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Sister Sara Ruble’s path
to religious life was somewhat delayed: she was a
convert to the Catholic faith, and only after completing
that leap was she able to think about becoming a
Rochester Franciscan. She made first vows in 1987 and
has taught in St. Paul schools ever since then, in
primary grades and, more recently, in kindergarten.
Sara always loved
school, played school as a child, taught Bible School
and Sunday School, and early in life knew she wanted to
be a teacher, to get children to love learning. She
loves the kindergarten age because everything is fun and
new to the students; they have a wonderful trust. Sara’s
days are full—of the innocence and wisdom, of prayers
(even for the dog in dog heaven), the hurricane victims
and all that’s happening in the world; they burst with
songs and poems, stories, art, exploring science and the
world, lots of hugs and of love.
The ministry of
education was the first mission of our Congregation, and
Sister Sara is proud to continue it. She helps “kinders”
learn to love themselves, to find God on their level, to
care for God’s creation, and to care for each other,
with enthusiasm that helps their parents and families to
see God. |
Examples of their
caring: birthday boxes packed once a month with
everything included for a party and given to the
foodshelf; “Adopt-a-Family” program through Catholic
Charities, collecting several times a year throughout
the school for food shelves, for hurricane victims. They
sent a trailer packed with supplies to the Katrina area,
and are now collecting baby and personal items to be
donated and sent to the Salvation Army for distribution.
A junior-high student with bone cancer was aided by a
school spaghetti dinner and raffle; they had hoped to
serve 300 at the dinner, but topped 800 and ran out of
raffle tickets!
Relations with the
parents of her students is a high priority for Sister
Sara, who knows that if learning is to be a positive
experience, parents must support the school and
contribute to a loving, nurturing environment. In the
school, too, the teachers care about each other and
share concerns, ideas, spirit--and community.
In her local group of
Franciscans, all have been teachers at one time. They
support S.Sara and her ministry and love to hear stories
about the children. When advice is needed, they offer
that, too; they’re proud that the tradition of
Franciscans as teachers is carried on.
S. Sara welcomes anyone
who wishes to visit her kindergarten classroom, to share
her love for teaching and to glimpse her vision for the
future.
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