At Sister Anna's Feet

An Old Nun and a Young Nun Break the Holy Rule to Help the Poor

Eileen OToole has written a frank and brave memoir about her years as a nun and her fearless decision to leave the convent. Every pre-Vatican II Catholic woman will identify with her story. OToole opens the door so all can see behind the walls and into the inner life of the convent. Her story is the stuff of fiction, but all too true. Everyone who reads this book will be greatly moved and cheer for the young nun with the big dreams. Patricia Eisemann, publishing executive Eileen OToole has written a true life tale that will make your spirits soar. This is required reading for anyone looking to keep the faith while making a difference in the here and now. Denis Hamill, author of Fork in the Road. Spurred on by her Irish Catholic upbringing in the 1950s, Eileen OToole decided to enter the convent and become a nun at the young age of eighteen. Almost immediately, she ran smack up against rules, regulations, and arcane practices that ran counter to her free-spirited nature. Deciding this life was not for her she tried to escape, not once but three times in the first year. During the second year in the novitiate she was assigned to a mission where she would meet the person who would change her life forever. There, the elderly mother superior, Sister Anna, taught her how to develop her true spiritual self. As the years passed, her work taking care of those who lived in the poverty-stricken Brooklyn neighborhood of her parish and beyond, brought her much joy and solidified her commitment to being a nun. However, all that would change when she was reassigned to a wealthy parish on Long Island. No longer allowed to attend to the poor, her life in the convent became unbearable. She knew the only way she could be true to herself and to the mission instilled in her by Sister Anna was to escape. But the decision was a lot easier than the deed.