Kathleen: The Celtic Knot

The Conversion of Russia

Sister Eucharia is a great believer of miracles. Mam is a great believer of miracles as well. Although Kathleen doesn’t have time to do the First Fridays, which takes nine months, she does have time to do a quick novena, which is completed over nine days. Sister Eucharia is very impressed to find Kathleen in the convent chapel every morning before school, lighting candles to Saint Bernadette. Bernadette was a poor girl growing up, before she became a nun later in life. Kathleen supposes she chose Saint Bernadette because of the poor girl connection. Perhaps Saint Bernadette also remembers doing miracles, since she’s a newer saint.

Kathleen did an awful lot of jam-jar hunting so she’s been able to put a penny in the box next to Saint Bernadette every morning. By the time her novena is complete, she’ll have spent ninepence. It’s what a dancing lesson would cost if she had to pay for it.

But by day six, there’s still no sign of a dancing costume at the foot of her bed. She expected it would be like a present from Santy on Christmas morning. By day seven, there’s still no sign of a dancing costume. By day eight, Kathleen decides that God must be holding out for a supreme sacrifice. Kathleen decides that if her costume appears, she’ll be a nun when she grows up, just like Saint Bernadette. Because Kathleen doesn’t mean to get married at all, she figures she could enter the convent after a while.

By day nine, Kathleen’s very disappointed when the dancing costume still does not appear. There’s a chance that God is waiting for Kathleen to do the last day of novena, so she gets up as usual and goes to light her candle to Saint Bernadette in the church. When Sister Eucharia comes and asks her what she’s praying so hard for, Kathleen explains she’s praying for a dancing costume to wear in the feis.

Sister Eucharia is silent for a moment as she tries to figure out what to say, until she finally says that Kathleen is very bold. She grabs Kathleen by the elbow, yanks her up and steers her into the corridor. Sister Eucharia explains that miracles are sacred gifts from God. If Kathleen asks for a miracle, it should be of a worthy purpose such as a healing of a sick person or the Conversion of Russia. Kathleen ought to be ashamed of herself for wasting good prayers on an Irish dancing costume.

Kathleen is dismissed to go to her classroom, and told that she better not be caught praying for trivialities ever again. Kathleen is glad it’s her ninth day and she’s done with her novena. She certainly wouldn’t want to meet Sister Eucharia in the convent chapel ever again.