Yes, I was a boarder at St. Mary's Academy, and yes, I remember the Golden Stairs. I even cleaned those stairs as part of my board. I used a hand brush and a dustpan as I backed down the stairs, on my knees, dusting every step. On a few occasions ( and other boarders) would ride the banister all the way down.

But the memory I most want to record is in tribute to Sister Christiana.

She was strict, accepting no excuses for carelessly done homework.

And she was fair, giving credit for thoughtful process. She would "wear out red pencils" (her words) but recognized the ability of her students. By carefully correcting the punctuation and grammar, she let them see for themselves that they could think and write. What a gift that was for her students'.

Although we all knew that she was strict and fair, what we did not know, in those days, was that she was holy--that she was a prophet. The morning prayers that we that we needed to say before classes seemed too long for us because they always ended with a list of Sister's favorite ejaculations.

The ejaculations I still remember Sister Christiana saying was, "Savior of the world, save Russia and all the world". This prayer, during the years of the cold war, made no sense to her students. But when Communism in Russia collapsed, I remembered Sister's prayer and realized the extent of her faith.

Back in the '50's, sister Christiana gave us an ability to write and faith in ourselves as students. She modeled prayer for us and thus affirmed our faith in God. She was a prophet and her words still challenge us.