Mary (Sister Clarine) Seibel Photo/Document Gallery
Sr. Clarine (Mary Seibel) was and is an integral part of our combined families. Sr. Clarine took her orders as a Catholic Nun with the order of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1933. In fact she wore my mother's wedding dress when she took her vows (March 19, 1933). What she taught me and I'm sure others was how important devotion is - to both family and God. I do firmly believe her devotion to family was at least on an equal basis to her devotion to her order; their rules; and God. She was treated by our family as the top-prized-possesion as we all fought for the small amount of leave time she had each year. When she was stationed in San Francisco at St. Emydius, we never mssed one of her "visiting Sundays", when we would drive by and sit with her outside in the school yard. While she did not like having her picture taken, she remains one of the major people in terms of our photo library. Some are out of focus, but in terms of a camera target in the black and white era, who cannot but help appreciate the clean lines given by a black and white habit in front of the camera!
One of the favorite times that Maureen and I had with her was on a trip we took down to Marymount in Los Angeles where we stayed at the Convent. In the day time we went to Universal Studios and in the evening we all sat on my bed (Maureen had to sleep in another room of course - it was a Convent!) and watched TV - and then at Mass the next day, Sr. Clarine talked to us during most of it, and left before Mass was over to work in the kitchen. Great memories.
Sr. Clarine (Mary Seibel) was born in San Francisco and raised out on the outskirts of San Francisco (at that time) on 36th Avenue, between Taraval and Ulloa streets. She was a triplet, and there are many photos of the three of them over the years. If you want to see more of the photos, click on the link below to look at the life and times of the Seibels in San Francisco.
Link to the Triplet Photo Page
(click on the image to the right)
Link to the Seibel Photo Galleries
(click on the image to the right)
Sr. Clarine and Helen Seibel Murphy in front of 2570 32nd Ave circa 1930 (ish)
Sr. Clarine - middle back behind Alice Seibel Murphy - at beach circa 1930
From left: Sr. Clarine (Mary Seibel), Cecilia Seibel McLoughlan, Helen Seibel Murphy
Alice Seibel Murphy with Sr. Clarine seated on mom's lap.
Sr. Clarine (Mary Seibel) was moved around quite a bit when she became a nun. Her family would only find out about it from a letter after the fact. Her order sent her to Tuscon to train to be a registered nurse. She did their bidding (with love and devotion) for years - teaching however was something she did not like. She taught at St. Emydius in San Francisco for years, and then ended up in her final years at Marymount in Los Angeles. (As a trivia note, the movie "High Anxiety" was filmed there, and Sr. Clarine noted that a few of the cast would go to daily mass.)
Sr. Clarine took her orders (Catholic Nun with Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet) and wore mom's wedding dress for the occasion.
Tucson Assignment
Sr. Bernard to Alice Seibel Murphy, 5/9/1935
Sr. Clarine to Alice Seibel Murphy, 3/26/1936
Sr. Clarine to Alice Seibel Murphy, 6/20/1936
Sr. Clarine to Alice Seibel Murphy, 10/22/1936
Mission San Xavier del Bac (circa 1937)
On the visit to Tucson, our parents took Sr. Clarine and some of her fellow nuns on a mini-vacation to Sabino Canyon, about 15 miles northeast of Tucson. Some of the photos are blury, but the camera seemed more content on the rocks and cactus in the background. I'm not sure who everyone is except mom and dad (Maurice and Alice Murphy), and Sr. Clarine. I will post their names when I find out.
From Left: Maurice Murphy, Sr. Clarine, Alice Seibel Murphy
Sr. Clarine to Alice Seibel Murphy, 4/2/1937
Sr. Clarine to Helen Seibel Murphy, 1/9/1938
Sr. Clarine to Alice Seibel Murphy, 7/9/1938
Lewiston, Idaho Assignment
Sr. Clarine to Alice Seibel Murphy, 10/31/1938
Lewiston Idaho (Lewis and Clark Hotel in image)
Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston, Idaho
St. Joseph's Hospital
St. Joseph's Hospital
St. Joseph's Hospital
Sr. Clarine Seibel
Alice Seibel Murphy
Sr. Clarine Seibel
Sr. Mary Clarine to Alice Seibel Murphy, 7/8/1956
Sr. Mary Clarine to Alice Seibel Murphy, 4/22/1957
Miscellaneous Family Photos
(including sketch of Sr. Clarine and her rosary)
Family was important to Sr. Clarine, and here are some of the photos of her with family and friends over the years. For me personally it meant her summer visits when dad would take the camping cot out (and sleeping bag) and put it in the living room. Every morning we would ask how she slept and she would reply, "I died last night."
The photo right below this is from the house Maureen and I moved into after we got married. It was on 719 Duncan Street in San Francisco and had lots of blackberries. For my mom and Sr. Clarine, it was like going back to the Parkside. Sr. Clarine didn't mind the thorns - just the fresh blackberries.
(This part will be ongoing with more added on and probably split off to other pages.)
From Left: Alice Seibel Murphy, Sr. Clarine Seibel, Maureen Leahy Murphy, Philip Murphy - circa 1980
