Ask Sister James Anne Feerick where she grew up, and, like many Philadelphia Catholics, she answers with the name of her parish—Transfiguration of Our Lord, 56th and Cedar Avenue, in West Philadelphia.
“It’s one of those churches that was taken down,” she says, “but it was a great place.”
Transy, as locals called it, was the center of everything. Sister James Anne—then known as Nancy—recalls Valentine’s dances for the grown-ups, and Christmas parties for the children. Then there was the parish school, every class crowded, 35 kids in each class, four of every grade.
The neighborhood surrounding the parish was mostly Irish, with some Italian. The neighborhood, she says, consisted largely of rowhomes, and, to hear Sister James Anne recollection, it was idyllic.
“Everybody supported each other, and everybody looked out for each other,” she says. “Most of the time, the mothers were at home, they weren’t working. We had a lot of kids on the block, and we always had somebody to play with. A couple of my friends were Italian and a Jewish girl. Everybody got along. And it was just great because we had a community spirit there.”
James and Anne (née Caulfield) Feerick, Sister’s parents, raised her and five brothers, three older and two younger, in that happy environment, and they made sure that they treasured their Irish heritage.
“My father was from Ballinrobe in County Mayo,” she says, “and my mother was born here, but her parents were from County Mayo also. So, I’m a first generation Irish.”
Sister’s parents met at an Irish dance, and their pride in their Irish culture was not unusual in that neighborhood. “Their love of their Irish culture was in both their homes, growing up, and it was handed down to us,” she says. “We had Irish parties in our house, and people would come. It was just great. They enjoyed Irish music. It wasn’t unusual then to have an Irish party at somebody’s house once or twice a month. And my parents were very involved in the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day parade.”
Sister James Anne danced in that parade. She began taking Irish dance lessons around 1949, when she was 7, from Sean Lavery, who lived in the parish. Tuesday night lessons were for the more experienced dancers, and Friday nights were for those younger and less proficient. The fee was 50 cents a lesson. Sister also followed in the footsteps of her mother, who had also been an Irish dancer. “That’s how I started, and I really enjoyed it,” she recalls. “As I grew older, I would go on Tuesday nights and help the dancing teacher out. Sean was an excellent teacher.”
Given the family’s close ties to Ireland, it is perhaps no surprise that relatives over there in the Emerald Isle were not forgotten. They didn’t have phones when Sister was a child, “but every year, we got packages ready to send over for Christmas. So, we would wrap the presents in November and send the gifts over. And we corresponded by letter.”
It is from this halcyon background that Sister James Anne emerged, at the age of 18, taking a life path that surprised her parents, father James and mother Anne. She entered the convent, joining the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) in 1960. There were no Hollywood angels singing from a bell tower, but at the same time, she was surrounded by great examples of religious life all around during her four years at West Catholic High School.
“I enjoyed teaching,” she says, when asked what motivated her. “It started with teaching Irish dance, but I also taught religious education. I helped in the parish once or twice a month. I just saw the sisters there and thought, I’d like to do that. And so, I prayed about it and talked to my mother and father about it. They were a little concerned at first because I was the only daughter, but in the end, they were fine.”
More than fine, as things turned out. Sister James Anne recalls a pivotal discussion with her mother.
“I remember saying to her, ‘Mom, if it’s not for me, because I’m entering in July, I’ll come home in September, and then I can go to college.’ I had been accepted at Immaculata. But she said, ‘Oh, no. If you’re going, you’re staying at least a year to see.’ Then I entered. It was 1960—and here I am, 62 years later.”
Sister has amassed a wealth of experience in those 62 years. She taught at several schools through the city and in the Philadelphia suburbs, in Reading, and across the Delaware River in New Jersey. She was a principal for 15 years in three different schools.
She is now a teacher of children with learning disabilities and English as a Second Language in kindergarten through grade 3 at St. Francis de Sales School, 47th and Springfield in University City. Forty-five countries are represented, with 17 languages spoken in homes, and children come from 31 ZIP codes. Clearly, Sister James Anne shows no sign of slowing down yet.
“I’m 80, so I think soon probably I’ll retire,” she says, “but as long as I can keep going, I’ll try to keep going because the kids give me life. And every place I’ve ever been, I’ve loved every one of them. I just loved wherever I was.”
Sister James Anne also remains incredibly busy outside of her academic career. She is chaplain of the Mayo Association of Philadelphia and the St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association. She has been both grand marshal and a judge for the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s parade.
And those who know Sister well, also know this: those childhood dance lessons continue to pay off. Without a lot of prompting, she can still kick her heels up and dance with the best of them.
After all these years, Sister James Anne’s childhood and family background continue to inspire her love of everything Irish. “Oh, definitely,” she says. “Definitely.”
(Photos by Tom Keenan)
