Celebrating Sister Geri
Sister Geri Rogers, principal of Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem, is known for her unwavering support of students and faculty alike. She is retiring after 40 years as a teacher and principal at Our Lady of Mercy and 50 years as a Sister of St. Joseph (Photos by Krista Hopkins and provided)WINSTON-SALEM — How do you say goodbye to someone like Sister Geri Rogers? A packed Millennium Center in downtown Winston-Salem showed the way April 14, as more than 300 people gathered for a beautiful tribute celebrating her retirement and inestimable contributions to Catholic education in the Diocese of Charlotte.
The evening – filled with laughter, love and a few tears – was a testament to the impact Sister Geri has had on the Our Lady of Mercy community where she has been a teacher and principal for more than 40 years.
Those who encounter Sister Geri sense her singular grace for inspiring others to be the best they can be in all things, especially in the Christian life. Some even call it the “Sister Geri effect.”
“The way Sister Geri treats the children and how she brings Christianity and Catholicism to the students in such a gentle way will always be remembered,” said Nancy Farmer, a teacher at Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem for 20 years. “She teaches them by example – who you’re supposed to be, how you should act, and how you treat other people.”
These lessons from Sister Geri have had a deep effect on the students, Farmer said.
“All the kids look up to her for the simple fact that when they think about being a good Christian, that’s who they talk about,” she added. “There’s no other person than Sister Geri because she exemplifies it so phenomenally.”
Now, after more than four decades at Our Lady of Mercy School and 50 years as a Sister of St. Joseph, Sister Geri is retiring and returning to be near her family in Philadelphia, where her order is also based. The area is home to her eight siblings, as well as many nieces and nephews.
“It went by fast,” Sister Geri said of her time at Our Lady of Mercy. “I’d like to thank the people at Our Lady of Mercy for making Mercy my home away from home.” She plans to stay in touch with the school community and visit often.
Sister Geri took a moment to pose with many of the school’s current and former teachers during her retirement party April 14.The evening opened with a blessing and a rendition of “So Long, Farewell” from “The Sound of Music,” performed by the school’s faculty.
Sister Geri applauded, stood up and said she thought the teachers were doing in-service training when they were practicing their performance at school, garnering much laughter from the crowd.
Father David McCanless, pastor of Our Lady of Mercy, offered a few remarks before his blessing.
“I want to thank Sister Geri on a personal level for her kind welcome to me when I arrived and her incredible kindness and support over these past three years,” he said. “I really have relied on her probably more than is fair to her, but she’s been such a great help and such a great support.”
Dr. Greg Monroe, superintendent of Catholic schools, was in attendance and offered remarks on Sister Geri’s contributions.
“We don’t always get to see the effects of the teaching, witness and formation we hope to impress upon our students. Tonight is a realization of the hard work and those day-to-day interactions coming to fruition,” Monroe said. “You can rest easy looking out at this crowd today – from that first first-grade class to the most recent graduates – knowing that your legacy is one where every student here, every alumnus here has been affected in a positive way by your leadership and by you.”
Over 60 years, 46 Sisters of St. Joseph have taught at Our Lady of Mercy and each one really enjoyed being in North Carolina, Sister Geri said. She is the last religious sister serving in the Diocese of Charlotte’s schools.
In a recent interview, Sister Geri reminisced on her vocation and explained how she knew God was calling her to be a religious sister.
“When I was in high school, I took a test to go into nursing school, and that’s really what I wanted to do, but then I just got this overwhelming feeling that this was not what God wanted from me,” she recalled, admitting that she became a little angry about it.
“I really wanted to be a nurse, but the feeling stuck with me for so long, so I talked to one of the Sisters of St. Joseph who was teaching me at the time and she gave me some prayers to pray,” she remembered. “I talked to my parents, and here I am 50-some years later.”
Sister Geri took her final vows in 1974 and worked as a teacher in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey before arriving at Our Lady of Mercy in 1983 as a first-grade teacher, which was her specialty.
School parent Leigh Ann Janjua, who helped organize Sister Geri’s retirement party, has had three children attend Our Lady of Mercy. Two have graduated, and her youngest is in seventh grade.
“Sister Geri has been a huge part of the community for more than four decades. She has been a wonderful asset in every way,” Janjua said. “She lives her life in a way that we should all strive to live our lives. I’ll always remember her kindness and tact in every situation.”
The Sister Geri effect has extended beyond the Our Lady of Mercy community in many ways, whether it’s the impact her students have made in the diocese and beyond or the development of fellow principals.
She mentored Erin Brinkley, principal of Sacred Heart School in Salisbury, for two years while Brinkley was a new principal. Brinkley credited Sister Geri with being “an amazing example of a servant leader.”
“Sister Geri is still not afraid after all these years to step in and do what needs to be done, whether it’s lunch duty or helping with after-school care,” Brinkley said. “She taught me no matter how long you’re in the job, always be sure to keep your boots on the ground and be a good listener.”
Noting that it’s difficult to put into words what Sister Geri means to her, Brinkley added, “Even after the formal mentorship was over, she was always available if I needed anything. When
I’d go to a basketball game, she’d always be there, and I could sit down next to her and talk.”
