The good nuns’ work

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This article was published 03/02/2017 (3346 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The opening title card of this documentary by Winnipeg filmmaker Danielle Sturk announces this film is about “The Catholic Women Religious of Manitoba,” as opposed to religious women.

The distinction may be subtle, but Soul Sisters’ portrait of a multitude of Manitoba nuns is interesting in its placement of adjective and noun. Sturk, a feminist who left the Catholic church 35 years ago at the age of 14, approaches her multiple subjects with more of an emphasis on vocation, and less on gender.

If Sturk initially approached these women with an eye to understanding their willingness to occupy the front lines of an obsolete, male-dominated institution, she — and we — are won over by the good work they do, and the warmth in which they do it.

The film incorporates a framing device in which artist Madeleine Vrignon creates a sculpture — the Legacy of Care, Courage and Compassion commemorative monument currently on display in the St. Boniface Heritage Garden. Sturk herself then proceeds with a parallel project of tribute and commemoration, recording stories from some of the 24 still active members of Catholic Women Religious congregations serving in Manitoba.

She has no shortage of material. Several of Sturk’s subjects deserve a documentary of their own. These include Carol Peloquin, who works to help reintegrate ex-cons into society outside of prison, and Jo-Ann Duggan, of the Sisters of the Grey Nuns, who works at Jocelyn House Hospice providing care to the dying. Another section of the film witnesses a reconciliation event in which Sister Olive Halpin engages in a healing effort with the adult students of a residential school.

Indeed, Sturk has such a wealth of people and stories, one may be overwhelmed by the sheer number of subjects, let alone the historical background that offers a history of the Catholic Sisters operating in Manitoba since 1844.

It’s a lot to compress in a 55-minute running time. (The film is destined for an hour-long programming berth on Vision TV.)

Still, one ultimately comes away in admiration of the project, largely on the collective charisma of its subjects. When Vrignon’s sculpture is unveiled at the end of the film, we are impressed with beatific luminosity in the faces of her work.

We are no less impressed by the radiance of Sturk’s interviewees captured on camera.

Sturk and Soul Sisters producer Joanne Levy will be in attendance at tonight’s 7 p.m. screening at Cinematheque for a question-and-answer session.

randall.king@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @FreepKing