storm; a photo of her trip to Ireland to celebrate 50 years as a Sister of St. Joseph; and a small sign with an oath from her religious order. "Be nothing to yourself and be utterly given to God and to the neighbor," reads the sign. Her roommate is Casey, an energetic dog who accompanies her on frequent nighttime walks in the neighborhood. "I'm not afraid here," she said. "You have to be careful, and this guy looks out for me." Josie Green, a volunteer who has worked with Miller for more than three years, said it's the nun who looks out for everyone else. "One day I came here and her couch was gone," Green said. "That's about the third table and chairs we've gotten for her." Green recalls calling her friend and asking how she enjoyed her dinner, only to learn she had given it to someone else. "I've got plenty in my cupboard," Miller said. "They come knocking on my door and they have nothing." | |