‘God’s work will go on’: Sister Carolyn Brockland upholds Ursuline legacy in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS — Inside the National Shrine to Our Lady of Prompt Succor on the Ursuline Academy campus, Sister Carolyn Marie Brockland points out stained glass, jewel-encrusted crowns and items that are hundreds of years old, explaining each story. These objects are the heritage of the Ursuline Sisters, a religious order that has helped heal, teach and shape the Crescent City since 1727. 

Brockland, 85, is the only Ursuline sister left in New Orleans, potentially the last one to carry on the legacy and tell their stories. 

“I don’t know what the future is going to hold,” Brockland said. “Maybe there’ll be another resurgence of people who want to live a religious life, but if not, God’s work will go on in another way.”

Overall, there are only about 100 Ursulines of the Roman Union remaining in the United States. With a sharply-declining population, the sisters have been preparing Ursuline schools for their absence, training laypeople to become spiritual leaders and carry on traditions.

Sitting in the sisters’ residence adjacent to the shrine and the academy’s Uptown campus, Brockland talked about the first sisters, who came in 1727 at the encouragement of French colonial governor Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. The Ursulines were asked to provide a stabilizing moral influence for an already chaotic young port colony and educate the young women of New Orleans. 

The idea proved successful. Ursuline Academy is the oldest continuously operating school for girls and the oldest Catholic school in the U.S. The order still oversees more than a dozen secondary schools around the country.

The Ursulines have marked New Orleans history at every turn, from tending wounded soldiers after the Battle of New Orleans to helping in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Mayor Helena Moreno presented Brockland with a key to the city at a September ceremony to recognize the Ursulines’ legacy. 

“I knew I was doing it in honor of all the sisters, and there’s so many sisters who’ve gone before me,” Brockland said about accepting the key on behalf of the Ursuline order. 

New Orleans Archbishop James Checchio described the sisters as the city’s first teachers, nurses and pharmacists. The sisters’ legacy of education and service formed the root of the city’s foundation, he said. 

“Three hundred years ago the Ursuline sisters left everything behind in France to answer God’s call in service to the people of New Orleans,” Checchio said in a statement. “Immediately upon their arrival, they began their mission of ministering to the colonists with little more than faith and hope in God’s providence … The Ursulines’ history here and the history of the city and our region are intertwined in such a way that they are truly inseparable.”

Brockland recalled one of the first Ursuline sisters in New Orleans who detailed her voyage from France to New Orleans in her diary. A journey that was supposed to take three months took five months due to bad weather. Other mishaps along the way included encounters with pirates, getting stuck on a sandbar and having to find ways to protect themselves from alligators, snakes and mosquitoes. 

“She writes all this down, and she says, ‘But now that I look back, it just seems like a wonderful adventure,’” Brockland said. “I thought, what a spirit. To have that wonderful spirit to start out. It’s something that we’re doing for God, and we’re going to help other people.”

Brockland, who grew up south of St. Louis, joined the Ursuline order at age 16 right after graduating high school.

“We had spiritual programs that taught us how to pray, not just to say prayers, but to actually talk to God and listen,” Brockland said. “And so one of those times when I was trying to listen, I thought I heard God say that I was called. Of course you never know for sure. You have to test it.”

After a year of prayer and reflection, Brockland said she was sure of her decision, embarking on what’s now an almost seven-decade journey.  

She joined the order in the 1960s as its sisters began transitioning from wearing a traditional floor-length habit, wimple and veil. For her recent interview, Brockland wore a long skirt and cardigan over a light-blue pullover, with a simple crucifix on a necklace to mark her faith. She remains quick on her feet, navigating through the shrine and academy grounds with ease. 

Brockland has moved to and from New Orleans over the years, including a stint as a teacher and then principal of the Uptown academy, among other roles.

When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Brockland was in charge of the sisters’ community. At the time, nine sisters lived in the residence, with two others hospitalized. More than 40 people would take shelter in the house, from kids to people over age 90. 

“People came and stayed with us because they knew we’d be here, and we just knew we’d be here,” Brockland said. “The sisters never left. You know, we just believed that we would always be here for the people.”

Looking ahead to the tricentennial of the Ursuline’s presence in New Orleans, Brockland said he plans to stay as long as possible in the city. 

“I’m not going to go around moping,” Brockland said. “We’ve done all we could, it’s just that today’s world is different. God will take care of it.”