Sr. Madeleine reflects God's love

Her heart's choice to serve others lit this sisters path

By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton

With her kind, positive attitude toward people and life, Sister Madeleine Geiger, a Sister of Charity of Halifax, makes religious life look pretty attractive. Too bad she is not in the business of promoting religious life.

For several years now Geiger has been in the religious video business, lending out videos at the Adult Education Commission's video library on the second floor of the Catholic Pastoral Centre.

In fact, after the departure of Father Jack Spicer two months ago, Geiger virtually took charge of the remnants of the office and all that it implies. She said there will be a Scripturefest again this year, despite Spicer's retirement.

Born and raised in a small farming community just north of Edmonton along with two brothers, Geiger completed high school at the now-defunct St. Mary High School.

For a few years after high school, she did office work in Westlock, where the Sisters of Charity operated Immaculata Hospital. "I got to know the sisters at the hospital," she recalled. "That was the first time that I met Sisters of Charity."

During a weekend retreat in Westlock, Geiger decided to go into religious life and be of service. That was a thought she had been carrying in her mind since high school where she had met the Sister Faithful Companions of Jesus and the Sisters of Service. "Then everything flowed from there," she said. "It was during that retreat that it was sort of solidified that this was where I wanted to go."

But if anyone should be credited with Geiger's vocation, it is her parents who taught her "love of God, love of Church, love of people and love of nature."

With her mind made up, she searched out three or four congregations. It was tough to decide, but Msgr. Eugene Rooney, an influential figure in the Church at the time, made Geiger's choice easier. "When I was deciding which community to go to, he told me he thought the Sisters of Charity at the hospital were a good bunch."

In addition to hospital work, the Sisters of Charity at the time were also involved in congregational ministries, teaching and social services - all areas of interest to Geiger. In addition to that, Geiger liked the way the sisters went about their work. "You felt at home with them," she recalled. "They were fine women to know."

She joined the community in her "early twenties" and was sent to do her novitiate in Halifax where the congregation has its headquarters. After a two-year novitiate, she taught school until she was assigned to the motherhouse's business office. While working there, she attended university in pursuit of a degree in secretarial studies. Following graduation, she was assigned to the motherhouse's secretariat.

"You always have to adapt to what is going on around you and your ministry and the needs of people." - Sr. Madeleine Geiger

"It was a good thing to be working at the secretariat because you got to know many of the sisters all throughout the congregation," she recalled. "We were in Canada, in the United States, Bermuda, the Dominican Republic and Peru. Sisters from all those countries would come to the motherhouse for annual retreat and meetings and you would get to meet them there."

Religious life has changed a lot over the years. After the Second Vatican Council, many religious orders did away with habits and blind obedience.

There were also liturgical changes. Many sisters left their congregations confused and disappointed. Geiger embraced most of the changes brought on by the council and stayed.

"All growth involves change," she said. "If there is no change, there is no growth. You always have to adapt to what is going on around you and your ministry and the needs of people."

Geiger especially welcomed the new freedoms and responsibilities given to religious sisters, especially the freedom to use their God-given gifts where they were most needed.

"But change (and freedom) has never been a great issue with me at all because my whole focus has been to serve," she clarified. "And when you think of all the changes, they are meant for a greater good."

Geiger came back to Edmonton in 1983 to look after her ill mother. When her mother died, she decided to stay home with her father. Then she met Father Spicer and was hired as his assistant.

"It was office work, a little bit of everything, the same as it is now." At the time, the office was located on Jasper Avenue by St. Joseph's Basilica.

"So I'm in my 20th year here with Father Spicer," the sister noted. "It has been a wonderful experience really to be working with him. He's had such forward looking and people-oriented ideas."

She recalled having to type dozens of documents on a manual typewriter, including some of the reflection booklets Spicer wrote on the Scriptures.

Tedious and monotonous as her job may seem from the outside, it never was to Geiger, especially now that she does everything on a computer. "There is always something new going on here," she clarified. "It's not as if you were doing the same thing day after day. In this line of work you meet a good many people and you are able to help them on their faith journey."

In addition to typing, Geiger assisted Spicer in organizing small Christian communities throughout the archdiocese, in organizing tours to the Holy Land, in putting together the annual Scripturefest lectures and in setting up the video library which now has over 1,800 video cassettes on dozens of topics. Geiger lends over 400 videos a month.

"When people come to the library, you get to meet their families and their little children too," she said.

Geiger is convinced becoming a sister was a good choice for her because it has allowed her to do what she wanted to do: live in community with other like-minded people and serve the people of God.

"I think God has been very good to me," she said. "I'm very happy. It has been a good life."

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