At the close of the evening, the crowd serenaded Sister Geri with “You Are My Sunshine.” She then received a blessing from Father McCanless, who thanked God for all the years Sister Geri has been with the Our Lady of Mercy community and for her kindness, leadership and love, asking Him to bless her and keep her in the years ahead.
— Annie Ferguson
Sister Geri Rogers Endowment Fund created to honor the legacy of longtime Catholic educator
To recognize her decades of service, an endowment will be established in honor of Sister Geri Rogers, a Sister of St. Joseph and longtime teacher and principal of Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem.
The fund will provide tuition scholarships for generations of Our Lady of Mercy students to come.
“It’s a way to remember and honor Sister in a very special way, and it’s a great way to change the lives of future students,” said Jim Kelley, director of development for the diocese.
Anyone who would like to honor her legacy at Our Lady of Mercy may contribute by writing a check to Our Lady of Mercy, with the memo line “Sister Geri Rogers Endowment Fund.”
Checks should be mailed to: Attn: Sister Geri Rogers Endowment Fund, Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School, 1730 Link Road, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27103.
CHARLOTTE — Father Joseph Matlak discovered something surprising last summer: the chapel at Holy Trinity Middle School where he serves as chaplain had never been officially named a permanent chapel.
He made this discovery with the help of the Diocese of Charlotte archives department, and then requested to have the 27-year-old chapel formally dedicated.
The efforts culminated in a Jan. 31 Mass and chapel blessing, aptly timed for the middle of Catholic Schools Week. Twenty-five students in the school’s Little Flower, Knights of Saint Joseph and Pro-Life clubs gathered with officials from the diocesan schools office and Holy Trinity administrators to mark the occasion.
Father Matlak celebrated the Mass and blessed the chapel with Father Timothy Reid, the diocese’s Vicar of Education for Catholic Schools, and Father Christopher Roux, rector of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, concelebrating. Also assisting was Deacon Peter Tonon of St. Ann Church in Charlotte.
“By the bishop's decree, Holy Trinity’s chapel has been dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima, and Bishop Jugis has delegated me to bless the chapel,” Father Matlak said.
Principal Kevin Parks said no funds were required to complete the blessing and official dedication to Our Lady of Fatima, adding that there are plans to use school funds to replace the flooring and paint the chapel in the spring.
Father Matlak and Holy Trinity theology teacher Shane Sayre composed a special prayer for the occasion that ends with an invocation to Our Lady of Fatima.
In his homily, Father Matlak shared the significance of the concluding line of the prayer and the connections between Our Lady and the Holy Trinity.
“Ending a prayer with an invocation of the Mother of God is not simply a flowery decoration. God decided to become incarnate, to come into the world, through Mary, which means that every way to return to Him must also somehow go through her,” he said.
“Our chapel is being dedicated to the Blessed Virgin under the title of Our Lady of Fatima, referring, of course, to the apparitions of Our Lady to the three shepherd children, Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco, in Fatima, Portugal in 1917.”
Father Matlak said he was slightly biased by this, being half Portuguese and coming from a family that has experienced miracles through devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. However, the appropriateness of the title and connection with the school runs much deeper, he added.
“My first year as chaplain coincided with the 100th anniversary of the apparitions in Fatima,” he said. “On May 13, 2017, I consecrated the school to her Immaculate Heart with a prayer that ended with these words: May the reign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, together with your reign, enter this school … so that, we may one day deserve eternal happiness in the presence of the Holy Trinity.”
Father Matlak’s words resonated with Superintendent Dr. Greg Monroe, who was present for the Mass and blessing.
“We're trying to get closer to God in everything we do in the schools,” he said. “This chapel dedication provides a focal point and a continuing orientation toward those things which are most important: our faith and coming together as a Catholic community to support each other and push each other to excel.”
—Annie Ferguson. Photos by Troy Hull.
Holy Trinity Chapel Prayer
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us!
O Lady, who appeared to the three children at Fatima, hear our plea this day as we ask you to pray for us who have recourse to thee. Amidst the turbulence and fear facing the world around them, you were sent by God to bring to these children a message of peace and hope. You charged us, your faithful children, to be the bearers of these fruits through repentance and renewed devotion to the fruit of your womb, your Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We dedicate this chapel to you and to your Immaculate Heart, as the beginning of that renewal and repentance. We dedicate this sacred space as a haven for the faithful—a refuge for the exile—to escape the wickedness and anxieties that the world seeks to burden us with. Wrap us in your maternal mantle of prayer as we strive to be liberated from the shackles of attachments; attachments that seek to distract us and drive us away from the source of our true freedom, our Lord Jesus Christ. Let this sacred space bring this peace and hope to all those who enter. Let them become a vessel and channel of peace and hope as they face the evils within this world. Let the graces that flow from the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar console the hearts of your children who long to see the face of your Son. Let them become temples of the Holy Spirit as He is poured out from their hearts and unto the hearts of those that they encounter. And let the blessings of Fatima radiate from this humble chapel to convert the whole world back to our Lord Jesus Christ.
To You, O Blessed Trinity, be praise, and honor, and thanksgiving, for ever and ever! Amen.
— Father Joseph Matlak and Shane Sayre
