Sr. Robin Richard's (Ree-shard) Vocation Story

When she was six, Robin wanted to be a saint but that involved obeying her mother so she decided that being a saint "was too darn hard." She loved the saints' books on the family shelves. At school she received holy cards or little statues of the saints as prizes for her reading. These eventually graced a little "altar" in the hallway of the Richard home. 

Years of study introduced her to several religious orders but the Sisters she met at Dominican High School in New Orleans were special - "so joy-filled and kind." They made her think she might have a vocation to the religious life but the thought didn't last long. Undergraduate studies at Tulane and waiting on tables pushed it to the back burner.

One summer Robin injured her back and spent much time listening to music. The lyrics of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" struck a cord: "I'm on your side… When you’re down and out," and "Sail on silver girl… Your time has come to shine…All your dreams are on their way." POW! A moment of conversion. She started to think of religious life again and eight months later, after throwing a tantrum to keep the thought at bay, she told God she'd "think about it but not promise anything." An answering thought came back immediately, "That's all I want you to do."

A Dominican Sister friend invited her to a "Come and See" weekend and Robin, who had refused "to be pushed" said "Yes!" It was a wonderful experience but still reluctant, she taught French at Ursuline elementary two more years before entering the Dominican congregation. While she loved teaching, there was the feeling that she would not be teaching in a private academy much longer.

While volunteering for Pax Christi New Orleans, she spotted a catalog blurb that said "Option for the Poor." The thought of teaching adult ESL hit like a lightning bolt. It was another epiphany and, even though she didn't know what it meant, Robin floated on clouds feeling she had struck gold. Eventually she realized why - her love of teaching languages and cultures could help the poor and marginalized.

Sr. Robin taught Spanish and French and was Campus Minister four yeas in high school ministry and later earned a master's degree in English as a Second Language and Adult Education. Her burning desire to work with adult learners was finally realized when a part-time position opened up at the New Orleans Hispanic Apostolate. Now she could teach in the morning and work for a second master's degree in the afternoon. On weekends she played guitar, and lead a liturgical music group at the Tulane University chapel.

Then came Katrina. The upheaval and trauma that followed sent Sr. Robin to Chicago where she coordinated an ESL computer lab for three years. When a position opened up at the Dominican Learning Center in Columbus, Ohio, she applied and is now assistant director. She says, "The corporate witness we give at the Center is great because of the staff: Sisters, Associates and friends who work together to help hundreds of immigrants achieve a working knowledge of English." What a gift to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, to the Dominican Order and to the community!

Sr. Robin loves the Dominican Sisters of Peace congregation, its prayer life, its common life, its ministries served with vigor and intelligence, its ability to bond with people especially the marginalized. She finds that balancing the Four Pillars of the Order (Prayer, Study, Community life, Ministry), is difficult but possible because everyone has the same priorities. "I loved teaching and the Hispanic Apostolate but my present ministry is ideal for me. I was Justice Promoter for several years and I still have three issues about which I am passionate: Immigration, Undoing Racism, and Fostering Inter-religious Dialog." Sr. Robin is also chair of the Immigration Reform Committee of the Dominican Sisters of Peace.