Sister Conrado / Clara Linz
2D. Clara Dolores Linz was born in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A., on Thursday, August 3, 1922. She and Conrad are twins. She is the daughter of Conrad Julius and Anna Mary (Telljohann) Linz.
Clara was born only one year and five weeks after her sister, Marian, followed ten minutes later by Conrad. This interval of just over a year was the shortest span between pregnancies their mother was ever to have. She was born with crossed eyes and Connie had little vision in one eye. Both began wearing glasses at age two and continued for the remainder of their lives. This distinction was the source of much ridicule from the young neighborhood children.
At Easter, Clara was fond of secretly biting the ears off the chocolate bunnies. Her younger brother, Bucky, invariably was blamed for the acts. Since toys were few, she often played store with her younger siblings, digging holes in the dirt floor of the basement to represent swimming holes for dolls. Her favorite outdoor games were dodge, tin can on the dump, and hide-and-seek, all played in the alleys behind the house.
Clara's religious awareness began at age five, when, as she wrote:
| Through the religious example of my parents, I often went before the tabernacle, knelt in silence in the shadows of evening, and conversed with God, Our Lady, and Ste. Theresa (Little Flower). They knew the longing in my heart to answer His call, "Clara, come follow me; Clara, come follow me." I heard the call. In 1927, at age five, Sister Petra was the only person who knew I was chosen. Throughout the years the call was ever with me. At the age of six we made our First Holy Communion; at eight, our Confirmation. Through the Holy Spirit I made my commitment; Ste. Theresa became my closest confidant. |
In 1936, at age 14, Clara told Sister Sylvia of her desire to become a nun. Sister Sylvia gave her mother enough money to take Clara to the clinic at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. The doctors decided to operate to correct the imbalance in the muscles in her eyes. The operation left her with double vision and blurring. She often tilted he head to relieve the double vision and was criticized for bad posture.
After graduation from grammar school in 1937, it was decided that Clara would stay at home to help her mother with the 14 children. She continued school at night. In July of 1939, Clara talked with Father Kenneth Kuhn about entering the convent. The coming August 28 was chosen as the date. Clara wrote:
| I was wondering what to tell my parents. That evening, I said, "Mom, Father Kuhn wants to see you." She seemed worried. I said, "I spoke to him about entering the convent." The elder children were out, the younger ones were sleeping—nine girls on two double beds in one room and five boys in the middle room—we sat on one of the two double beds and spoke awhile. A bingo and card party was planned to raise money to buy a trunk and some clothes. |
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Sister Conrado / Clara Linz |
At that time, nuns were not permitted to tell anyone of their lives. Letters were censored arriving and leaving. Nuns were only permitted to write after Christmas, after Easter, and for birthdays. Visits from family and friends were permitted only once a month. Once Clara remembers being asked to fix a hot lunch for two people who had had a long, cold walk from the street car line. Some time after they left, Clara was told that the visitors had been her mother and sister, Dolores. After being professed as a sister, a nun was permitted only three visits home in her lifetime.
In June, 1941, came a verdict from the ophthalmologist: if you become a teacher, you'll go blind. Clara was given a quick decision: "do what we tell you or leave the order." She decided to stay. Later, Sister Sylvia told her there was much discussion on whether to keep Clara or send her home.
Lord, anything but cook
When Clara was young, she helped in the
Sacred Heart Convent across the street from the family home, as did many
of her siblings. In particular she remembers running errands, scrubbing
floors, and helping to cook for 32 nuns. Now she was sent to college to
study home economics and cooking.
August 3rd, 1943, Clara was given the name Sister Mary Conrado. That was the beginning of the cloister year: she was a novice, with no contact with family or friends.On August 12, 1943, Sr. Conrado was professed and sent to St. Augustine in Elkridge, Maryland. She was a house sister, the term used for sisters who did not teach. In August of 1944, she was called to the Motherhouse: "Go home and pack. Be on the train for St. Patrick's, Long Island, New York." February 28, 1946, Sr. Conrado renewed her vows; August 3, 1949, she took final vows.
On August 22, 1952, Sr. Conrado was sent to St. Anthony's in South Ozone Park, Long Island, New York. In April, 1955, she received a visit from her mother, father, and sisters Jane and Janet. Her mother did not look well, and told Clara she was going in for a check-up. Later a letter came. Reading between the lines, she knew her mother was very ill; she went to the chapel and prayed and cried. That August her mother had surgery. Coming out of the anesthesia she heard the doctors saying that there was nothing they could do, cancer had spread throughout her body. That September 15, Clara and her sister, Sr. Annicia (Betty), came home for their parents' anniversary September 18th. They were given two days for travel and five days at home. When they left, each knew they would never see her mother alive again. When Clara arrived home to her convent, she immediately wrote the provincial superiors begging to let Betty attend the funeral. Unbeknownst to Clara, her father had called and pleaded with the Provincial to permit her to come to the funeral—to no avail. The day of her mother's funeral, Clara was at the funeral of a nun's father. At 1:00 she received a telephone call. "Dad spoke, then each brother and sister according to age. Oh, what a wonderful family."
In August, 1956, Sr. Conrado was sent to the Motherhouse. On August 15, 1960, an obedience sent her to St. Vincent's Home (orphanage) near Philadelphia, as the prefect of 25 children. (An obedience is a nun's notice of a new assignment. They were given in envelops whose color indicated the type. Clara's was blue: change. Telling no one, nuns had a few hours or few days to pack and leave.)
In 1966, when her father was seriously ill, Clara was permitted to stay at the hospital. Each evening she had to report to the Provincial if he was still alive. "January 29th Dad had the death rattle, night and day. Early that morning I went to mass. During mass a tremor went through my body: I knew Dad had died." She was granted permission to spend a few days at home and attend her father's funeral.
In September, 1967, Clara visited her sister, Betty (Sr. Annicia). "She had everything in order for school. I was thinking, ~`what a joy to have a sister a nun to celebrate my jubilee with in 1968.' A few weeks later, Betty came to stay with me while she awaited dispensation of vows from Rome. I was glad to share this difficult time with her and to be with her when she signed the papers."
For her silver jubilee (25th anniversary as a nun), most of the family came by chartered bus. It was a beautiful day and her cousin, Bishop John Reiss was able to attend. The occasion was marred only by the recent death of her sister, Joan's, husband, Leonard.
In August, another obedience: the Motherhouse, 29 areas to clean. The work left her exhausted and ill; the doctor ordered rest. In 1971, Clara, who had officially dropped her religious name and returned to her family name, lived and worked at St. Martins home for the sick and elderly. In 1972, she taught special students at St. James' and St. John's while living at Notre Dame. During this time she received her diploma in home nursing and first aid. As foretold, her eyes required that she stop teaching.
In 1973 Clara practiced home nursing and became one of the first women Eucharistic Ministers. Then, on August 15, 1981, she was assigned to Sacred Heart Convent, across the street from her family home. "Oh, what a joy to be with my people, home parish, and town: Highlandtown." June 23, 24, and 25, Clara made a tridium (three days of prayer) at a healing service. She attended to assist the sick and injured, and for her own spiritual growth. "Each day the priest blessed me during the service. On the third day, Father McDonough blessed me. Since I had a sick cousin with me, I sat in the last bench. When the service began, I could feel the healing power of God and Mother Theresa Gerhardinger. My vision cleared. It was not blurred and all things were single: one priest, one candle. For the first time in my life, I could see the pictures in the church clearly. ~`Praise God. Thank God for the Healing of Vision.'" Before her mother died, she had said, "Clara, someday your vision will be better, you will see clearly." That day arrived; reading became a pleasure.