Chapter 28: Change

Some years later, the elderly Mother Superior passed away, as old ladies inevitably do. The Novice who was on her knees sucking the elderly woman nearly died also, because the massive heart attack threw all her considerable bulk on to the Novice, knocking her to the ground and banging her head hard on the unyielding stone floor.

There was much discussion as to who would become the Mother Superior, with several of the older sisters firmly considered as the only possible candidates. The process of selection was well defined; a suggested new Mother Superior would be elected by the Sisters from among their number, by a secret ballot. It was forbidden for them to say for whom they had voted, or to canvass votes on behalf of themselves or anyone else. A Monsignor O'Leary representing His Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop would hear the choice of each of the forty-odd Sisters in the confessional and would convey the consensus to the Archbishop, who would confirm the choice, or not, as he saw fit. It was unusual for him to overrule the vote, but he could order a second vote if he considered the selected nun to be incapable, perhaps because of extremely advanced years, of bearing the burdens of running a convent.

When it was Sister Lucia's turn in the confessional to make her choice, she asked the Monsignor, "Is it your duty to convey what is said here faithfully to His Eminence?"

"Of course, Sister, that is my sacred duty."

"And will you do that, no matter what the message?"

"Yes, Sister, I will."

He sighed, thinking, 'Another one who wants to put in a negative, anyone but Sister X, vote.'

There had already been two of those, against different nuns.

"Then tell His Eminence," Sister Lucia paused for an instant as though gathering her courage, "Tell His Eminence that his daughter has been a good girl at school and expects her Papa to reward her."

"I beg your pardon?" said the astonished Monsignor.

"I am sure you heard me, and I am sure you will convey the message correctly," she replied.

When he met the Archbishop to discuss the elevation of one of the Sisters to Mother Superior of the Convent, Monsignor O'Leary duly reported that three quarters of the Sisters had requested that Sister Veronica be elevated to Mother Superior.

By way of light relief, he added, "Some of the Sisters are quite mad, you know, sir."

"Really, Monsignor? What makes you say that?"

"Well one of them asked me to give you a personal message which was quite inappropriate."

The Archbishop felt a sudden premonition of trouble, so he asked, "What message? It is your duty to pass any such on to me. You should perform your duties without sitting in judgement on these pious ladies."

Monsignor O'Leary realised that he had been rebuked, and hastened to say, "Her message was to the effect that you had a daughter, sir."