The Christophers: The Sister Who Befriends and Listens

Fr. Ed Dougherty, M.M.

The Christophers Board of Directors

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When she was growing up, Sister Ave Clark’s father told her to befriend the workers who were a regular part of her life: the sanitation men, the mail carrier, the bank tellers, etc.

If you’ve ever read one of her books, you’ll know that Sister Ave took that advice to heart because she will strike up a conversation with everyone she meets, making new friends all the time. As a result, these individuals – from the workers at her deli to the attendant at her gas station – share deeply personal stories with her and allow her to write about them in her books.

During a “Christopher Closeup” interview about her latest work “Hold on to Love…with Graces Galore,” Sister Ave explained, “I feel wherever you go, you can be the love of God in an ordinary [way]. Then sometimes, somebody stops and tugs at your heart and tells you, ‘Pray for me or think about me. I’m going through something.’ …And you say, ‘I’m there for you.’”

For instance, Daniel Alexander Goiz works at the deli that Sister Ave frequents. She learned that several years ago, his mother died of cancer at age 39. Throughout her ordeal, Daniel’s father supported her in every way he could. His example inspired Daniel to write a poem about his father, titled “The Strong Man,” which Sister Ave shares in her book:

“My father, / a quiet pillar in the storm, / never once letting the weight bend his back, / never once letting the dark steal his light. / He stood beside my mother through thick and thin, / through laughter and silence, / through the nights of trembling hands and mornings heavy with fear. / Cancer tried to rob her smile, but he stayed – / with the patience of mountains, / with the strength of rivers that carve stone but never yield. / He carried her laughter like a fragile flame, / shielding if from every wind / until she could laugh on her own again. / In his eyes, / I see the truth of love: / not the easy kind, not the fleeting kind, / but the kind that survives every test, / the kind that holds you steady when the world falls apart. / My father – a strong man, / a loyal man, / a man who taught me that love is not words / but the staying, the standing, the never letting go.”

With his father as his role model, Daniel is now pursuing a career as a nurse. Sister Ave sees reflections of the divine in him and his father because “compassion has the heart of Jesus in it.”

Sister Ave heard another example of that kind of compassion from the gas station attendant who fills her car’s tank. This man used to work at a different job but could no longer do so after needing brain surgery. The gas station’s owner, Tony, knew this man and offered him a job there…The man appreciated Tony’s kindness and accepted the position, being sure to reflect the same kindness to all customers.

Some time later, Tony’s wife fell ill with cancer and depression. Tony struggled to care for her while also running his business, so his employees told him to take off as much time as he needed; they would keep the gas station afloat. And that’s what they did for one year so Tony could stay home. The boss who took good care of his employees found his employees also took good care of him.

Sister Ave noted, “This is the call we’re all given.”

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For free copies of the Christopher News Note BEAR ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org