Music bonds a little girl with a mentor who gave voice to her life and her faith

(The Criterion has invited our readers to share a special thank you for someone who has influenced their lives in a positive and powerful way. Here is the third part of a continuing series. See part two | See part four)
 

By John Shaughnessy

One of the best gifts we can receive in life is when someone leads us to something we love to do.

Jody Wyss-Treadwell experienced that influence as a child, during a time when her health was severely challenged.

“Sixty plus years ago, I was diagnosed with asthma,” recalls Wyss-Treadwell, a member of St. Roch Parish in Indianapolis. “My mom always slept with one eye open at night, waiting for me to take my next breath. Inhalers and medicine were not an option yet.

“Mom asked the pediatrician what could be done to help me. His response was, ‘Certainly not physical activity because that’s what makes her asthma flare up. She needs something to help strengthen her lungs.’ ”

That prescription led the then-5-year-old girl to a woman who would have a lasting impact on her life, her health and her faith.

“On a warm summer day, Mom and I visited Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove and met Benedictine Sister Margaret Schafer,” Wyss-Treadwell recalls. “Mom explained the problem to Sister Margaret—and that I needed something to help strengthen my lungs. So, Sister Margaret and I embarked upon a multi-decades journey of vocal music and elocution lessons.”

The lessons included having her take deep breaths and holding them for increasing amounts of time.

“Now whether or not this is a medical explanation of how to correct asthma in a child remains to be seen, but it helped me tremendously.”

Just as valuable, the vocal music training led Wyss-Treadwell toward a passion that has enriched her life in many ways ever since.

“I became a lifelong musician and teacher of music education, a published author and composer of music for children,” she says. “Sister Margaret instilled in me a love of music and a love for the religious sisters, especially the Sisters of St. Benedict.”

Wyss-Treadwell notes that every voice lesson began with a prayer, sometimes to St. Cecilia, a patron saint of musicians, and “other saints that were held deep in Sister Margaret’s heart.

“Looking back, I think about a quarter of the music lesson was devoted to prayer,” she says. “She gave me strength to be the best musician I could be as well as the best person I could be. She drenched all of her students in the love of making music. For, in her words and St. Augustine’s, ‘Music is twice praying.’ ”

Wyss-Treadwell also remembers one of Sister Margaret’s traits that still makes her laugh.

“She drenched us in holy water before every performance or music contest. I learned never to wear moiré for a concert or contest again after a water-spotting disaster!”

Sister Margaret’s propensity for using holy water leads to another story that fills Wyss-Treadwell with delight.

Before a concert at one of the schools where she taught, Sister Margaret felt the students needed an extra outpouring of divine intervention, so she sprayed the band chairs with so much holy water that the parish priest thought there was a leak in the roof when he saw the chairs. Sister Margaret’s confession stopped him from making his planned call to a roofing company.

One of Wyss-Treadwell’s favorite personal memories occurred when Sister Margaret made a trip to Cincinnati to be there for her recital in her senior year in college.

“It was a long road and journey that we took together from that little 5-year-old child to the young adult

I had become, heading off to teach music to children,” Wyss-Treadwell recalls. “She was my inspiration, she was my mentor, and she was my best friend.

“I only hoped that after 45 years of teaching music, I was half the caring, nurturing educator for my students that Sister Margaret had been to me and the hundreds of other children she taught music to. For those many years, I am thankful that I was the beneficiary of her love and inspiration.

“I am sure she is in heaven leading the cherub choir.” †