By Bill Alexander
Sister Connie Goulet remembers sitting around the Grey Sisters’ motherhouse in Pembroke two years ago, discussing a rumour with her fellow sisters. They heard that in the past Catholic priests were able to get married, and the sisters were wondering if this was true. By chance, Sister Connie had the answer.
“I said yes, and told them about a play I had seen,” recalls Sister Connie.
She explained to the sisters that this play dealt with priests being able to marry, but that it stood for something more. “After talking (about it) for a while,” says Sister Connie, “we decided to put the play on.”
That decision led to the birth of the Grey Sister Players, a group of performing nuns from Pembroke.
They came together last year to put on All That I Am, a play that explores the roles of five women who were involved with famous men of the Roman Catholic Church, but who have themselves been overlooked in the church’s history.
This Saturday, they will perform the play in Ottawa as part of a fundraising effort for the Bronson Centre, a building owned by the Grey Sisters which houses various community organizations.
Through five monologues, All That I Am examines how these women were treated by the men in their life before, during and after the celibacy rule was enforced in the Catholic Church at the beginning of the 12th century.
“I think it is designed to portray the voice that we have not heard,” says Sister Zita O’Grady, who plays the wife of St. Peter. “It’s only fair that you hear how these women felt in the roles that they were cast into at the time.”
This depiction of the ‘hidden woman’ drew the Grey Sisters to the play because it allowed them to serve as a voice for the voiceless, an idea that is tied to their life’s work.
“We are doing this because we see it as part of our ministry in raising awareness of women’s stories,” says Sister Mary Ruddy, who, like the other sisters, is devoted to helping those who are disadvantaged or who have been cast aside.
“Drama is powerful in helping us see things from another viewpoint.”
The five sisters collaborated on all aspects of the production, including designing costumes and sets that reflecting the mood of the times.
The characters address the audience directly, breaking down the wall between spectacle and spectator.
“The five women are asking questions about their situation,” says Sister Connie. “Each woman wonders, ‘what about me? I am giving all that I am, and yet the focus seems to be on the male side.’ ”
They hope that those questions will enlighten the audience and offer them a chance to think about things they might otherwise have ignored.
And that’s why the sisters say people should come and see the play.
“I think it is educational in terms of transforming attitudes,” says Sister Mary. “Drama is a powerful instrument of change. If people like drama that looks at life from a different point of view, I think they would find this play interesting.”
All That I Am will be performed Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Bronson Centre. Tickets are $15. All of the proceeds from the performance will be donated to the Bronson Centre.