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May 23, 2005 
VOL.
43, NO. 11Oakland,
CA
of a Holy Names Sister
Friends of Holy Names Sister Mary Rita Anderson, those
who witnessed the final moments of her life, and others touched by her
tragic death in a traffic accident mourned together and found healing
during a May 13 community debriefing meeting held in an Oakland church.
Fire department employees who responded to the scene when Sister Anderson
was crushed by a cement truck while jaywalking on Oakland’s Lakeshore
Avenue, May 9, were among the 70 or so persons who attended the debriefing,
along with members of the Holy Names community and local residents who
witnessed the accident. The event was sponsored by the Oakland Fire Department.
“Many people shared that this was a transformative experience for
them in terms of their own healing,” said Janet Childs, director
of the Bay Area critical incident stress management team at the Center
for Living with Dying, a non-profit group working with Oakland firefighters.
Childs helped facilitate the meeting at Lakeshore Baptist Church.
The meeting was “an amazing sharing of trauma, of what people experienced
but also the love and memories of Sister Mary,” Childs said. “It
was a very powerful bonding experience.”
Sister Anderson, 68, was run over by the cement truck as she crossed the
busy Oakland street north of the 580 freeway shortly before 1:30 p.m.
She was hurrying across the street about 50 feet from a marked crosswalk
and apparently failed to watch for traffic coming in the southbound lane.
Many passersby saw the former Holy Names University professor as she was
struck and pulled under the wheels of the truck.
A number of witnesses spoke of the experience for the first time during
the debriefing, Childs said. “Several people felt that even though
they hadn’t known her, they felt an instant connection with her
because they shared that final moment. They walked away from the meeting
saying, ‘We now know Sister.’”
A shrine of flowers, candles, a rosary and prayers set up near the scene
of the accident included a note by one of the witnesses. It is addressed
to friends of Sister Anderson as well as the truck
driver, who was in shock after the incident. “Many of us kept vigil
here after the accident so her spirit and body were not alone,”
the note said. It was signed, “A Neighbor.”
Sister Mary Anderson taught history at Holy Names University (then Holy
Names College) for 22 years, retiring in 2001. She joined the order after
receiving her bachelor’s degree from Holy Names in 1959, and she
earned a master’s degree from the school in 1969 and a doctoral
degree in European History from UC-Berkeley in 1979. The graduating class
of 1993 voted her its most encouraging teacher.
After retirement she continued to lecture and also volunteered at Next
Step Learning Center in West Oakland, which helps adults earn high school
equivalency diplomas. Holy Names Sister Cynthia Canning, co-director of
the center, said the nun “brought a wonderful enthusiasm for learning
and for our students.”
Holy Names Sister Barbara Bray, assistant superintendent of diocesan schools,
said she and Sister Anderson were members of the same support group. She
was “brilliant, gentle, filled with life and spirit, prayerful,”
Sister Bray said, and she had a gift for seeing to the heart of situations
“in a new and spirit-filled way.”
During a service at Holy Names University chapel on May 11, Sister Anderson
was described as a teacher who loved the academic life and was an inspiration
to teachers and students alike. She was also praised in a note left at
the Lakeshore Avenue impromptu shrine: “Thank you for all your help,
love, inspiration while I was with you at HNC. You’re the best.”
The note was signed “KES.”
Members of the Holy Names community made similar testimonials to Sister
Anderson during the community debriefing, Childs said. “Everyone
got a chance to share how they were touched and impacted,” she said.
The Oakland Fire Department has an “amazing” critical incident
stress management team, Childs said, because they help the community as
well as the firefighters. Those who attended the meeting received follow-up
material and resources for dealing with stress.
“We let people know to continue to be gentle with themselves,”
she said, “to reach out for support from each other. When you’ve
survived an incident, you become part of a family. You’re the best
support for each other because you’ve survived it together.”
Those who would like further help, Childs said, can call the fire department
and ask to speak to a member of the critical incident stress management
team.
Sister Anderson’s funeral Mass was held May 17 at the Convent of
the Holy Names in Los Gatos, and burial took place the following day at
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward. A memorial Mass in her honor will
take place today ( May 23) at 7 p.m. in the McLean Chapel of Holy Names
University campus. All are welcome.
Flowers placed by witnesses to the accident form a memorial near the Lakeshore
Avenue site where Sister Mary
Rita Anderson died.
Greg Tarczynski photo
