VIRIDITAS: SOUL GREENING
Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Hawaii Catholic Herald
A sense of mission runs unconsciously deep through my family heritage. My father was Luxembourger, while my mother was French and Spanish. My mom’s mother was Spanish from the de Guzman line in Caleruega. We share the same blood as St. Dominic de Guzman. St. Dominic’s dream was that his order would one day reach out to all the ends of the world preaching the goodness of God. I was later able to find in my entrance to the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic, the living out of that mission dream.
As a young girl, I became entranced with mission life when my cousins from overseas visited us in Mississippi. My uncle was in the military and had married a lovely lady in Hawaii. They had about nine children who were each given an exotic sounding Hawaiian name. I have a lot of first cousins in these islands. After being missioned 45 years on Molokai, I can understand more Hawaiian than I can speak. Comparatively, my English still has a Southern drawl!
Before entering Maryknoll, I attended a Dominican College in New Orleans. After entering Maryknoll, I learned that the founding members of Maryknoll were formed by the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa in their process of becoming a religious congregation. Eventually, they became the first United States-based Catholic congregation of religious women dedicated to global mission. With Maryknoll’s mission to make God’s love visible everywhere, I had found my place in the wide Dominican family. Whenever I see a Dominican, I say that she or he, is my relative.
From Mississippi to Molokai. In Mississippi I used to enjoy playing with horses. On Molokai, I took my first mule ride down to Kalaupapa. I just needed to make sure the mule kept going straight ahead without looking over the pali. From the miles of sandy beaches along the Gulf of Mexico, to the fresh water springs near the beaches of the Pacific Ocean where deer often went to quench their thirst, I enjoyed working on Molokai. Even the Molokai Bread we purchased on Sundays was like French bread, except received hot and fresh. It was good.
As Maryknoll is about hospitality, going up to strangers, I really enjoyed the home visits I made to the shut-ins and the elderly. As a nurse, my home visits were primarily medical to find out how they were and to connect them with professional services in the community. I also gave them holy Communion and offered to share Scripture. Everyone was always very welcoming, without restraint of time.
Being of an upbeat disposition, I hardly get down or see challenges over my head. If I do feel down, I go out to find someone to talk to. To be a Christian is to love all people. On Molokai, Protestants and Catholics were there for each other. Being able to share my faith with the many is the mission dream.
Sister Ardis Kremer is a Maryknoll Sister from Gulfport, Mississippi. She is 63 years professed. She arrived on Molokai in 1975. After a full life of service ministering in catechetical and pastoral ministry, healthcare and more as a missionary abroad, her next destination is the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Maryknoll, New York.
