"Sometimes we don’t give enough recognition to our elderly who continue to learn and want to learn about their faith by committing themselves to study."

-- Sister Rose Mary Stein, OP

You’re never too old to stop learning; learning about Jesus is for all ages at all times.

The women who attended Sister Rose Mary Stein’s class, "Understanding the Bible," still want to keep learning, which Sister Rose Mary said, "is a real gift to the church and to themselves."

Seven women recently completed the 10-week course, which was designed by Sister Rose Mary primarily for the seven women who were invited to attend.

"I wrote my own syllabus for this class," Sister Rose Mary explained. "I knew their needs and wanted the class to meet those needs: six weeks on the Old Testament, and four weeks on the New Testament. I guided them through the history of the Bible beginning with Abraham, and ending with the Ascension."

The class began just before Christmas, with meetings occurring twice a month for an hour. Sister Rose Mary explained that prior to the Vatican II Council (1962-65), Catholics were discouraged from reading the Bible because of the possibility that they might misinterpret the content. Instead, most Catholics relied on the Baltimore Catechism, which offered an in-depth study of Church teaching, but did not specifically teach scripture.

In preparing for the class, Sister Rose Mary studied a number of sources to garner in-depth information about the specific lesson she was teaching.

"Every week they would review and every week they would come back," she said of her students. "Each was given an assignment to study scripture. We talked about how what they read related to what we studied. They were very faithful in doing their homework.

"I was proud of this age group," Sister Rose Mary added. "Sometimes we don’t give enough recognition to our elderly who continue to learn and want to learn about their faith by committing themselves to study."

Each student was given a certificate upon completion of the class. When asked what gifts seniors offer, Sister Rose Mary replied, "Gentleness, kindness, strong faith, and a strong commitment to church and morality; attendance at Mass and church activities. And prayer; they have a very strong prayer life as far as private prayer, praying for others, and living their lives according to God’s way."

Sister Rose Mary will be starting a new class next fal, the content of which has not yet been determined. The seven women will help decide what to study.