Susan Van Dusen first met the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity convent nuns when she was dating her now-husband, Tim Van Dusen, a student at St. Michael School, in the 1980s. Although not Catholic herself, she became intrigued by the fun, loving, mostly Canadian group of women.
The Van Dusens occasionally saw the nuns over the years after graduation, but they eventually became a mere memory to the couple -- until 2007, when they heard the nuns were excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church.
At the Garland County Historical Society's monthly meeting Tuesday at the Garland County Library, Van Dusen discussed her college thesis, "True Believers: How an unshakable faith led to an uncommon future for six Catholic nuns," about her experience and interviews with the nuns.
Van Dusen was initially baffled when hearing these nuns she knew so long ago had been excommunicated from the Catholic Church since she only knew of the service they had provided to the Hot Springs community.
She said the nuns established and managed St. Michael Elementary School, St. Michael Childcare, Good Shepherd Laundry, a boarding school for girls and were responsible for the first African-American school for children in Hot Springs.
Van Dusen soon learned about the Army of Mary and the reason behind the excommunication.
The Army of Mary is a sect of Catholicism founded by Marie-Paule Giguère in 1971.
Van Dusen said Giguère was a devout Catholic who gained a following by speaking of her martyrship and messages from God. Giguère published the thousands of messages she said she received in her autobiography "Life of Love," revealing they indicated she was chosen by God to be the incarnation of the Virgin Mary. This caused controversy within the Roman Catholic Church, as these visions contradicted traditional Roman Catholic beliefs.
In 2007, the Roman Catholic Church made an official statement that whoever remained affiliated with the Army of Mary would be excommunicated. The nuns in the Hot Springs convent, who were devout followers of Giguère, each decided to remain in their faith of the Army of Mary and endure excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church. They went on to live their lives basically the same as before and practice as nuns of the Church of St. John the Baptist.
Van Dusen asked five of the six nuns -- one had previously died -- if she could interview them to find out why they would endure excommunication after spending most of their lives devoted to the Roman Catholic Church. She found an "unshakable faith" in the Army of Mary instilled in each of their stories.
"They're really inspirational women and they've done a lot for Hot Springs and I just really admire them," Van Dusen said. "They're very strong in their faith, even though it's controversial faith, they are unwavering and they truly believe and they have spent their whole life serving others."
In addition to the story of why the nuns were excommunicated, Van Dusen also delved into the history of each nun's life.
All but one of the nuns were Quebec City natives, which sparked intrigue in Van Dusen. She said she couldn't understand how young Canadian women ended up in a Hot Springs convent. After some research, she found her answer.
In the early 1900s, Arkansas Bishop John Baptist Morris saw a need in Hot Springs for someone to take care of underprivileged girls, so he approached a group of nuns from Ottawa, Ontario, and asked them to move to Arkansas and start a program for them.
Van Dusen said many mysteries remain as to how Morris came to Ottawa, or why the nuns agreed to come to Arkansas, but these questions go unanswered.
When the nuns came they purchased 10 acres of land along with the building that was founded as the Good Shepherd Home in 1908 and started recruiting others from Canada to come join them.
Van Dusen said the nuns' stories are important and valuable for many historical reasons.
"They have been important, contributing members of society in Hot Springs for decades and they have educated and nurtured hundreds, maybe even thousands, of children in Hot Springs," she said. "It's also important for the Roman Catholic Church because, like I said, they spent decades serving the church. It's important for women's history and for the Army of Mary's history."
Van Dusen said with only four of the six nuns left, their legacy needs to live on.
After more research, she hopes to publish a book in the future.
Next month's GCHS meeting is April 16, at the library, with guest speaker Lisa Coleman Carey discussing the history of quartz crystals.
Local on 03/21/2019