Sister Bernadette Thomas, IHM

“I want to radiate joy to those around me. The kind of joy I experienced from the first IHMs I met.”

Bernadette’s parents were born in different cities in Ohio. After high school, Mr. Thomas entered the Navy and ended his naval career in Chicago, where he became an industrial engineer. Eleanor pursued a secretarial career and also ended that career in Chicago – where Bernadette was born and raised.

Bernadette is the oldest of six children – one sister and four brothers. Though she was certain from an early age that she had a vocation, a belief in such a call is only part of that decision. One also needs to decide on a congregation. It was that decision that presented a challenge for Bernadette as her father’s work travels brought her to multiple congregations. Bernadette – for reasons all her own – believed the congregation she selected would have a crucifix as part of its habit. None of these
congregations wore one.

Though her mother spent most of her time as a homemaker, she returned to her secretarial career as needed. She ended her career in Lisle, Illinois.

After the Navy, Bernadette’s father became an industrial engineer. He and his co-workers were known as “problem solvers.” They went on location, fixed a problem, then moved onto the next – “The Gypsies of the Engineering Field.”

Finally, Mr. Thomas took a job in Williamsport PA. As Bernadette had previously taught CCD in Illinois, she volunteered to teach in the parish where she finally met the IHMs. At one point, Sister Gabriel Kane asked Bernadette if she wanted to visit Marywood. Not realizing the intent of the visit, Mother Beata assumed that Bernadette was thinking of a vocation to the IHMs and conducted an interview with that in mind. Though she hadn’t realized it – Bernadette discovered that the IHM habit did include a crucifix.

Bernadette entered the IHMs in September of 1966. As Bernadette already had a
job as a secretary – she was allowed to pursue a degree in business.

The most significant experience in Bernadette’s life was that of being one of the junior professed sisters who lived through the Motherhouse fire and resided in one of the dorms where sisters were forced to climb out the window and up to the top of the roof. Despite the crisis, Bernadette was one of the few who kept her wits about her and directed the others where they should go. The only escape was to jump off the roof. She made her peace with God, jumped and passed out on the way down (“God took care of us – then and now”). As she left the building, she made the decision not to look back at it – so it wouldn’t be the final image she saw.

From 1971 to 1994 Bernadette spent her time at Holy Cross High School in Delran, NJ. Part of that time, Bernadette spent as a business teacher – typing, shorthand. But, seeing the change in this field, she asked to pursue an Educational Media Specialist Degree and began to teach library skills. After school, Bernadette spent time as a reference librarian, teaching library skills at the Burlington County Community College.

She also pursued a lifelong interest in library science, obtaining five memberships in library science.

Having spent thirty happy years at Holy Cross High School, it closed as a Diocesan high school but transitioned to an independent Catholic high school. She and Sister Claudette Naylor came to the IHM Center in 2018. Bernadette was a receptionist and an assistant in the Archives until she retired and came to OLP this past year.