Sister Bernie Ternes
In 1941, Angela Ternes began the journey of her lifetime. Westbound on a train from Strasburg, North Dakota, headed for the Monastery of St. Gertrude in Cottonwood, Idaho, Angela felt like she was moving to the end of the world — especially after her first glimpse of the towering Rocky Mountains.
Getting to the train station had taken 11 years. At six years old Angela visited her older sister, Sister Agnes, at an Ursuline Convent. Right then Angela "knew without a doubt that I wanted to be a sister — an Ursuline Sister." By the time she reached high school however, dating and other attractions "made religious life seem much less appealing." But, deep in her heart, Angela knew that God was calling her, so she determined to join the Ursulines the summer she turned 16.
Fate however, had a different plan. Another of her sisters, Sister Carm, had decided to join St. Gertrude's and Angela knew that "it would devastate my parents to have both of us leave home in the same summer." In the ensuing year, Sister Carm sent glowing reports home about St. Gertrude's while Sister Agnes urged Angela to join the Ursulines.
"I stormed heaven with a novena praying for enlightenment. On the second to last day we received a surprise letter from Sister Carm saying she was coming on a home visit and would like me to return with her. I took that as an answer to my prayer."
Angela entered the Monastery of St. Gertrude as Sister Bernie in 1942. The next three decades found her teaching in schools across Idaho — both Catholic and public. In 1976 she took a field trip to the First Avenue Service Center in Seattle, Washington. After seeing first hand the suffering of people on "Skid Row", Sister Bernie signed up as a Night Crisis Team volunteer. Eventually, the streets became her ministry.
"I discovered then that the deepest yearning of my heart is to be among God's Anawim — the lost and forgotten ones," said Sister Bernie. And so, at age 52, she began walking the streets at night, checking under bridges and in alleys and sitting on bar stools with those who had no hope. Engaged in what she calls "the ministry of presence," Sister Bernie feels that "just being there for them," helps these men and women recall the depths of God's love.
"I am not really a monastic at heart. Perhaps I should have joined the Ursulines all those years ago," she reflected. "But this great community of St. Gertrude's supports me absolutely. No matter where I am or what I do, I know I have the love and prayers of this wonderfully dedicated group of women."
Sister Bernie has also served in Spokane, Washington where she continued doing what she does best: serving the homeless. She volunteered at Our Place Ministries and also at St. Margaret's Shelter for women and children. Now she is home at the Monastery helping at the Museum.
"I would encourage everyone to follow their dreams. My years on Skid Row, in prison [as chaplain] and at various shelters have been life-giving challenges for me. I am truly grateful to my community for their support, for only if I am grounded in prayer and realize my dependence on God, can I minister to others."