How does a public school teenager from Brooklyn end up as a Benedictine Sister in New Jersey? Three classmates from Girls Commercial High School explored religious life by visiting convents. Two of the friends joined a community in New York, but Joan Hayes continued to search. While she was studying at Hunter College, Father Cribbin gave her a book describing many religious communities. The first entry was “Benedictine Sisters.” This community prayed the Divine Office. Joan thought what a privilege it would be to pray the prayer that priests prayed from their breviary daily. With only one visit to the Benedictines in Elizabeth, New Jersey, she knew she had found what she was seeking.

The young Sister Marie Therese, as she became known, discovered that she also enjoyed helping students learn, and she spent summers taking classes to increase her skill. She has been called to use her gifts as a teacher of music and math, as organist and eventually as principal. After 30 years at Bender Memorial Academy as teacher and principal, Sister Marie Therese is currently teaching math at Hillside Catholic Academy. Her interests extend beyond education. She is a member of the community schola, chairperson of the community government committee, and serves as treasurer on the board of Shepherd's Maternity House in Analomink, Pennsylvania. After many fruitful years of ora et labora, Sister Marie Therese finds that her initial attraction to the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) remains central in her life as the psalms and scripture continue to enrich the fabric of all her daily activities.

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