A Tribute to Sister Brenda Motte, OSP from the Brentwood Village-Johnston Square communities on the Occasion of her 60th Anniversary as an Oblate Sister of Providence…

Sr. Brenda Motte, OSP		Sr. Marcia Hall, OSP, Sr. Elaine Frederick, OSP, Mr. Buddy Daniels, and Sr. Gabriel Walker, OSP.

I first came to work in this neighborhood in 1978 or so… Sister Brenda was already here working.  She was already beloved by the children, the elderly and everybody else in between…

I went door to door to meet everyone, as I began my housing work… I used Sister Brenda’s and Sister Reginald’s names as my calling card… I eventually met most people in the neighborhood.  With a paycheck from St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center and encouragement from the sisters, we eventually opened a non-profit food store: the Johnston Square Food Program.  Its slogan was “goodbye to bad buys”.  Sister Brenda not only became one of the store’s biggest customers, with her purchasing for the convent there, but she also worked the cash register when it was her turn (I have pictures of that somewhere).

She went with over 100 of us to defend the food store at the City Zoning Board and went with us to “discuss” demonstratively Catholic Charities’ placement of Christopher Place in our neighborhood without our permission.

We had a lot of laughs and our share of tears.  Through it all, Sister Brenda Motte was there to greet and feed us, to cheer us up and to bring us down to reality when necessary.  She is loved by so many because she has cared so much. 

The community, her neighborhood, where she has been called the Mayor of Brentwood Village, loves her very much.  She has seen babies born and seniors and young folk die.  She has given toys, sodas, soup and sandwiches to more than a few. 

The combination of her smile or that Oklahoma flavored laugh of hers, her delightful cooking, her many kindnesses endear her to us forever. 

In closing, I was thinking the other day, if Sister Brenda were a tree, she’d be standing by the water and not moved but what type?, if she were a movie, she’d be “Oklahoma!” of course, or?….  If she were a Temptations' song, she’d be, “Ain't too Proud to Beg” …  if she were a book, she’d be the Joy of Cooking…  She is all of these great things and more and that is why we love her so very much.

Thank you from the members of the near and far community: we love you!

Delivered by Ralph E. Moore, Jr.

In the Community Center at St. Frances Academy

Saturday, June 10, 2006